Last Summer in Arcadia: A passionate novel about love, friendship and betrayal

by Deirdre Purcell (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2004

  $4.23

  The tension is palpable as Tess and Jerry Brennan sit in the drawing room of their wonderful house high above the sea, waiting for the police to arrive. Tess is facing the consequences of her own actions, innocently undertaken but devastating in their outcome; Jerry has been caught out in a misdemeanour, a transgression men have made since time began but one that in his case has repercussions that will mean the end of a successful career. Adding to Tess's agitation is the knowledge that her two best friends are facing parallel traumas of their own. Life skated along for the three couples until last summer when they all travelled to the village of Collioure in the south of France. Now they have everything to lose: their marriages, their family lives, and their friendships.

• Used

  Paperback
  2003

  $4.36

• Used

  Hardcover
  2003

  $3.28

  Tess, Maddy and Rita have been friends since they met in the civil service in Dublin. Now in their fifties, all three are married and living a very comfortable lifestyle. Each year, they holiday together and this year, their destination is the picturesque village of Collioure in Southern France. But as the holiday progresses, the cracks in their marriages begin to show. Fergus, Maddy's husband, has had a three-year affair, indeed a child, with his mistress whilst Ricky, Rita's partner, succumbs to momentary temptation during the drink-filled euphoria of the World Cup. Tess suspects her second husband Jerry of having an affair with his PA. As the women struggle through fear, jealousy and resentment, they have to make some difficult decisions about the values of family and home.