Skip to Main Content

About The Book

From the million-copy Sunday Times bestseller comes a gripping and moving story about one woman's move to the house of her dreams.

Everyone has a dream of their perfect house - in the heart of the countryside, or perhaps a stately residence in the middle of a wonderful city?

For Kate Hutchinson, the move to Suffolk from the tiny, noisy London terrace she shares with her husband Simon and their two young children was almost enough to make her dreams come true.

Space, peace, a measured, rural pace of life have a far greater pull for Kate than the constantly overflowing in-tray on her desk at work. Moving in with her mother-in-law must surely be only a temporary measure before the estate agent's details of the perfect house fall through the letterbox.

But when Kate, out walking one evening, stumbles upon the house of her dreams, a beautiful place, full of memories, it is tantalizingly out of her reach. Its owner is the frail elderly Agnes, whose story - as it unravels - echoes so much of Kate's own. And Kate comes to realize how uncertain and unsettling even a life built on dreams can be - wherever you are, at whatever time you are living and whoever you are with.

Praise for Rachel Hore's novels:
‘A tour de force. Rachel's Paris is rich, romantic, exotic and mysterious’ JUDY FINNIGAN
‘An elegiac tale of wartime love and secrets’ Telegraph
‘A richly emotional story, suspenseful and romantic, but unflinching in its portrayal of the dreadful reality and legacy of war’ Book of the Week, Sunday Mirror
'Pitched perfectly for a holiday read' Guardian
'Engrossing, pleasantly surprising and throughly readable' SANTA MONTEFIORE
'A beautifully written and magical novel about life, love and family' CATHY KELLY

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. The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge is her fourteenth novel. 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 X @RachelHore and instagram @@rachel.hore.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (November 22, 2012)
  • Length: 480 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781849835312

Browse Related Books

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

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Rachel Hore