The Light Behind The Window
Lucinda Riley
30 August 2012
9781447218425Synopsis
The Light Behind the Window is a stunning tale of love, war and, above all, forgiveness, from Lucinda Riley, international #1 bestselling author of the Seven Sisters series.
South of France, present day. After the death of her glamorous, distant mother, Emilie de la Martiniéres finds herself alone in the world – and sole inheritor of her grand childhood home.
A notebook of poems leads her to the mysterious and beautiful Sophia, whose tragic love affair changed the course of her family history. As Emilie unravels the story, she too embarks on a journey of discovery, realizing that the château may provide clues to her own difficult past.
London, 1943. A young office clerk, Constance Carruthers, is drafted into a special operations team, arriving in occupied Paris during the climax of the conflict. Separated from her contact, she stumbles into the heart of a wealthy family who are caught up in a deadly game of secrets and lies.
Forced to surrender her identity and all ties to her homeland, Constance finds herself drawn into a complex web of deception, the repercussions of which will affect generations to come . . .
'A fast-paced, suspenseful story flitting between the present day and World War II . . . Brilliant escapism' – Red
** This title has been published outside the UK under the title The Lavender Garden. **
A sweeping, engrossing work. Riley is talented, delighting in the small details of aristocratic luxury and the pastoral countryside . . . The heroines of [The Light Behind the Window] struggle to master circumstances seemingly beyond their control, a common thread in Riley's work. A tale of family secrets, wartime espionage, and loyalties gained and gambled, The Lavender Garden will appeal to fans of historical fiction, Kate Morton, and Helen BryanBooklist
A fast-paced, suspenseful story flitting between the present day and World War II . . . Riley expertly weaves Emilie's story into a dual narrative . . . A real old-fashioned romance which manages to have a compelling narrative as well as something of a history lesson in the Special Operations Executive. Brilliant escapismRed
Two superb storylines for the price of one here. In 1998 Emilie de la Martinieres inherits her grand South of France childhood home. She begins to uncover the past and finds a tiny room hidden in the wine cellar. Why has it been sealed for 50 years? As if that wasn't enough, there's also the part set in 1944. Constance Carruthers is sent to Paris as a spy, but loses her contact and falls in with an aristocratic family involved with the Resistance. Seriously, what could be more divine? Just sink in and wallowKate Saunders, Saga
