The Light Behind The Window: A breathtaking story of love and war from the bestselling author of The Seven Sisters series

The Light Behind The Window: A breathtaking story of love and war from the bestselling author of The Seven Sisters series

by Lucinda Riley (Author)

Synopsis

From the author of the international bestseller, Hothouse Flower, Lucinda Riley's The Light Behind the Window is a breathtaking and intense story of love, war and, above all, forgiveness.

The present: Emilie de la Martinieres has always fought against her aristocratic background, but after the death of her glamorous, distant mother, she finds herself alone in the world and sole inheritor of her grand childhood home in the south of France. An old notebook of poems leads her in search of 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 her own journey of discovery, realizing that the chateau may provide clues to her own difficult past and finally unlock the future.

The past: London 1943. A young office clerk, Constance Carruthers, is drafted into the SOE, arriving in occupied Paris during the climax of the conflict. Separated from her contact in her very first hours in France, 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 and her beloved husband, Constance finds herself drawn into a complex web of deception, the repercussions of which will affect generations to come.


** Note to readers: In the US, this book is published under the title The Lavender Garden. **

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 544
Edition: Main Market
Publisher: Pan
Published: 30 Aug 2012

ISBN 10: 1447218426
ISBN 13: 9781447218425
Book Overview: Unlocking the past is the key to the future

Media Reviews
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 Bryan -- Booklist
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 escapism -- Red
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 wallow -- Kate Saunders, Saga
A beautifully written book that secures Riley's authorial status and proves that her golden penmanship is no mere fluke . . . This is the perfect literary novel to move those readers who wish for something more fulfilling than chick-lit, yet just as entertaining, witty and heart-stopping. The language is dramatic yet truthful and Riley has such a delicate touch with mystery and intrigue that it's difficult to predict where the plot is going . . . Riley's descriptive nuances are so evocative a TV drama is bound to be imminent. A literal and literary page-turner -- WeLoveThisBook.co.uk
Yet again, I have been totally entertained by another great story that is well written with an intricate plot that is multi-layered but tied together so well . . . I became really emotionally attached to these characters . . . This novel really is a joy to read, expertly woven together and mixing social history with family dramas and love and relationships - the perfect blend -- RandomThingsThroughMyLetterbox.blogspot.co.uk
Author Bio

Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland, and after an early career as an actress in film, theatre and television, wrote her first book aged twenty-four. Her novel Hothouse Flower (also called The Orchid House) was selected by the UK's Richard and Judy Book Club and has been translated into thirty-four languages and sold over eight million copies worldwide. She is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author.

Lucinda's novels include The Seven Sisters, a seven-book series telling the story of adopted sisters and based allegorically on the mythology of the famous star constellation. Book one, The Seven Sisters, and Book two, The Storm Sister, have been No. 1 bestsellers in Europe, and the rights to a multi-season TV series have already been optioned by a Hollywood production company. The Storm Sister has been nominated for the prestigious Premio Bancarella literary prize in Italy.

Lucinda is also the author of a contemporary novel The Olive Tree, set during one long hot summer in Cyprus, and based on a family holiday. Lucinda and her son Harry have personally narrated the audiobook together.

She is also rewriting and releasing a number of books originally published when writing under her maiden name of Lucinda Edmonds, including The Italian Girl and The Angel Tree.

Lucinda lives with her husband and four children on the North Norfolk coast in England and West Cork, Ireland.

When not writing, travelling or running around after her children, she loves reading books that she hasn't written with a glass or two of Provencal rose!