Review
Praise for The Girl From World's End and The War Widows: '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, bestselling author of Mother of Pearl. 'An epic tale of hardship and tragedy straddling the Second World War.' The Bookseller 'A heartwarming read.' Closer 'A compelling story, capturing the spirit of time and place.' Lancashire Evening Post
Product Description
Lest we forget! A poignant new tale from the English Maeve Binchy. As a new millennium dawns, 100-year-old Selma Bartley alone knows the secret behind a Yorkshire village's refusal to honour its war dead. One summer's day in 1913, a brush with tragedy irrevocably binds the fates of two families forever. A year later, and West Sharland sends its men off to fight, leaving blacksmith's daughter Selma Bartley to manage the family business - and her blossoming feelings for aristocrat Guy Cantrell. Their friendship tests social convention - but will also have unimaginable consequences before the War is over. When Guy is wounded in battle, his identical twin Angus - desperate for battlefield action but medically unfit - takes his place, unbeknownst to his brother. But, bitterly unprepared for war, Angus's actions result in catastrophe for the Bartley family, hundreds of miles away in West Sharland. Overnight, the village turns against the Bartleys and urged on by her distraught parents, Selma is forced to make a new life in America. Deeply ashamed at his brother's actions, Guy adopts a new identity, eventually arriving in Pennsylvania where he finds the peace that has previously eluded him. But years later, with war again on the horizon, secrets are resurrected, reuniting Selma and Guy - and the names of the dead must be uttered once more! A mesmerising tale about how a landmark moment in history affected the lives of so many, guaranteed to capture the heart of all those who loved The Island and The House at Riverton.
About the Author
Leah Fleming was born in Lancashire of Scottish parents, and is married with four grown-up children and five grandchildren. She usually writes full-time from a haunted farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales, but has recently completed a gap year for grown-ups living on the slopes of an olive grove in Crete. She is currently working on her next novel, Winter's Children, to be published in 2010.
