The House at Riverton is a gorgeous debut novel
set in England between the wars. Perfect for fans of Downton
Abbey, it is the story of an aristocratic family, a house, a
mysterious death and a way of life that vanished forever, told in
flashback by a woman who witnessed it all and kept a secret for
decades.
Grace Bradley went to work at Riverton House as a servant when
she was just a girl, before the First World War. For years her life
was inextricably tied up with the Hartford family, most
particularly the two daughters, Hannah and Emmeline.
In the summer of 1924, at a glittering society party held at the
house, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah
and Emmeline and only they -- and Grace -- know the truth.
In 1999, when Grace is ninety-eight years old and living out her
last days in a nursing home, she is visited by a young director who
is making a film about the events of that summer. She takes Grace
back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories. Told in
flashback, this is the story of Grace''s youth during the last days
of Edwardian aristocratic privilege shattered by war, of the
vibrant twenties and the changes she witnessed as an entire way of
life vanished forever.
The novel is full of secrets -- some revealed, others hidden
forever, reminiscent of the romantic suspense of Daphne du Maurier.
It is also a meditation on memory, the devastation of war and a
beautifully rendered window into a fascinating time in history.
Originally published to critical acclaim in Australia, already
sold in ten countries and a #1 bestseller in England, The House
at Riverton is a vivid, page-turning novel of suspense and
passion, with characters -- and an ending -- the reader won''t soon
forget.
