The War Widows
Published on 7. April 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
464 pages
978-1-84756-013-1 (ISBN)
Description
When you lose everything you love, you need a friend...
Nothing ever happens in sleepy Grimbleton. Until two strangers - both claiming to be the fiancee of a dead soldier - arrive in town.
Susan prides herself on her refined 'English' manners - yet her airs and graces hide harrowing memories of her escape from war-torn Burma.
Volatile Ana pines for the sunshine of her Greek village - but is forever haunted by her sister's death at the hands of the Nazis'.
Enemies at first, Su and Ana soon find themselves united in grief at the loss of Freddie Winstanley - the father of both their children.
Freddie's sister Lily takes the women under her wing and soon the circle of friends expands to include Italian Maria, torn between her invalid husband and another man, and uppercrust Diana, whose jolly exterior conceals a secret sorrow.
Supported by this new-found sisterhood, Lily dares to dream of spreading her wings away from her domineering family and spineless fiance.
But each woman's courage is soon sorely tested. Can they help each other to find happiness after the heartache of war?
Nothing ever happens in sleepy Grimbleton. Until two strangers - both claiming to be the fiancee of a dead soldier - arrive in town.
Susan prides herself on her refined 'English' manners - yet her airs and graces hide harrowing memories of her escape from war-torn Burma.
Volatile Ana pines for the sunshine of her Greek village - but is forever haunted by her sister's death at the hands of the Nazis'.
Enemies at first, Su and Ana soon find themselves united in grief at the loss of Freddie Winstanley - the father of both their children.
Freddie's sister Lily takes the women under her wing and soon the circle of friends expands to include Italian Maria, torn between her invalid husband and another man, and uppercrust Diana, whose jolly exterior conceals a secret sorrow.
Supported by this new-found sisterhood, Lily dares to dream of spreading her wings away from her domineering family and spineless fiance.
But each woman's courage is soon sorely tested. Can they help each other to find happiness after the heartache of war?
Reviews / Votes
PRAISE FOR THE WAR WIDOWS AND THE GIRL FROM WORLD'S END'A good read to curl up with.'
Lincolnshire Echo
'All emotions are here - a great holiday read.'
The Bradford Telegraph
'A good read'
Hull Daily Mail
'A beautiful, almost poetically-written tale of love and tragedy in the Yorkshire Dales mainly set during the Second World War. The characters are real flesh and blood and the reader shares their ups and downs with genuine empathy.'
Maureen Lee, author of Kitty and her Sisters
'An epic tale of hardship and tragedy straddling the Second World War'
The Bookseller
'A captivating journey back to the past'.
Closer Magazine
'a warm and enchanting first novel from a writer with an instinctive feel for the northern landscape'
Lancashire Evening Post
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-A)
Dimensions
Height: 178 mm
Width: 111 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
244 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84756-013-1 (9781847560131)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Leah Fleming
The War Widows
E-Book
06/2009
AVON, a division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
€2.99
Available for download
Person
Leah Fleming was born in Lancashire of Scottish parents, and is married with four grown-up children and four grandchildren. She writes full-time from a haunted farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales and from the slopes of an olive grove in Crete.