Recommendations based on "The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant"

A transporting, irresistible debut novel that takes its heroine, Cristabel Seagrave, from a theatre in the gargantuan cavity of a beached whale into undercover operations during World War II—a story of love, family, bravery, lost innocence, and self-transformation.One blustery night in 1928, a whale washes up on the shores of the English Channel. By law, it belongs to the King, but twelve-year-old orphan Cristabel Seagrave has other plans. She and the rest of the household—her sister, Flossie; her brother, Digby, long-awaited heir to Chilcombe manor; Maudie Kitcat, kitchen maid; Taras, visiting artist—build a theatre from the beast’s skeletal rib cage. Within the Whalebone Theatre, Cristabel can escape her feckless stepparents and brisk governesses, and her imagination comes to life.As Cristabel grows into a headstrong young woman, World War II rears its head. She and Digby become British secret agents on separate missions in Nazi-occupied France—a more dangerous kind of playacting, it turns out, and one that threatens to tear the family apart.

'One of those rarest of books: so beautiful I almost couldn't bear it, and so moving I was reading through tears' STACEY HALLS 'Uniquely witty, beautifully observed, intricately woven' MIRANDA HART 'A truly glorious life-affirming book, in which love, hope and friendship trump sorrow' DINAH JEFFERIES 'Had me absolutely sobbing - a beautiful, beautiful book' JO BROWNING WROE, bestselling author of A TERRIBLE KINDNESS 'Worth every tear' WOMAN & HOME 'Exquisitely tender, powerfully compelling' SARAH HAYWOOD 'One of my new all-time favourite books - an absolute joy' JULIETTA HENDERSON 'Thoughtful, warm and engaging' CHRISTINA SWEENEY-BAIRD 'Honest, heartfelt and hopeful' MARIANNE CRONIN 'A joy to read' ANNE YOUNGSON 'A love song to women everywhere' ERICKA WALLER MEET EVA MARTÍNEZ-GREEN, AN ONLY CHILD FULL OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HER BEGINNINGS. Between her emotionally absent mother and her physically absent father, there is nobody to answer them. Eva is convinced that all is not as it seems. Why are there no baby pictures of her? Why do her parents avoid all questions about her early years? When her parents' relationship crumbles, Eva begins a journey to find these answers for herself. Her desire to discover where she belongs leads Eva on a journey spanning decades and continents - and, along the way, she meets women who challenge her idea of what a mother should be, and who will change her life forever... 'A glorious journey into loving & longing' ANSTEY HARRIS 'Heartrending and heartwarming' CELIA ANDERSON 'Exquisite' JESSICA RYN 'A deep delight of a book that vibrates with love and longing' HELEN PARIS ________________________________________________________ Praise for Joanna Glen's debut novel, The Other Half of Augusta Hope: 'A therapeutic dose of high-strength emotion' GUARDIAN 'Entertains and moves in equal measure' DAILY MAIL 'Keep the tissues close' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'An irresistible message of redemption and belonging' RED magazine 'Heartening and hopeful' JESS KIDD 'Mesmerizingly beautiful' SARAH HAYWOOD 'An extraordinary masterpiece' ANSTEY HARRIS

From an exciting new voice in WWII historical fiction comes a tale of love, loss and a betrayal that echoes through generations…Paris, 1940War is closing in on the city of love, and Jacques has already lost everything he holds dear – except his beloved bookshop, la page cachée. So when a young woman and her children knock on his door during a raid one night and beg for refuge, he knows he has nothing left to lose…Modern dayBostonian Juliette and her husband have finally made it to France on the romantic getaway of their dreams – but as the days pass, all she discovers is quite how far they’ve grown apart. She’s craving a new adventure, so when she happens across a tiny, abandoned bookshop with a for-sale sign in the window, it feels fated.And she’s about to learn that the little bookshop hides a lot more than meets the eye…A heartbreaking tale of love and loss in war, perfect for fans of Kate Quinn and Rachel Hore.

Meet Isobel, Jen and Zelda.Three women whose bodies and minds are not their own.They belong to the Church.Life and death decisions are taken by others on their behalf.Who they might marry.Whether they start a family.Isobel and Jen know nothing of the world.But when Isobel's husband leaves her and Jen challenges those in charge, the Church turns its back on them.Zelda - never one for doing what is expected - dares to find hope on the outside.Meet Isobel, Jen and Zelda.Three women desperate to find a life to call their own . . .This is a novel about what it is like to live inside a prison of the mind and how to break out of it - if you can.____________Praise for Jodie Chapman:'Beautifully written...I couldn't put it down' EMMA GANNON'An astounding debut about sibling grief, religion and sliding doors love' PANDORA SYKES'Deep, rich, thoughtful' GILLIAN MCALLISTER'This beautiful tale of love, loss and sacrifice will break your heart . . . With echoes of David Nicholls' One Day and Sally Rooney's novels, it perfectly captures the agony of falling in love and the razor-sharp reality of pain and loss' DAILY MAIL

For Fans Of The Tattooist Of Auschwitz ‘heart-wrenching. Emotional. A Powerful Story Of Wartime Love And Devotion’ Glynis Peters, Author Of The Secret Orphan A Powerful And Incredibly Moving Historical Novel Inspired By An Untold Story Of The Second World War.

Alice Raikes takes a train from London to Scotland to visit her family, but when she gets there she witnesses something so shocking that she insists on returning to London immediately. A few hours later, Alice is lying in a coma after an accident that may or may not have been a suicide attempt. Alice's family gathers at her bedside and as they wait, argue, and remember, long-buried tensions emerge. The more they talk, the more they seem to conceal. Alice, meanwhile, slides between varying levels of consciousness, recalling her past and a love affair that recently ended. A riveting story that skips through time and interweaves multiple points of view, After You'd Gone is a novel of stunning psychological depth and marks the debut of a major literary talent.

A secret hidden in the past.A family bound by a dark legacy…‘What a fascinating story. I enjoyed every moment of it. Intriguing and with a lovely time-slippery twist’ Barbara Erskine, Sunday Times bestselling authorEver since her sister disappeared eleven years ago, Serena Warren has been running from a ghost, haunted by what she can’t remember about that night.When Caitlin’s body is discovered, Serena returns to her grandfather’s house, nestled beside the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall in Oxfordshire, determined to uncover the truth. But in returning to the place of her childhood summers, Serena stands poised at the brink of a startling discovery – one that will tie her family to a centuries-old secret…Taking readers from the present day to the Wars of the Roses in the 1400s, and with an enthralling mystery at its heart, The Last Daughter is a spellbinding novel about family secrets, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Barbara Erskine and Kate Morton.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars and the forthcoming Someone Else's Shoes, a sweeping bestseller of love and loss, deftly weaving two journeys from World War I France to present day London. Paris, World War I. Sophie Lefèvre must keep her family safe while her adored husband, Édouard, fights at the front. When their town falls to the Germans, Sophie is forced to serve them every evening at her hotel. From the moment the new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie’s portrait—painted by her artist husband—a dangerous obsession is born.   Almost a century later in London, Sophie’s portrait hangs in the home of Liv Halston, a wedding gift from her young husband before his sudden death. After a chance encounter reveals the portrait’s true worth, a battle begins over its troubled history and Liv’s world is turned upside all over again.

Inspired by true events in World War II Latvia, an emotionally charged novel of sacrifice, trauma, resilience, and survival, as witnessed by three generations of women. On one extraordinary day in 1940, Miriam Talan's comfortable life is shattered. While she gives birth to her second child, a son she and her husband, Max, name Monya, the Soviets invade the Baltic state of Latvia and occupy the capital city of Riga, her home. Because the Talans are Jewish, the Soviets confiscate Max's business and the family's house and bank accounts, leaving them with nothing. Then, the Nazis arrive. They kill Max and begin to round up Jews. Fearing for her newborn son and her young daughter, Ilana, Miriam asks her loyal housekeeper to hide them and conceal their Jewish roots to keep them safe until the savagery ends. Three decades later, in Chicago, 24-year-old Sarah Byrne is mourning the untimely death of her mother, Ilana. Sarah's estranged grandmother, Miriam, attends the funeral, opening the door to shocking family secrets. Sarah probes Miriam for information about the past, but it is only when Miriam is in the hospital, delirious with fever, that she begs Sarah to find the son she left behind in Latvia. Traveling to the Soviet satellite state, Sarah begins her search with the help of Roger, a charismatic Russian-speaking professor. But as they come closer to the truth, she realizes her quest may have disastrous consequences. A magnificent, emotionally powerful story of family and the lingering devastation of war, The Daughters of the Occupation explores how trauma is passed down in families and illuminates the strength and grace that can be shared by generations.

As Seen on The TODAY Show! Called One of the Best Crime Novels of the Year by New York Times * NPR * New York Post * Washington Post * Buzzfeed * South Florida Sun-Sentinel * Library Journal * CrimeReads From the award-winning author of All Her Little Secrets comes yet another gripping, suspenseful novel where, after the murder of a white man in Jim Crow Mississippi, two Black sisters run away to different parts of the country . . . but can they escape the secrets they left behind? It’s the summer of 1964 and three innocent men are brutally murdered for trying to help Black Mississippians secure the right to vote. Against this backdrop, twenty-one year old Violet Richards finds herself in more trouble than she’s ever been in her life. Suffering a brutal attack of her own, she kills the man responsible. But with the color of Violet’s skin, there is no way she can escape Jim Crow justice in Jackson, Mississippi. Before anyone can find the body or finger her as the killer, she decides to run. With the help of her white beau, Violet escapes. But desperation and fear leads her to hide out in the small rural town of Chillicothe, Georgia, unaware that danger may be closer than she thinks. Back in Jackson, Marigold, Violet’s older sister, has dreams of attending law school. Working for the Mississippi Summer Project, she has been trying to use her smarts to further the cause of the Black vote. But Marigold is in a different kind of trouble: she’s pregnant and unmarried. After news of the murder brings the police to her door, Marigold sees no choice but to flee Jackson too. She heads North seeking the promise of a better life and no more segregation. But has she made a terrible choice that threatens her life and that of her unborn child?  Two sisters on the run—one from the law, the other from social shame. What they don’t realize is that there’s a man hot on their trail. This man has his own brand of dark secrets and a disturbing motive for finding the sisters that is unknown to everyone but him . . . “Anywhere You Run had me hooked from the first page... It’s a novel both tender and ferocious—an absolute stunner.” —Lou Berney, Edgar Award–winning author of November Road