'A wonderful page-turner of a novel about the complexity of female life, by a new writer who understands it all too well. You can have it all, but only if you're prepared to pay the price.' Fay Weldon

An elite surgeon with a brilliant but philandering husband, Flora Macintyre has always defined herself by her success in juggling her career and her marriage. Until, all at once, she finds herself with neither.

Retired and widowed in the space of a few months, Flora is left untethered. In a moment of madness, she realises there's nothing to stop her running away to France.

But back home her two daughters - the family she's always loved, but never had the time to nurture - are struggling. Lou is balancing pregnancy with a crumbling relationship, while her younger sister, Kitty, begins to realise she may have to choose between love and her growing passion for music.

And even as the family try to pull together, one dark secret could still tear them all apart...

"The very best sort of fiction that makes you really MIND about those people who you have only just met but whose existence throbs with vitality." Juliet Nicolson, author of A House Full of Daughters

The very best sort of fiction that makes you really MIND about those people who you have only just met but whose existence throbs with vitality -- Juliet Nicholson, author of 'A House Full of Daughters'
An interesting book told by the three main characters and in flashbacks (...) I enjoyed reading it and would recommend to people who like some depth in their reading * NetGalley reviewer *

This book is truly a novel about female love in many different forms whether parental, marital or lovers (...)The characters are sympathetically drawn, and I wanted to find out how various conflicts were going to be resolved
The important lesson to be learned from this story,in my opinion, is not how to love others, but how to love yourself. Does Flora achieve this? That is for you to decide

Rachel Crowther is a doctor who worked for the NHS for 20 years and is the mother of five children. She dabbled in creative writing between babies and medical exams, until an Arvon course prompted her to take it more seriously. She's also a keen musician and cook.