Most Popular Books by Hazel Gaynor

Inspired by true events, the New York Times bestselling novel The Girl Who Came Home is the poignant story of a group of Irish emigrants aboard RMS Titanic—a seamless blend of fact and fiction that explores the tragedy''s impact and its lasting repercussions on survivors and their descendants. Ireland, 1912. Fourteen members of a small village set sail on RMS Titanic, hoping to find a better life in America. For seventeen-year-old Maggie Murphy, the journey is bittersweet. Though her future lies in an unknown new place, her heart remains in Ireland with Séamus, the sweetheart she left behind. When disaster strikes, Maggie is one of the lucky few passengers in steerage who survives. Waking up alone in a New York hospital, she vows never to speak of the terror and panic of that terrible night ever again. Chicago, 1982. Adrift after the death of her father, Grace Butler struggles to decide what comes next. When her Great Nana Maggie shares the painful secret she harbored for almost a lifetime about the Titanic, the revelation gives Grace new direction—and leads her and Maggie to unexpected reunions with those they thought lost long ago.

From The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home comes a historical novel inspired by true events, and the extraordinary female lighthouse keepers of the past two hundred years. “They call me a heroine, but I am not deserving of such accolades. I am just an ordinary young woman who did her duty.” 1838: Northumberland, England. Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands has been Grace Darling’s home for all of her twenty-two years. When she and her father rescue shipwreck survivors in a furious storm, Grace becomes celebrated throughout England, the subject of poems, ballads, and plays. But far more precious than her unsought fame is the friendship that develops between Grace and a visiting artist. Just as George Emmerson captures Grace with his brushes, she in turn captures his heart. 1938: Newport, Rhode Island. Nineteen-years-old and pregnant, Matilda Emmerson has been sent away from Ireland in disgrace. She is to stay with Harriet, a reclusive relative and assistant lighthouse keeper, until her baby is born. A discarded, half-finished portrait opens a window into Matilda’s family history. As a deadly hurricane approaches, two women, living a century apart, will be linked forever by their instinctive acts of courage and love.

Presenting a dazzling new historical novel … The Girl From The Savoy is as sparkling as champagne and as thrilling as the era itself. ‘Sometimes life gives you cotton stockings. Sometimes it gives you a Chanel gown …’ Dolly Lane is a dreamer; a downtrodden maid who longs to dance on the London stage, but her life has been fractured by the Great War. Memories of the soldier she loved, of secret shame and profound loss, by turns pull her back and spur her on to make a better life. When she finds employment as a chambermaid at London’s grandest hotel, The Savoy, Dolly takes a step closer to the glittering lives of the Bright Young Things who thrive on champagne, jazz and rebellion. Right now, she must exist on the fringes of power, wealth and glamor—she must remain invisible and unimportant. But her fortunes take an unexpected turn when she responds to a struggling songwriter’s advertisement for a ‘muse’ and finds herself thrust into London’s exhilarating theatre scene and into the lives of celebrated actress, Loretta May, and her brother, Perry. Loretta and Perry may have the life Dolly aspires to, but they too are searching for something. Now, at the precipice of the life she has and the one she longs for, the girl from The Savoy must make difficult choices: between two men; between two classes, between everything she knows and everything she dreams of. A brighter future is tantalizingly close—but can a girl like Dolly ever truly leave her past behind?

A Most Anticipated Book by Real Simple ∙ SheReads ∙ BookBub ∙ and more! Inspired by a remarkable true story, a young teacher evacuates children to safety across perilous waters, in a moving and triumphant new novel from New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor. 1940, Kent: Alice King is not brave or daring—she’s happiest finding adventure through the safe pages of books. But times of war demand courage, and as the threat of German invasion looms, a plane crash near her home awakens a strength in Alice she’d long forgotten. Determined to do her part, she finds a role perfectly suited to her experience as a schoolteacher—to help evacuate Britain’s children overseas. 1940, London: Lily Nichols once dreamed of using her mathematical talents for more than tabulating the cost of groceries, but life, and love, charted her a different course. With two lively children and a loving husband, Lily’s humble home is her world, until war tears everything asunder. With her husband gone and bombs raining down, Lily is faced with an impossible choice: keep her son and daughter close, knowing she may not be able to protect them, or enroll them in a risky evacuation scheme, where safety awaits so very far away. When a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the S. S. Carlisle carrying a ship of children to Canada, a single lifeboat is left adrift in the storm-tossed Atlantic. Alice and Lily, strangers to each other—one on land, the other at sea—will quickly become one another’s very best hope as their lives are fatefully entwined.

An unforgettably romantic novel that spans four Christmases (1914-1918), Last Christmas in Paris explores the ruins of war, the strength of love, and the enduring hope of the Christmas season. New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor has joined with Heather Webb to create this unforgettably romantic novel of the Great War. August 1914. England is at war. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as everyone does—that it will be over by Christmas, when the trio plan to celebrate the holiday among the romantic cafes of Paris. But as history tells us, it all happened so differently… Evie and Thomas experience a very different war. Frustrated by life as a privileged young lady, Evie longs to play a greater part in the conflict—but how?—and as Thomas struggles with the unimaginable realities of war he also faces personal battles back home where War Office regulations on press reporting cause trouble at his father’s newspaper business. Through their letters, Evie and Thomas share their greatest hopes and fears—and grow ever fonder from afar. Can love flourish amid the horror of the First World War, or will fate intervene? Christmas 1968. With failing health, Thomas returns to Paris—a cherished packet of letters in hand—determined to lay to rest the ghosts of his past. But one final letter is waiting for him…

"Gaynor''s story of courage and strength will make you believe in the heroic spirit in each of us." —Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home sets her unforgettable new novel in China during WWII, inspired by true events surrounding the Japanese Army’s internment of teachers and children from a British-run missionary school. Their motto was to be prepared, but nothing could prepare them for war. China, December 1941. Having left an unhappy life in England for a teaching post at a missionary school in northern China, Elspeth Kent is now anxious to return home to help the war effort. But as she prepares to leave China, a terrible twist of fate determines a different path for Elspeth, and those in her charge. Ten-year-old Nancy Plummer has always felt safe at Chefoo School, protected by her British status. But when Japan declares war on Britain and America, Japanese forces take control of the school and the security and comforts Nancy and her friends are used to are replaced by privation, uncertainty and fear. Now the enemy, and separated from their parents, the children look to their teachers – to Miss Kent and her new Girl Guide patrol especially – to provide a sense of unity and safety. Faced with the relentless challenges of oppression, the school community must rely on their courage, faith and friendships as they pray for liberation – but worse is to come when they are sent to a distant internment camp where even greater uncertainty and danger await . . . Inspired by true events, When We Were Young and Brave is an unforgettable novel about impossible choices and unimaginable hardship, and the life-changing bonds formed between a young girl and her teacher in a remote corner of a terrible war.

"A fragrant French bonbon of a book: love, glamour, perfume, and paparazzi all circling around the wedding of the century..."--Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of THE ALICE NETWORK and THE HUNTRESS. Named one of InStyle''s best books to put in your totebag for the summer! Named one of Popsugar’s best books to put in your beachbag this summer and one of the best books of July! Set in the 1950s against the backdrop of Grace Kelly’s whirlwind romance and unforgettable wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb take the reader on an evocative sun-drenched journey along the Côte d’Azur in this page-turning novel of passion, fate and second chances... Movie stars and paparazzi flock to Cannes for the glamorous film festival, but Grace Kelly, the biggest star of all, wants only to escape from the flash-bulbs. When struggling perfumer Sophie Duval shelters Miss Kelly in her boutique to fend off a persistent British press photographer, James Henderson, a bond is forged between the two women and sets in motion a chain of events that stretches across thirty years of friendship, love, and tragedy. James Henderson cannot forget his brief encounter with Sophie Duval. Despite his guilt at being away from his daughter, he takes an assignment to cover the wedding of the century, sailing with Grace Kelly’s wedding party on the SS Constitution from New York. In Monaco, as wedding fever soars and passions and tempers escalate, James and Sophie—like Princess Grace—must ultimately decide what they are prepared to give up for love.

’Tis the season! The Crown meets When Harry Met Sally in the latest heartwarming historical novel from Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, bestselling authors of Last Christmas in Paris, Meet Me in Monaco, and Three Words for Goodbye. December 1952. While the young Queen Elizabeth II finds her feet as the new monarch, she must also find the right words to continue the tradition of her late father’s Christmas Day radio broadcast. But even traditions must evolve with the times, and the queen faces a postwar Britain hungry for change. As preparations begin for the royal Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk, old friends—Jack Devereux and Olive Carter—are unexpectedly reunited by the occasion. Olive, a single mother and aspiring reporter at the BBC, leaps at the opportunity to cover the holiday celebration, but even a chance encounter with the queen doesn’t go as planned and Olive wonders if she will ever be taken seriously. Jack, a recently widowed chef, reluctantly takes up a new role in the royal kitchens at Sandringham. Lacking in purpose and direction, Jack has abandoned his dream to have his own restaurant, but his talents are soon noticed and while he might not believe in himself, others do, and a chance encounter with an old friend helps to reignite the spark of his passion and ambition. As Jack and Olive’s paths continue to cross over the following five Christmases, they grow ever closer. Yet Olive carries the burden of a heavy secret that threatens to destroy everything. Christmas Day, December 1957. As the nation eagerly awaits the Queen’s first televised Christmas speech, there is one final gift for the Christmas season to deliver…

From Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, the bestselling authors of Meet Me in Monaco, comes a coming-of-age novel set in pre-WWII Europe, perfect for fans of Jennifer Robson, Beatriz Williams, and Kate Quinn. Three cities, two sisters, one chance to correct the past . . . New York, 1937: When estranged sisters Clara and Madeleine Sommers learn their grandmother is dying, they agree to fulfill her last wish: to travel across Europe—together. They are to deliver three letters, in which Violet will say goodbye to those she hasn’t seen since traveling to Europe forty years earlier; a journey inspired by famed reporter, Nellie Bly. Clara, ever-dutiful, sees the trip as an inconvenient detour before her wedding to millionaire Charles Hancock, but it’s also a chance to embrace her love of art. Budding journalist Madeleine relishes the opportunity to develop her ambitions to report on the growing threat of Hitler’s Nazi party and Mussolini’s control in Italy. Constantly at odds with each other as they explore the luxurious Queen Mary, the Orient Express, and the sights of Paris and Venice,, Clara and Madeleine wonder if they can fulfil Violet’s wish, until a shocking truth about their family brings them closer together. But as they reach Vienna to deliver the final letter, old grudges threaten their reconciliation again. As political tensions rise, and Europe feels increasingly volatile, the pair are glad to head home on the Hindenburg, where fate will play its hand in the final stage of their journey.

New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor captivates with a beautifully rendered short story about the strength of a mother’s love as the Great War comes to an end at last . . . As the final moments tick down to the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, signaling the end of fighting, midwife Annie Rawlins is doing everything she can to save an infant’s life. Too many have lost too much and Annie prays that the time for sorrow has passed. Meanwhile across the fields of France her son, Will, is on patrol one last time, clinging to thoughts of home and doing all he can to make it there. As the Armistice bells ring out, Annie and Will must fight one last time to grasp the hope of a new life and a new day. Originally published in the moving collection Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War, this e-book also includes an excerpt from Gaynor’s new novel, The Girl from The Savoy, coming in June 2016.

From the author of the USA Today bestseller The Girl Who Came Home comes an unforgettable historical novel that tells the story of two long-lost sisters—orphaned flower sellers—and a young woman who is transformed by their experiences. "For little sister. . . . I will never stop looking for you." 1876. Among the filth and depravity of Covent Garden''s flower markets, orphaned Irish sisters Flora and Rosie Flynn sell posies of violets and watercress to survive. It is a pitiful existence, made bearable only by each other''s presence. When they become separated, the decision of a desperate woman sets their lives on very different paths. 1912. Twenty-one-year-old Tilly Harper leaves the peace and beauty of her native Lake District for London to become assistant housemother at one of Mr. Shaw''s Training Homes for Watercress and Flower Girls. For years, the homes have cared for London''s orphaned and crippled flower girls, getting them off the streets. For Tilly, the appointment is a fresh start, a chance to leave her troubled past behind. Soon after she arrives at the home, Tilly finds a notebook belonging to Flora Flynn. Hidden between the pages she finds dried flowers and a heartbreaking tale of loss and separation as Flora''s entries reveal how she never stopped looking for her lost sister. Tilly sets out to discover what happened to Rosie—but the search will not be easy. Full of twists and surprises, it leads the caring and determined young woman into unexpected places, including the depths of her own heart.

“The Cottingley Secret tells the tale of two girls who somehow convince the world that magic exists. An artful weaving of old legends with new realities, this tale invites the reader to wonder: could it be true?” — Kate Alcott, New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker One of BookBub''s Most-Anticipated Books of Summer 2017! The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home turns the clock back one hundred years to a time when two young girls from Cottingley, Yorkshire, convinced the world that they had done the impossible and photographed fairies in their garden. Now, in her newest novel, international bestseller Hazel Gaynor reimagines their story. 1917… It was inexplicable, impossible, but it had to be true—didn’t it? When two young cousins, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright from Cottingley, England, claim to have photographed fairies at the bottom of the garden, their parents are astonished. But when one of the great novelists of the time, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, becomes convinced of the photographs’ authenticity, the girls become a national sensation, their discovery offering hope to those longing for something to believe in amid a world ravaged by war. Frances and Elsie will hide their secret for many decades. But Frances longs for the truth to be told. One hundred years later… When Olivia Kavanagh finds an old manuscript in her late grandfather’s bookshop she becomes fascinated by the story it tells of two young girls who mystified the world. But it is the discovery of an old photograph that leads her to realize how the fairy girls’ lives intertwine with hers, connecting past to present, and blurring her understanding of what is real and what is imagined. As she begins to understand why a nation once believed in fairies, can Olivia find a way to believe in herself?

War imprisoned them. Friendship set them free. ''Moving and authentic'' Dinah Jefferies ''Vivid, heart-rending and so, so beautiful '' Jenny Ashcroft ''Deeply moving. Be prepared - have handkerchiefs on standby at the end'' Antonia Senior, The Times ''Beautiful ... warm, loveable characters who had me rooting for them all the way'' Tracy Rees ''An absolute treat'' Liz Nugent China, 1941. With Japan''s declaration of war on the Allies, Elspeth Kent''s future changes forever. When soldiers take control of the missionary school where she teaches, comfortable security is replaced by rationing, uncertainty and fear. Ten-year-old Nancy Plummer has always felt safe at Chefoo School. Now the enemy, separated indefinitely from anxious parents, the children must turn to their teachers - to Miss Kent and her new Girl Guide patrol especially - for help. But worse is to come when the pupils and teachers are sent to a distant internment camp. Unimaginable hardship, impossible choices and danger lie ahead. Inspired by true events, this is the unforgettable story of the life-changing bonds formed between a young girl and her teacher, in a remote corner of a terrible war.

Top voices in historical fiction deliver an unforgettable collection of short stories set in the aftermath of World War I—featuring bestselling authors such as Hazel Gaynor, Jennifer Robson, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig and edited by Heather Webb. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month... November 11, 1918. After four long, dark years of fighting, the Great War ends at last, and the world is forever changed. For soldiers, loved ones, and survivors the years ahead stretch with new promise, even as their hearts are marked by all those who have been lost. As families come back together, lovers reunite, and strangers take solace in each other, everyone has a story to tell. In this moving anthology, nine authors share stories of love, strength, and renewal as hope takes root in a fall of poppies. Featuring: Jessica Brockmole Hazel Gaynor Evangeline Holland Marci Jefferson Kate Kerrigan Jennifer Robson Beatriz Williams Lauren Willig Heather Webb

New York Times bestselling novelist Joshilyn Jackson presents The New Voices in Fiction Sampler: Summer Selection. This free e-book sampler is a curated volume of excerpts from new and upcoming titles by debut fiction authors you''ll want to get familiar with early on. The New Voices in Fiction Sampler: Summer Selection includes: An Introduction from Joshilyn Jackson and an excerpt from her latest novel, Someone Else''s Love Story, on sale now. And excerpts from: The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor Up at Butternut Lake by Mary McNear The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta The From-Aways by CJ Hauser Thorn Jack by Katherine Harbour Last Night at the Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert Don''t Try to Find Me by Holly Brown Ice Shear by M.P. Cooley The Home Place by Carrie La Seur Season of the Dragonflies by Sarah Creech Someone Else''s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson

1838. Northumberland, England. 22-åriga Grace Darling har bott i Longstones fyrhus på Farneöarna hela sitt liv. En dag, mitt i en rasande storm, räddar hon och hennes far några skeppsbrutna och hon blir hyllad som hjältinna runtom i landet. Det skrivs dikter, ballader och pjäser om henne, men för Grace själv är det bara den nyfunna vänskapen med George Emmerson, en besökande konstnär, som betyder något. 1938. Nittonåriga Matilda Emmerson är gravid och skickas av skam iväg från sin familj på Irland till Newport, USA, för att bo med en släkting tills barnet fötts. Harriet, Matildas motvilliga värdinna, är en enstöring som jobbar som assisterande fyrvaktare. Genom upptäckten av ett halvfärdigt porträtt öppnar Matilda snart ett fönster in i familjens historia, och när en dödlig orkan närmar sig kopplas två kvinnor, skilda av ett sekel, samman för alltid. Fyrvaktarens dotter är en ömsom hjärtslitande, ömsom varm historia om två kvinnors öden, baserad på verkliga händelser. Hazel Gaynor är en New York Times bestseller och en internationellt bästsäljande författare. Hennes böcker har översatts till ett flertal språk. Hazel Gaynor bor på Irland med sin man och deras två barn. »Fyrvaktarens dotter är en förtrollande och upplysande läsupplevelse att älska från första till sista sidan.« Johannas Deckarhörna »Denna underbara bok placerar Gaynor hästlängder framför genrens övriga författare.« Sunday Independent »Gaynors berättelse är både hjärtslitande och fängslande.« Historical Novel Society »Väldigt gripande bok.« Bokdjungeln »Känslorna och vädret stormar i den här boken. Väldigt fina porträtt av personerna, fyrarna (som alla är unika), miljöerna och väderomslagen. Jag uppskattade läsningen, älskar historiska romaner som baseras på verkliga händelser.« Annas boklista

Irlanda, 1912. Dopo esser rimasta orfana, Maggie decide di trasferirsi negli Stati Uniti dalla zia Kathleen, che è tornata a Ballysheen per portarla con sé a Chicago. Viaggeranno sul moderno Titanic insieme alle amiche Peggy e Katie, emozionate per la futura vita oltreoceano. Maggie, però, è triste, perché deve lasciare l’amato Séamus, che alla partenza le consegna un pacchetto di lettere. A bordo della nave le tre ragazze fanno amicizia con Harry, un giovane che lavora in terza classe. E quando il Titanic entra in collisione con un iceberg e comincia ad affondare, Harry capisce che le scialuppe di salvataggio non bastano e indica alle ragazze la via più veloce per salire sul ponte. Maggie trova posto sull’ultima scialuppa, dove sale anche Harry e, arrivata a New York, purtroppo, ritroverà soltanto Peggy… Stati Uniti, 1982. Dopo la morte del padre, Grace torna a vivere con la madre malata, lasciando gli studi di giornalismo e il fidanzato Jimmy. Il giorno del suo ventunesimo compleanno, la bisnonna Maggie le rivela di essere sopravvissuta al naufragio del Titanic, e le chiede di scrivere un articolo sull’argomento. Grazie al pezzo pubblicato, Grace viene contattata dal nipote di Harry: lo zio aveva ritrovato il cappotto di Maggie con le lettere di Séamus. Così, a distanza di tanto tempo, Maggie finalmente può leggerle. E quando Jimmy, per riavvicinarsi, invita Grace a unirsi a lui per un viaggio in Irlanda, Maggie chiede ai due ragazzi di accompagnarli per rivedere il suo Paese. Ma il suo cuore avrà pace solo quando verranno ritrovati i resti del Titanic…

Inghilterra, 1838. Grace Darling vive insieme al padre nel faro di Longstone, in un’iu00adsoletta della costa inglese affacciata sul Mare del Nord. La tranquillità della sua vita viene bruscamente interrotta quando, una notte, durante una furiosa tempesta, riesce a portare in salvo alcuni sopravvissuti a un terribile naufrau00adgio. La notizia del salvataggio si diffonde velocemente, e Grace comincia a essere celebrata in tutta l’Inu00adghilterra come un’eroina. Numerosi visitatori giungono al faro per conoscerla, intervistarla o per realizzarne il ritratto, come il pittore Geu00adorge Emmerson, che in breve tempo riesce anche a conquistare il suo cuore. Ma più cresce la sua inattesa fama, più la vita di Grace si complica… Stati Uniti, 1938. La diciannovenne Matilda Emu00admerson, incinta e in gravi ristrettezze economiche, lascia l’Irlanda e affronta la traversata dell’Atlantico per raggiungere Harriet, una lontana parente, guardiana del faro di Newport, nel Rhode Island. È pronta a cominciare una nuova vita, ma quando un vecchio ritratto apre una finestra sul suo passato, Matilda decide di guardarsi indietro, e capire quale sia il nesso tra un’inu00adsolita eroina vittoriana e la sua famiglia. E con l’arrivo di un violento uragano, molte verità torneranno a galla… Ispirato a una storia vera, questo romanzo è un omaggio a Grace Darling, l’eroica figlia del guardiano del faro di Longstone, e a tutte le donne eccezionali che, come lei, hanno rischiato la vita per salvare quella di altre persone.

1940, Kent: Alice är varken modig eller vågad. Hon håller sig helst till äventyren på sidorna i sina böcker. Men hotet om en tysk invasion hägrar och krigstider kräver mod. När ett plan kraschar nära Alices hem väcker det en styrka hos henne som sedan länge legat gömd. Fast besluten om att dra sitt strå till stacken, finner hon sitt krigkall. Hon ska hjälpa till att rädda brittiska barn ur landet. 1940, London: Lily brukade drömma om att använda sin matematiska talang till något mer än att göra tabeller över livsmedelskostnader, men livet och kärleken lade ut en annan kurs för henne. Hennes två livliga barn och kärleksfulle make är allt för henne men en dag skiljer kriget dem hjärtlöst åt. Plötsligt är hennes make borta och Lily ställs inför ett omöjligt val: att låta barnen stanna kvar hos henne i England, där hon inte kan garantera deras säkerhet, eller sätta dem på ett fartyg över Atlanten, där säkerheten är långt borta från henne själv. När nazisternas ubåtar sänker ett av skeppen med brittiska barn på väg till Kanada, klarar sig endast en livbåt undan och flyter nu fritt på Atlantens stormande hav. Alice och Lily, som aldrig tidigare mötts, blir varandras största hopp när deras liv ödesmättat flätas samman. HAZEL GAYNOR är en internationellt bästsäljande författare vars böcker toppat New York Times, USA Todays och Irish Times bästsäljarlistor. LB Förlag har tidigare gett ut två böcker av Hazel Gaynor, Fyrvaktarens dotter och Vi var unga och modiga, som nominerades 2020 till Irish Book Awards. Hazel Gaynor bor på Irland med sin man och deras två barn. "Boken fångade mig från första sidan. Det är en rörande berättelse om kärlek, hopp och mod i den mörkaste av tider. Minnesvärd läsning som stannar kvar hos dig." Kristina McMorris, New York Times "Det är omöjligt att sluta läsa.” Historical Novels Review

Mitreißend, atmosphärisch und herzergreifend: Die Geschichte zweier mutiger Frauen – Jahrzehnte entfernt, doch im Lichte des Leuchtturms vereint. 1838: Als vor der Küste Northumberlands ein schrecklicher Sturm aufzieht, weiß Grace Darling, die Tochter des Leuchtturmwärters, dass die Passagiere auf dem kleinen Schiff, das gegen die Wellen ankämpft, kaum eine Chance auf Überleben haben. Doch ihr Handeln setzt eine unglaubliche Heldentat in Gang, die ein ganzes Jahrhundert lang nachhallen wird. 1938: Als die neunzehnjährige Matilda Emmerson über den Atlantik nach Neuengland segelt, steht ihr eine ungewisse Zukunft bevor. Bei ihrer zurückgezogen lebenden Verwandten Harriet Flaherty, einer Leuchtturmwärterin auf Rhode Island, entdeckt Matilda ein altes Porträt, das ihr den Weg zu einem Geheimnis öffnet, das ihr Leben für immer verändern wird. Die mitreißende Geschichte zweier Frauen, die mit Mut und Selbstbewusstsein Großes bewegen – emotionale historische Unterhaltung voller spannender Geheimnisse und herzergreifender Dramatik.

Den größten Mut braucht man, um seinen eigenen Träumen zu folgen ... England 1923. Dorothy Lane ist eine Träumerin, deren größtes Ziel es ist, eines Tages auf den Bühnen Londons zu tanzen. Ihr altes Leben ist während des ersten Weltkriegs zerbrochen; ihr neues beginnt als Zimmermädchen im glamourösesten Hotel der Stadt, dem Savoy. Perry, ein Komponist auf der Suche nach einer Muse, und seine Schwester Loretta May, eine gefeierte Schauspielerin, scheinen alles zu haben, wovon Dorothy träumt. Als sich ihre Wege kreuzen, hat dies für alle drei ungeahnte Konsequenzen.

Cina, dicembre 1941. Dopo aver lasciato l’Inghilterra per lavorare come insegnante alla scuola missionaria inglese di Chefoo, nel nord della Cina, Elspeth Kent decide di tornare in patria per dare il proprio contributo allo sforzo bellico. Ma mentre si prepara a lasciare la Cina, il destino sembra avere altri piani per lei e per i suoi studenti… Nancy Plummer ha dieci anni e si è sempre sentita al sicuro alla scuola missionaria di Chefoo, protetta dal suo status britannico. Ma quando il Giappone dichiara guerra alla Gran Bretagna e all’America, le forze giapponesi prendono il controllo della scuola, e la sicurezza e le comodità di ogni giorno sono improvvisamente sostituite da privazioni, incertezza e paura. Separati dai loro cari, gli studenti vengono condotti insieme agli insegnanti nel centro di detenzione di Weihsien, dove devono far fronte a condizioni di vita disperate. In una lotta quotidiana per la sopravvivenza, contro la fame, la malattia e la violenza, solo grazie alla guida di Miss Kent, sempre pronta a infondere loro fiducia e coraggio, Nancy e gli altri ragazzi troveranno la forza e la determinazione di resistere, nella speranza di un’imminente liberazione… Ispirato a fatti realmente accaduti, La ragazza dei girasoli è una storia emozionante che mostra come la coesione, l’amicizia e lo spirito di adattamento siano le armi vincenti per superare qualsiasi prova, anche la più dura.

The greatest journey is the one you least expect... Kansas 1932 When news reaches Kansas that her beloved sister has tragically died, Emily Gale must become a mother overnight. Her sister''s orphaned child, Dorothy, desperately needs a home. But Emily doubts her ability to fill her sister''s shoes; her life on the barren Kansas prairies is no place for a child. On the unforgiving plains, Emily''s courage is endlessly tested. The prolonged drought and relentless dust storms threaten to destroy everything - including her home and her marriage. Can Emily overcome her grief and let Dorothy heal her heart? From the promise of Chicago in the 1920s to the harsh beauty of the Kansas prairie during the dust bowl of the 1930s, this is a story of family, duty and one woman''s journey of self-discovery.

Av författaren till Fyrvaktarens dotter. Kina, 1941. Elspeth flyr ett olyckligt liv i England för att arbeta som lärare på en engelsk missionsskola i norra Kina. När Japan förklarar krig mot de allierade och ockuperar skolan, byts hennes trygga vardag ut mot osäkerhet och rädsla. För tioåriga Nancy och hennes vänner som nu är åtskilda från sina föräldrar på obestämd tid, blir Elspeth och hennes flickscoutpatrull det enda som kan ge dem en känsla av gemenskap och säkerhet, i ett land där de numera är fienden. Elspeth, Nancy och de andra på skolan lever som fångar och utsätts för en obarmhärtighet som kräver mod, hopp och sammanhållning i deras väntan på att bli frigivna. Men så förflyttas de till ett avlägset arbetsläger och tvingas möta en grymhet de aldrig tidigare stött på. Vi var unga och modiga är baserad på en verklig händelse om en egendomlig grupp människor som tvingas kämpa för sina liv och om de livsomvälvande band som knyts mellan dem i utkanten av ett fruktansvärt krig. HAZEL GAYNOR är en internationellt bästsäljande författare. Hennes böcker har översatts till ett flertal språk och hamnat på New York Times bästsäljarlista. Hazel bor på Irland med sin man och deras två barn. "Gaynor lyckas fånga den barnsliga naiviteten, dåtidens begränsade omvärldskunskap och bilden av det mytiska österlandet. Hon skriver drivet och med stor detaljrikedom" Hanna Gunnarsson, BTJ

Van, hogy az élet gyapjúharisnyát ad csak az embernek. Van, hogy földig érõ Chanelt... Dolly Lane igazi álmodozó; a kizsigerelt cselédlány minden vágya, hogy egy londoni színpadon táncolhasson, ám életét kettétöri a Nagy Háború. Egykori katonaszerelme után maradt emlékei, eltitkolt szégyene és fájdalmas veszteségei arra ösztökélik, hogy szerencsét próbáljon egy jobb élet reményében. Amikor London egyik legjobb szállodájában, a Savoyban kap szobalányi állást, egy lépéssel közelebb kerül álmaihoz, a pezsgõ, a jazz és a lázadás bûvöletében élõ ifjú nemzedékhez. Ám a csillogó életet csak a partvonalról szemlélheti, észrevétlennek, jelentéktelennek kell maradnia. Egy hirdetés nyomán azonban hamarosan a londoni színházi élet lélegzetelállító nyüzsgésében találja magát, olyan ünnepelt sztárok között, mint Loretta May és fivére, Perry, akiknek bár látszólag mindenük megvan, szintén keresnek valamit. A valóságos és a megálmodott világ között húzódó szakadék peremén egyensúlyozó Dollyra nehéz döntések várnak: két férfi, két társadalmi osztály és két, egymással szöges ellentétben álló életforma között kell választania. Az egyik a mindennapjait tölti ki, a másik az álmait teljesíti. A fényes jövõ csábítóan közel van; de vajon képes szakítani a múltjával egy Dollyhoz hasonló lány? Hazel Gaynor lenyûgözõ történelmi regénye úgy pezseg, mint a legfinomabb pezsgõ, és épp olyan izgalmas, mint a Nagy Háború utáni korszak.

« Une lecture exceptionnelle ! À ne pas manquer ! » Kate Quinn « Hazel Gaynor a déjà prouvé qu''elle pouvait dépasser ses pairs et ce roman enchanteur très bien documenté la place largement au-dessus de tous les autres auteurs. » Sunday Independent L''histoire vraie d''une héroïne de l''ère victorienne. 1838, Nord de l''Angleterre. Fille de gardien de phare, Grace Darling est heureuse et ne veut pour rien au monde quitter le phare de Longstone. Lorsque son père et elle sauvent des victimes d''un naufrage, Grace devient malgré elle une véritable héroïne à travers toute l''Angleterre. Un jour, un peintre est mandaté pour faire son portrait et tombe sous son charme... Un siècle plus tard, la jeune Matilda Emmerson tombe enceinte. Elle est alors envoyée auprès de Harriet, une gardienne de phare, jusqu''à ce que son bébé naisse. Lorsque la jeune femme tombe par hasard sur un portrait inachevé, elle comprend que sa famille lui cache un lourd secret... Alors qu''elles vivent à cent ans d''écart, ces deux femmes, partageant le même courage que leur inspire l''amour, se retrouveront liées pour toujours. « Ils disent que je suis une héroïne, mais je ne mérite pas un tel honneur. Je suis juste une jeune femme ordinaire qui accomplit son devoir. » « Hazel Gaynor est une véritable conteuse qui sait illuminer chaque page que vous lisez. » Susan Meissner « C''est un chef-d''oeuvre de la fiction historique. » Fiona Davis « Le roman de Hazel Gaynor alterne les périodes et l''histoire de ces deux femmes avec maestria, mettant en scène leurs attentes, leurs souffrances et leurs humbles triomphes... Basé sur l''histoire vraie de Grace Darling, le récit de Hazel Gaynor nous captive et nous coupe le souffle. » Historical Novel Society

''Dit verhaal over het vinden van ware liefde is ontroerend en meeslepend.'' Kristin Harmel New York, 1937. Wanneer de van elkaar vervreemde zussen Clara en Madeleine Summers vernemen dat hun oma Violet op sterven ligt, stemmen ze ermee in haar laatste wens te vervullen; samen door Europa reizen. Violet wil dat ze drie brieven bezorgen, brieven waarin ze afscheid neemt van belangrijke mensen uit haar verleden. Terwijl Clara en Maddy met de luxueuze Queen Mary en met de Oriënt Express reizen en Parijs, Venetië en Wenen verkennen, is het gekibbel niet van de lucht. Ze vragen zich af of ze wel in staat zijn de laatste wens van Violet te vervullen, totdat een schokkende ontdekking over hun familie hen dichter bij elkaar brengt. ''Een hartverwarmend verhaal over de kracht van vergeving en de onbreekbare band van zussen.'' Natasha Lester

Dopisy plné humoru, lásky a naděje V srpnu 1914 Anglie vstoupila do války. Tom a Will dobrovolně narukovali. Willova sestra Evie a její kamarádka Alice stejně jako ostatní předpokládaly, že válka nemůže trvat dlouho. Naplánovaly tedy společný vánoční výlet do Paříže. V dopisech, které si přátelé posílají, proniká na povrch krutost války, jež poznamenává jejich životy a z naivních dívek a chlapců se stávají dospělí lidé. A jejich společné Vánoce v Paříži se stále odkládají...

1838, Longstone Island, Engeland. Grace Darlings leven verandert volledig wanneer zij en haar vader tijdens een storm negen overlevenden van een schipbreuk redden. Deze heldendaad heeft grote gevolgen, en het is niet alleen Grace’ leven dat nooit meer hetzelfde zal zijn. 1938, Rhode Island, Amerika. De negentienjarige Matilda Emmerson is ongehuwd zwanger en naar een ver familielid gestuurd, om in het geheim haar kindje te krijgen. Hier komt Matilda erachter dat haar leven en dat van Grace Darling sterk met elkaar verweven zijn. Kan Grace’ heldendaad Matilda inspireren als een dodelijke orkaan de oostkust van Amerika teistert? ‘Meeslepend, ik kan deze prachtige roman niet genoeg aanbevelen.’ Gill Paul ‘Uitmuntend. Gaynor is een van de beste historische fictieschrijvers van dit moment.’ Sunday Independent

Na filmovém festivalu v Cannes se houfují celebrity a ta největší hvězda, herečka Grace Kellyová, se touží dostat z dosahu novinářů. Na útěku před vytrvalým fotografem Jamesem ji schová ve svém obchůdku parfumérka Sophie. Zrodí se mezi nimi přátelství, jež obě ženy spojí na dalších třicet let. Jamesovi se na okouzlující Sophii nedaří zapomenout, a proto přijímá úlohu reportéra na svatbě století. Do Monaka odjíždí s nadějí, že se s ní znovu setká.

Agosto de 1914. A Inglaterra está em guerra. Quando Evie Elliott vê seu irmão, Will, e seu melhor amigo, Thomas Harding, partirem para o front, ela acredita -- como todo mundo -- que tudo estará acabado até o Natal, quando o trio planeja comemorar o feriado entre os românticos cafés de Paris. Mas, como a história nos diz, tudo aconteceu de forma tão diferente... Hazel Gaynor juntou-se a Heather Webb para criar este romance que provou ser um dos melhores sobre o tema. Uma brilhante homenagem à tragédia da guerra e à resistência do coração humano.