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A Time to Live

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About this listen

Will he choose inheritance – or freedom . . .

1918: Freddie was destined for a different life, determined to make his fortune in the plantations of Ceylon. But just as the great war comes to an end, the eldest brother and heir to Coombe Hall, Edward, doesn’t return.

Torn between duty and freedom, Freddie must now sacrifice his own dreams to keep the estate – and the future of Coombe – alive. And now he must now marry for an heir, not for love.

But the turmoil of war didn’t end on the battlefield; the country faces upheavals like never before. And when an unexpected legacy blows in from Edward’s secret past, Freddie’s grip on the estate – and his future – looks more uncertain than ever . . .

Sweeping from the smoking battlefields of France to the rich estates of Devon, from Suffragettes to political extremists, this is a story of legacy and scars, of the price of change, the price of family…

©2023 Vanessa de Haan (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers Limited 20th Century Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Romance War & Military Women's Fiction World War I War

Critic reviews

‘An absorbing, meaty saga’ THE TIMES

‘Rich detail of time and place, of social mores, of political events … an authentic world [and] a wonderful cast of characters’ Tim Pears

‘Touching on the political questions of the day, this is a story of dignity and desperation, hope and expectations’ Platinum
All stars
Most relevant
I really enjoyed the story. The characters were strongly written and I liked the themes of the way lives were changed forever after the First World War.
However, I thought it was spoilt by the narration. I found her irritating and never really got past that.

Strong story

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