Product Description

‘When March returns to her childhood home to attend a funeral with her teenage daughter, she revisits the raw passion of an unrequited love. Abandoning her marriage and her own interests to resume an affair, she discovers her former lover is a collector, a modern Bluebeard with violent tendencies. A gripping novel that evokes the tensions of small-town life.’ Elle

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #107770 in Books
• Published on: 1998-06-11
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 302 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
In this first-rate "tape turner" Hoffman once again proves her powers as a storyteller. Dialogue rings remarkably true in this reading by Susan Ericksen, which also brings out the incisive details and keen observations on nature, both human and otherwise, that Hoffman carefully deploys in this masterful narrative. When March Murray travels East with her teenage daughter to attend the funeral of the beloved housekeeper who looked after her when she was growing up, March's past comes rushing up to meet her. The present is quickly dominated by the lurking presence of her former lover, Hollis, who has patiently awaited her long overdue return. The tale is populated by those for whom love brings more sorrow than happiness: a woman afraid to commit to a relationship, a husband in love with someone other than his wife, two young people who fall for each other only to find they are close relatives, and the self-destructing love of Hollis and March. While love has the power to transform those who fall under its spell--devotion to an old racehorse turns March's daughter, a sullen teenager, into a strong young woman--the love March herself suffers robs her of nearly all sense and goodness. Hoffman deftly weaves her characters' stories against a vivid New England landscape where the past always has a grip on the present. And the listener is left at the end both satisfied and longing to hear more. --Anne Depue

Sunday Times
‘Hoffman is shrewd and witty about the networks of gossip and affection in town, and she evokes place superbly…spellbinding’

Literary Review
'If I could see things through Hoffman’s eyes, I’m convinced life would be richer and more interesting...'