Water Children - Softcover

Berry, Anne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007303475 ISBN 13: 9780007303472

Publisher: Blue Door, 2011

Synopsis

Four lives. Four defining moments which will bring them together. Owen Abingdon is haunted by nightmares of the Merfolk. He believes they have stolen his little sister who vanished while he was meant to be minding her on the beach, but he was only a child himself. Is it fair for his mother to blame him? Catherine Hoyle's perfect Christmas with her cousin from America was blighted when they went skating on thin ice and Rosalyn nearly died. Somehow, instead of being praised for raising the alarm, Catherine gets blamed. Sean Madigan grew up on a farm in Ireland. Learning to swim in the Shannon was his way of escaping the bitter poverty of his childhood, but it also incurred his father's wrath. He flees to England, but his heart belongs to the Shannon and her pulling power is ever near! Unlike the other three, Naomi Seddon didn't fear the sea. She'd been orphaned and placed in a children's home in Sheffield and cruelly abused. The sea offered her a way out and she revelled in its cruel power. The "water children" meet in London in the searing hot summer of 1976 and Naomi uses her siren's charm to lure Owen, Catherine and Sean into her tangled web of sexual charm and dangerous passion. A holiday in the Tuscan mountains with a flooded reservoir and its legend of the beautiful Teodora who drowned there brings this emotional drama to a powerful climax. Will the power of family, love and redemption finally help the water children conquer their fears and triumph over their childhood traumas?

About this title

About the Author

Anne Berry was born in London and spent her childhood in Aden and Hong Kong where she was educated. She worked for a short period as a journalist for the South China Morning Post, before returning to Britain. After completing a three-year acting course, she embarked on a career in theatre, playing everything from pantomime to Shakespeare. Her first novel, The Hungry Ghosts, was shortlisted for The Commonwealth Writers' Prize and The Desmond Elliott Prize. She now lives in Surrey with her husband and four children.

Review

Praise for The Water Children: 'Anne Berry is a wonderful writer with a poetic imagination and use of language; startling metaphors and images flow effortlessly from line to line and, from page one, the plotting is heart-in-the-mouth stuff. What more could you ask?' DAILY MAIL 'Simply heartbreaking, The Water Children is a beautiful story, crafted with real skill and artistry, and told in a rich and sumptuous voice. One of the best novels I have read all year.' Keith Donohue, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Child Praise for The Hungry Ghosts: ' [A] stunning debut.' WOMAN & HOME 'A stunning debut...Epic in scope and voice...so skilfully crafted, and the writing so elegant, it's hard to believe it is a first novel.' THE GLOBE & MAIL 'As heart-rending as it is innovative, The Hungry Ghosts heralds Berry as an original new voice in fiction.' TIME OUT 'This is a novel as breezy as the best summer reads, yet secrets and deadly jealousy seethe at its core...engrossing.' DAILY MAIL

About this edition

• Publisher: Blue Door
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0007303475
• ISBN 13: 9780007303472
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320