Author:Thomas Hardy,Tim Dolin,Tim Dolin,Tim Dolin,Patricia Ingham

Adventuress and opportunist, Ethelberta reinvents herself to disguise her humble origins, launching a brilliant career as a society poet in London with her family acting incognito as her servants. Turning the male-dominated literary world to her advantage, she happily exploits the attentions of four very different suitors. Will she bestow her hand upon the richest of them, or on the man she loves? Ethelberta Petherwin, alias Berta Chickerel, moves with easy grace between her multiple identities, cleverly managing a tissue of lies to aid her meteoric rise. In The Hand of Ethelberta (1876), Hardy drew on conventions of popular romances, illustrated weeklies, plays, fashion plates and even his wife's diary in this comic story of a woman in control of her destiny.
From the international No.1 bestselling author Lesley Pearse, comes Charlie the compulsive page-turner. She has to protect her parents . . . even if they are keeping secrets.
Her family is threatened and only she can save it . . .
With characters it is impossible not to care about, this is storytelling at its very best
—— Daily MailAn emotional and moving epic you won't forget in a hurry
—— Woman's WeeklyA heartwarming tale of the triumph of the human spirit
—— Woman and HomeEnchanting
—— Sunday TimesIt's easy to get absorbed in this novel...Life is not like this, but would it be such a bad thing if there were a it more magic in the world?
—— Daily TelegraphHoffman delivers one of the best plot twists I can remember
—— ObserverHoffman is a skilled and experienced writer... beautifully constructed
—— GuardianA strangely provocative, grown-up fairy fable
—— Good HousekeepingCuts deeply into the griefs and passions that shape us all and into heartbreaking secrets
—— The TimesEmotionally compelling
—— Psychologies MagazineHoffman writes as beautifully as ever
—— Marie ClaireHoffman knows that good fairytales, like people, are never simple
—— HeraldBeautifully written, mystical and intriguing, this is a story of life, death, love and second chances. Enthralling
—— Woman and Home






