The Woman Behind the Waterfall

Discover the magic within a modern bestselling classic
International bestseller in literary fiction
A celebration of the mystery and magic of Ukraine

‘A literary work of art’ Richmond Magazine

‘A strange and beautiful novel’ - Esther Freud, author of Hideous Kinky, Peeless Flats, Mr Mac and Me

‘Rich and poetic in detail, it is an often dreamy, oneiric narrative rooted in an exaltation of nature... A lovely novel’ IndieReader

"Readers looking for a classic tale of love and loss will be rewarded with an intoxicating world" Kirkus Reviews

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Magic and transformation in the beauty of a Ukrainian village

For seven-year-old Angela, happiness is exploring the countryside around her village in western Ukraine.

Her imagination lets her fly in the spirits of passing birds, enter the breath of the wind, and grow with her springtime garden.

Everything changes when she becomes aware of her mother’s sadness. As she tries to find out what lies behind it, she is drawn on a journey into the secrets of her family, and her parent’s fateful choices.

Can Angela lead her mother back to happiness before her innocence is destroyed by the shadows of a dark past?

Beautiful, poetic and richly sensory, this is a tale that will lift and haunt its readers.

The Woman Behind the Waterfall is a profoundly moving and life-affirming novel about one girl’s desire to share her own happiness with her mother and to help her remember the beauty and mystery of the world, that starts in her own imagination.

Leonora Meriel grew up in London, UK, but draws much of her inspiration from her years living in Ukraine, where she founded and managed Ukraine's largest bookshop, now a worldwide leader in promoting Ukrainian literature, language and culture. Her debut novel, THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL, is set in western Ukraine and is a celebration of Ukrainian culture, language and custom. Her novel AND BREATHE centres on a Ukrainian oligarch and her latest novel MBAQUANGA NIGHTS explores Ukrainian immigration at the turn of the nineteenth century. Her work has been hailed as "strange and beautiful" by writer Esther Freud, "ambitious and thought-provoking" by Kirkus Reviews, and "a literary work of art" by Richmond Magazine. Read more about Leonora and her work at www.leonorameriel.com.