Marcia Willet's A Week in Winter and A Summer in the Country, her first two novels to be published in the United States, were welcomed enthusiastically by both eager readers and appreciative reviewers. Her new novel, The Children's Hour, will not only delight her current ardent fans, but will garner Marcia Willett a whole new circle of friends.
The Children's Hour is set in a big old rambling house overlooking the sea, where assorted small children listened as their mother read them a story. Theirs was an idyllic childhood, as they played on the beach and in the garden and woods, before the war-and other tragedies-disrupted their lives. Now, many years later, two of the sisters, Nest and Mina, still live at Ottercombe, their beautiful family home. There they delight in their splendid dogs, the gorgeous Devon countryside, and visits from Lyddie, their much-beloved niece.
But when their sister Georgie comes to stay, unwelcome memories of their shared childhood start to emerge. As a child, Georgie claimed to know all their secrets-secrets that she now wants to share. Georgie's revelations are a reminder of long-buried passions and promises and bring unexpected shocks to a new generation struggling with their own unruly hearts. A triumph of beautifully interwoven story lines and unfolding dramas, The Children's Hour will secure Marcia Willett's growing reputation as a world-class master storyteller.
"She may not be as famous as Binchy or Pilcher, but British writer Willett is just as gifted at combining elements of romance and melodrama into compelling women's fiction. Stylistically, her writing mirrors Pilcher's, with a hint of subtlety suggesting more literary fiction, but her generational plots and sumptuous scene setting have all of Binchy's wide ranging commercial appeal. Willett captures the sights, sounds, and smells of seaside Devon superbly, and her characters are just complex enough to draw us into the story and keep us there contentedly. A must for women's fiction readers."
Booklist
"[An] enchanting and complex . . . tour de force about familial love. It is fair to compare The Children's Hour with the ever-popular Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher . . . . absolutely a five-star read."
Roanoke Times
"Entertaining character study. . . readers will enjoy this gentle breeze."
