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About The Book

From the million-copy Sunday Times bestseller comes a gripping story of family secrets, all-consuming love and the chaos of war.

2011. When Lucy’s troubled father Tom passes away, she travels to Cornwall to visit his childhood home – the once-beautiful Carlyon Manor. Before he died, Tom had been researching an uncle she never knew he had. Determined to find out why, Lucy tracks down Beatrice Ashton, a local woman who seems to know more than she lets on, and has an extraordinary story to tell . . .

1935. Growing up in Cornwall, Beatrice plays with the children of Carlyon Manor – especially pretty, blonde Angelina Wincanton. Then, one summer at the age of fifteen, she falls in love with a young visitor to the town: Rafe, whom she rescues from a storm-tossed sea.

On the surface, her life seems idyllic. But the dark clouds of war are gathering, and nobody, not even the Wincantons, will be left untouched.

A Gathering Storm is a powerful tale of courage and betrayal, spanning from Cornwall to London and Occupied France, in which friendship and love are tested, and the consequences span generations.

Praise for Rachel Hore's novels:
'Compelling, engrossing and moving' SANTA MONTEFIORE
'Simply stunning . . . I savoured every moment’ DINAH JEFFERIES
'A story that stirs the deepest emotions' WOMAN & HOME
‘An emotive and thought-provoking read’ ROSANNA LEY
‘Hore tackles difficult subjects with a clever, light touch and a sunny positivity. Her women are brave and good and you desperately want them to win’ DAILY MAIL
‘An elegiac tale of wartime love and secrets’ TELEGRAPH
‘A tender and thoughtful tale' SUNDAY MIRROR

About The Author

Charlotte Murphy

Rachel Hore worked in London publishing for many years before moving with her family to Norwich, where she taught publishing and creative writing at the University of East Anglia until deciding to become a full-time writer. She is the Sunday Times (London) bestselling author of ten novels, including The Love Child. She is married to the writer D.J. Taylor and they have three sons. Visit her at RachelHore.co.uk and connect with her on Twitter @RachelHore.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (September 15, 2011)
  • Length: 480 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781849832885

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Raves and Reviews

‘Compelling, engrossing and moving; a perfect holiday indulgence’

– Santa Montefiore on The Silent Tide

‘A tour de force. Rachel’s Paris is rich, romantic, exotic and mysterious’

– Judy Finnigan on A Week in Paris

‘Engrossing and romantic, it’s a wonderful story of family secrets and the choices women make’

– Jane Thynne on The Silent Tide

‘With a serious eye for exquisite detail, Hore’s latest, brilliantly crafted novel aptly follows a photographer, Lucy. She takes a journey to capture past, life-changing family secrets, embracing three generations along the way, across Cornwall, London East Anglia and Occupied France’

– Mirror on A Gathering Storm

‘A fascinating, hugely readable book . . . Rachel Hore’s research and her mastery of the subject is deeply impressive’

– Judy Finnigan on A Place of Secrets

‘Another of this year’s top offerings’

– Daily Mail on The Glass Painter's Daughter

‘Pitched perfectly for a holiday read’

– Guardian on The Memory Garden

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