The Love Child

'She had saved her. But at what a cost! Her position, her name, her character - she had given them all, but Clarissa was hers.' Upon the death of her mother, Agatha Bodenham finds herself alone for the first time in her life. Solitary and socially awkward by nature, she starts to dream about her imaginary childhood friend - the only friend she ever had. Much to her surprise, Clarissa starts to appear, fleetingly at first, and engage with her, and eventually becomes visible to everyone else. Agatha, a 32-year- old spinster, must explain the child's 'sudden' appearance. In a moment of panic, she pretends that Clarissa is her own daughter, her love child. Olivier constructs a mother/daughter relationship which is both poignant and playful. As the years roll by and Clarissa grows into a beautiful young woman, Agatha's love becomes increasingly obsessive as she senses Clarissa slipping away, attracted by new interests and people her own age.

The UNMISSABLE novel from the million-copy Sunday Times bestseller. Secrets from the past, unravelling in the present… Uncovering secrets that span generations, Rachel delivers intriguing, involving and emotive narrative reading group fiction like few other writers can. ‘A gorgeous and deeply absorbing story’ Tracy Rees, author of The House at Silvermoor A young mother's sacrifice. A child's desperate search for the truth . . . London, 1917 When nineteen-year-old Alice Copeman becomes pregnant, she is forced by her father and stepmother to give up the baby. She simply cannot be allowed to bring shame upon her family. But all Alice can think about is the small, kitten-like child she gave away, and she mourns the father, a young soldier, so beloved, who will never have the chance to know his daughter. Edith and Philip Burns, a childless couple, yearn for a child of their own. When they secretly adopt a baby girl, Irene, their life together must surely be complete. Irene grows up knowing that she is different from other children, but no one will tell her the full truth. As two extraordinary stories intertwine across two decades, will secrets long-buried at last come to light? Brilliantly evoking the changing attitudes of the time, The Love Child is a novel about love, family, separation, despair and hope, full of tenderness and deep feeling. 'Simply stunning . . . I savoured every moment of this moving story of love, loss and, ultimately, forgiveness ’ DINAH JEFFERIES 'A story that stirs the deepest emotions' WOMAN & HOME 'A poignant story, rich in period detail' SUNDAY MIRROR ‘An emotive and thought-provoking read’ ROSANNA LEY 'Hore tackles difficult subjects with a clever, light touch and a sunny positivity. Her women are brave and good and you desperately want them to win’ DAILY MAIL 'A wonderfully moving tale of love and loss, hope and eventual reconciliation' BARBARA ERSKINE 'I found her writing warm, compassionate in this story about one girl's search for her true identity amidst the secrets and dynamics of her adopted family. It had a realism about the poignancy of illegitimacy in this pre-war setting' LEAH FLEMING 'A hugely compelling, poignant and moving read. Rachel has great skill as a storyteller and readers are sure to be engrossed and swept away by her clever double-stranded tale' JANE JOHNSON

'She had saved her. But at what a cost! Her position, her name, her character - she had given them all, but Clarissa was hers.' Upon the death of her mother, Agatha Bodenham finds herself alone for the first time in her life. Solitary and socially awkward by nature, she starts to dream about her imaginary childhood friend - the only friend she ever had. Much to her surprise, Clarissa starts to appear, fleetingly at first, and engage with her, and eventually becomes visible to everyone else. Agatha, a 32-year- old spinster, must explain the child's 'sudden' appearance. In a moment of panic, she pretends that Clarissa is her own daughter, her love child. Olivier constructs a mother/daughter relationship which is both poignant and playful. As the years roll by and Clarissa grows into a beautiful young woman, Agatha's love becomes increasingly obsessive as she senses Clarissa slipping away, attracted by new interests and people her own age.

The UNMISSABLE novel from the million-copy Sunday Times bestseller. Secrets from the past, unravelling in the present… Uncovering secrets that span generations, Rachel delivers intriguing, involving and emotive narrative reading group fiction like few other writers can. ‘A gorgeous and deeply absorbing story’ Tracy Rees, author of The House at Silvermoor A young mother's sacrifice. A child's desperate search for the truth . . . London, 1917 When nineteen-year-old Alice Copeman becomes pregnant, she is forced by her father and stepmother to give up the baby.She simply cannot be allowed to bring shame upon her family.But all Alice can think about is the small, kitten-like child she gave away, and she mourns the father, a young soldier, so beloved, who will never have the chance to know his daughter. Edith and Philip Burns, a childless couple, yearn for a child of their own. When they secretly adopt a baby girl, Irene, their life together must surely be complete.Irene grows up knowing that she is different from other children, but no one will tell her the full truth. As two extraordinary stories intertwine across two decades, will secrets long-buried at last come to light? Brilliantly evoking the changing attitudes of the time, The Love Child is a novel about love, family, separation, despair and hope, full of tenderness and deep feeling. 'Simply stunning . . . I savoured every moment of this moving story of love, loss and, ultimately, forgiveness ’ DINAH JEFFERIES 'A story that stirs the deepest emotions' WOMAN & HOME 'A poignant story, rich in period detail' SUNDAY MIRROR ‘An emotive and thought-provoking read’ ROSANNA LEY 'Hore tackles difficult subjects with a clever, light touch and a sunny positivity. Her women are brave and good and you desperately want them to win’ DAILY MAIL 'A wonderfully moving tale of love and loss, hope and eventual reconciliation' BARBARA ERSKINE 'I found her writing warm, compassionate in this story about one girl'ssearch for her true identityamidst the secrets and dynamics of her adopted family. It had a realism about the poignancy of illegitimacy in this pre-war setting' LEAH FLEMING 'Ahugely compelling, poignant and moving read. Rachel has great skill as a storyteller and readers are sure to be engrossed and swept away by her clever double-stranded tale' JANE JOHNSON