In the glorious Cambridgeshire countryside, Hope Hall was once a grand country house, but it's now been converted into beautiful luxury apartments and its new residents are moving in…
Cassie is blissfully in love with her partner Ben and looking forward to life in their new home, but shadows from Cassie's first marriage loom large.
Gallery owner Nina needs a fresh start since losing her husband two years ago, but moving on will mean confronting a painful decision that will shatter her mother-in-law's dreams.
Into their lives comes Venetia, a lively seventy-nine-year-old with a penchant for secrets. As Venetia faces her own bittersweet history with Hope Hall, the lives of the three women become intricately connected, revealing the power of friendship and the courage to confront the past.
Review: I have read many of this author’s books and was drawn to this one by its setting and storyline. Erica James writes so well about families and friendships and her books often leave me with warm memories. I was looking forward to reading about the characters in this book and whether they would find their forever home.
The story follows the lives of residents of Hope Hall, a large country house newly converted into twenty individual luxury homes. It focuses particularly on three women. Cassie has moved in with partner Ben. The couple are happy together, but at the same time Cassie is troubled by memories of the past and her cheating ex-husband. Another early arrival is Nina. Owner of an art gallery in nearby Cambridge, she is trying to recover from the tragic sudden death of her husband, but is finding it hard to move on when her mother-in-law is making it so difficult. She also has a big decision to make which is constantly on her mind. Finally, there is Venetia, a flamboyant and stylish lady approaching her eightieth birthday. She has history with the hall that she is keeping secret from the others. The three women soon become firm friends, supporting each other through dramas to come.
I enjoyed this book just as much as I had hoped and am happy to recommend it. The author has presented the reader with such strong and interesting characters in these three women. Circumstances were different for each of them and yet they came to form a robust friendship when drawn together. Being much older than the others, Venetia’s story was more detailed than the others. Her history with the hall was sad but she was happy to return. Some very serious issues were encountered within the telling of these women’s stories and the author has dealt with them with great sensitivity. As well as the characters, I also loved the setting of this book. The hall was set in spacious grounds containing meadows and woods, with the river Cam flowing through them. I could just imagine the wonderful views from the roof terraces included with the top floor apartments. I can imagine that all three women felt they had indeed found a forever home.
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