The Secret Orchard

'The exploration of family and identity is filled with vivid characters and an enthralling plot, making it absorbing and emotional' The People’s Friend

'A lovely, heartwarming read about belonging' heat

A feel-good story about family, belonging and finding peace with the past from the internationally bestselling author of The Lighthouse Bookshop.

Can a return to the past be the start of something new?

Bette and Nina Crowdie have never been close – the ten-year age difference doesn’t help, and Bette’s rarely been home since she left for university at eighteen.

When their father passes away and unexpectedly splits the family farm between them, Nina is furious and afraid. She’s been working at the farm for the past five years. It’s the only home her young son, Barnaby, has ever had, and she’s convinced that Bette will sell at the first chance she gets. When they discover the huge debt their father has been hiding, Bette reluctantly agrees to help her sister. But that means they have to find a way to work together, and Bette must face up to the real reason she left all those years ago.

Could a long-forgotten diary and the discovery of a secret orchard on their land help save the farm, and the sisters’ relationship?

‘I loved the characters and the orchard! I gobbled it up in a couple of sittings. What a gorgeous read, full of heart’ Liz Fenwick

‘Warm, tender and wise, Sharon Gosling’s well-crafted, engrossing story was a pleasure to read’ Rachel Hore