I didn't take to this book right away. Some British terms weren't familiar, the story switches from the present back in time through memories and I just wasn't sure where the story was going. Half-way through the book I caught on and was hooked. One of my favorite quotes from the book, which is repeated several times, "Everyone has a right to their own history." There is a show of strong loyalty and unconditional support among the siblings and extended family, especially as old family secrets are revealed.

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I loved this book! It would be a great read on the beach or in front of a fire. I connected to the characters from the first chapter and cheered them on the entire time.

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Nest and Mina, an immensely likable pair of no-longer-young sisters, still live at Ottercombe, the beautiful rambling home of their childhood in the depths of Devon. With echoes of carefree and idyllic days before the war, all around them are reminders of endless holidays playing in the gardens or on the beach, their mother reading them stories in front of the fire and their father driving up from London to visit for the weekend. Tragedy seemed so far away.

So much is different. When their elder sister, Georgie, now frail and forgetful, comes to stay, she brings with her secrets that her sisters would prefer to keep hidden. The threat of Georgie's ramblings upsets the peaceful equilibrium of their lives and forces the sisters to address the issues that they had tried so hard to leave in the past. Although reluctant to face up to these revelations, they gradually realize that they can finally put to rest the ghosts from their past and allow themselves and Ottercombe to embrace new lives and look to the future.

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A story of love, loss, and acceptance in an extended English family. Much in the tradition of Bincy or Pilcher, although a bit easier to put down.

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