The Beloved Girls

'A gorgeous epic . . . Wholly absorbing. I adored it!' MARIAN KEYES

The outstanding new novel from the Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author of The Garden of Lost and Found.

'It's a funny old house. They have this ceremony every summer . . . There's an old chapel, in the grounds of the house. Half-derelict. The Hunters keep bees in there. Every year, on the same day, the family processes to the chapel. They open the combs, taste the honey. Take it back to the house. Half for them -' my father winced, as though he had bitten down on a sore tooth. 'And half for us.'

Catherine, a successful barrister, vanishes from a train station on the eve of her anniversary. Is it because she saw a figure - someone she believed long dead? Or was it a shadow cast by her troubled, fractured mind?

The answer lies buried in the past. It lies in the events of the hot, seismic summer of 1989, at Vanes - a mysterious West Country manor house - where a young girl, Jane Lestrange, arrives to stay with the gilded, grand Hunter family, and where a devastating tragedy will unfold. Over the summer, as an ancient family ritual looms closer, Janey falls for each member of the family in turn. She and Kitty, the eldest daughter of the house, will forge a bond that decades later, is still shaping the present . . .

'We need the bees to survive, and they need us to survive. Once you understand that, you understand the history of Vanes, you understand our family.'

Prepare for the stunning brand new novel by Sunday Times top five bestselling author Harriet Evans.

“A sweeping novel you won't put down - Katie Fforde on The Garden of Lost and FoundI can't remember the last time I was so enthralled and affected by a story and its characters - Red magazine on The Garden of Lost and FoundComfort reading of the highest order - India Knight The Butterfly Summer is an amazing achievement; heart-stopping and wonderful. It's an epic, sweeping, romantic story told brilliantly. - Sophie KinsellaShe's as good as the great Rosamunde Pilcher - Saga magazine on A Place for Us”

PRAISE FOR THE BELOVED GIRLS:
'Wow, was this book stunning or what? It stole my heart and never gave it back. ' Reader review
'I'm still reeling from reading this book . . . Wow!' Reader review
'Wow! This book pulled me in from the beginning . . . A five star read' Reader review
'A compelling story of female friendship, dark secrets and family bonds that pulls you in and won't let go' Rosanna Ley
'This is the most gripping, atmospheric book, heavy with mystery and intriguing right till the end. I loved it' Sophie Kinsella
'A gorgeous epic . . . Wholly absorbing. I adored it!' Marian Keyes
'A rich and sweeping tale as dark and delicious as the hive's special honey' Wendy Holden, Daily Mail
'Bewitching, beguiling and utterly beautiful, The Beloved Girls will pull you into their mysterious and enchanted world and never let you go. With a cast of compelling characters and a labyrinthine plot, it's a page-turner of the most luxurious kind - a real escape' Veronica Henry
'This sweeping, absorbing story is a treat' Adele Parks
'A gorgeous, Gothic and gripping big-house mystery' Red
'Taut as a drumskin and thrumming with tension . . . You'll stay up well past your bedtime to finish this atmospheric read' HEAT
'A thumping good read . . . Completely absorbing' Sam Baker, Noon
'A compelling family drama' Woman & Home
'This immersive read is a real treat' Bella
'A compelling and atmospheric read' The Sun
'A gorgeous story to get immersed in' Prima

'Full of evocative description of time and place, the sense of "something about to happen" keeps you turning the pages'

Choice
'An absorbing, sweeping drama to get lost in' Sunday Express, S Mag

'A compelling read . . . With a strong sense of place'

My Weekly
PRAISE FOR HARRIET EVANS:
'Comfort reading of the highest order' India Knight
'A sweeping novel you won't put down' Katie Fforde
'Richly layered . . . Unforgettable . . . This is a story to get truly lost in' Isabelle Broom
'She reels you in and then you're hooked, right to the last page' Patricia Scanlan
'Atmospheric and altogether wonderful' Lesley Pearse
'I love it on so many levels, the immense feeling of place, the slow, irresistible sense of being drawn deep into the family and its story, and the strange hovering of menace somewhere in the idyll. Wonderful' Penny Vincenzi
'Spellbinding' Independent
'Gripping' Irish Times

'Gorgeous'

Stylist
'A poignant story of love and loss' Daily Mail ‘Must Reads’
'I can't remember the last time I was so enthralled' Red

'Epic, absorbing ... Full of intrigue and emotion'

Fabulous
'By turns painfully sad and heart-lifting, with characters that stay with you' Good Housekeeping
'Authentic and satisfying. An immersive mystery' Woman & Home
'A poignant tale' Woman

Harriet Evans has sold over a million copies of her books. She is the author of thirteen bestselling novels, most recently The Beloved Girls, a Richard and Judy Book Club Selection and the Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller The Garden of Lost and Found, which won Good Housekeeping's Book of the Year. She used to work in publishing and now writes full time, when not distracted by her children, other books, gardening, her jumpsuit collection and now star-gazing, having acquired a telescope whilst researching The Stargazers. She volunteers with Inspiring the Future, is an ambassador for the London Library and last year was elected to the Management Committee of the Society of Authors. She lives in the greatest city in the world (Bath) with her family.

' A gorgeous epic . . . Wholly absorbing. I adored it! ' MARIAN KEYES The outstanding new novel from the Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author of The Garden of Lost and Found . 'It's a funny old house. They have this ceremony every summer . . . There's an old chapel, in the grounds of the house. Half-derelict. The Hunters keep bees in there. Every year, on the same day, the family processes to the chapel. They open the combs, taste the honey. Take it back to the house. Half for them -' my father winced, as though he had bitten down on a sore tooth. 'And half for us.' Catherine, a successful barrister, vanishes from a train station on the eve of her anniversary. Is it because she saw a figure - someone she believed long dead? Or was it a shadow cast by her troubled, fractured mind?The answer lies buried in the past. It lies in the events of the hot, seismic summer of 1989, at Vanes - a mysterious West Country manor house - where a young girl, Jane Lestrange, arrives to stay with the gilded, grand Hunter family, and where a devastating tragedy will unfold. Over the summer, as an ancient family ritual looms closer, Janey falls for each member of the family in turn. She and Kitty, the eldest daughter of the house, will forge a bond that decades later, is still shaping the present . . . 'We need the bees to survive, and they need us to survive. Once you understand that, you understand the history of Vanes, you understand our family.' Prepare for the stunning brand new novel by Sunday Times top five bestselling author Harriet Evans.

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