by RachelBillington (Author)
K, a middle-aged painter, has returned from a hermit-like existence in Chile to attend the wedding of a girl he once loved to the point of obsession. He arrives at the English country church to find it empty and silent. The wedding has been postponed. He drives back to his hotel - a place he'd visited many years before - opens a bottle of champagne and with it, a door to the past. When K first saw Claudia fifteen years before, he fell instantly and dangerously in love. He managed to forget. He had a wife and a life already full. It was a coup de foudre; he became consumed by her. But Claudia was little more than a child then, twenty-four years his junior, beautiful but unformed. Perhaps it was no surprise that their love proved to be so destructive and ultimately tragic. Now, years later, he returns to find this new bride, his old love, is on the verge of a very different future. But the past, inevitably, awaits them both - and he is determined to take her back there...
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Orion
Published: 16 Mar 2006
ISBN 10: 0752868535
ISBN 13: 9780752868530
Book Overview: Rachel Billington has for years been writing fiction with warmth, substance and memorable characters for a literate female readership Wonderful reviews for Rachel: 'I beg you to read it ... the female characters are so superbly drawn, so real, that you are reminded of the skill of the female novelists of the 19th century' Daily Telegraph; 'This novel is a reflection of the characters' lives - vivid, dramatic and sometimes chaotic, with the emotional volume turned up to full blast... a narrative of striking exuberance and generosity' The Times Rachel Billington is a 'name'. Former president of English PEN, she is well connected and popular with the media An author who brings style and class to the Orion list