Product Description

An extended family gathers in late August to celebrate the seventy-fifth birthday of its formidable matriarch, Leonora. She is the daughter of the famous Edwardian painter Ethan Walsh, whose paintings are kept at the family home, Willow Court in Wiltshire. At Leonora's house party will be her daughters, Gwen and Rilla, whom she raised alone after she was widowed in her late twenties; Rilla's stepdaughter Beth; and Gwen's husband and three children with their spouses and lovers. One outsider joins the group: Sean Everard, a television director who's making a documentary about the life and work of Ethan Walsh. All families have their dark side and Leonora's is no exception. By the time the marquee is dismantled and all the guests have gone their separate ways, two shocking past events have come to light, to rock complacency and change for ever the lives of Leonora and her daughters.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #170440 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

GOOD BOOK GUIDE
'An enthralling mystery that maintains a sense of suspense through each spellbinding page.'

Review
'An enthralling mystery that maintains a sense of suspense through each spellbinding page.' (GOOD BOOK GUIDE )

Fanny Blake in Woman and Home.
Geras assuredly draws the reader into this deeply involving grade A sage which has a grip that's impossible to shake off.

Customer Reviews

Compelling, thoughtful and warm
This is a compelling, thoughtful and warm novel that makes for an eminently satisfying read. The action is set around the extended Walsh family which is gathering together to celebrate the 75th birthday of its matriarch, Leonora, at the family home, Willow Court, home also to the beautiful paintings of Leonora's artist father, Ethan Walsh. But all families have secrets, and the Walshes are no exception--and in the course of the visit, many hidden things will come to light, and darkness lifted from many hearts.
The characters are so real and well-drawn that you feel you absolutely know them; the style is limpid, engaging, flowing, the plot tightly-structured yet subtly revealed. Though there is much unhappiness revealed, this is a very life-affirming, and love-affirming book, full of hope and forgiveness and a great compassion. It makes you glow inside. And the description of art, of the paintings themselves, and the feeling in them, is so vivid that you are sure you can see them there in front of your eyes. A delight of a read. Highly recommended.

Light up your life with 'Facing the LIght'
Adele Geras is a well-established and respected author who writes to a consistently high standard. This first adult novel, an adroit and delightful book, confirms the quality of her writing. All the best books have an enigma at their heart and this book has not just one but two revelations for the reader to anticipate and puzzle over. Willow Court,the country house in which the main events occur, permeates the book and has a personality in its' own right rather as Manderley does in 'Rebecca'. Adele Geras skillfully entices the reader, encouraging one to swiftly devour the book after the opening chapter, by suggesting and developing growing tensions, irregularities and questions.
The carefully drawn characters take it turns to share centre stage and their perspectives are gradually shifted and changed as Geras moves the spotlight from one to another and constantly refocuses on their characters. This helps to heighten the tensions and the tight time scale of present day events is moved on by timely flashbacks.
This is a book for a wide audience - those who love family sagas will have the pleasure of adding a new author to their reading list; readers who eagerly await new books from Adele Geras; those who read her outstanding novel for young adults, "Troy" and primarily those who like an absorbing, well written novel.
This is a cracking read. Buy it!

Buy this book!
What a wonderful book this is! Great characters, believable dialogue and a weaving of storylines and times that gently ease us along to the conclusions the author draws. It is almost a mystery book, with clues and tempting glimpses into what happened in the past to affect the future. Buy this book and dedicate some time to just relaxing into another world. I am very impressed and will certainly be hoping for more adult works from this author. I loved it and you will too - I guarantee it!