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Start giftingLost Autumn
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Learn moreA young woman's coming-of-age in 1920, the royal tour of Edward, Prince of Wales, and the secrets that surface more than seventy years later.
"A perfectly heartbreaking tale of royalty, lies, and friendship."--Kristin Harmel, author of The Room on Rue Amélie
Australia, 1920. Seventeen-year-old Maddie Bright embarks on the voyage of a lifetime when she's chosen to serve on the cross-continent tour of His Royal Highness, the dashing Edward, Prince of Wales. Life on the royal train is luxurious beyond her dreams, and the glamorous, good-hearted friends she makes--with their romantic histories and rivalries--crack open her world. But glamour often hides all manner of sins.
Decades later, Maddie lives in a ramshackle house in Brisbane, whiling away the days with television news and her devoted, if drunken, next-door neighbor. When a London journalist struggling with her own romantic entanglements begins asking Maddie questions about her relationship to the famous and reclusive author M. A. Bright, she's taken back to the glamorous days of the royal tour--and to the secrets she has kept for all these years.
Mary-Rose MacColl is the award-winning author of six novels, a nonfiction book, short stories, feature journalism, and essays. Her novel In Falling Snow was an international bestseller. She lives is Brisbane, Australia, with her husband and son.
Reviews
“This book has it all: an unforgettable first chapter, fascinating insight into the Prince of Wales’ visit to Australia in 1920… and a compelling mystery set in contemporary times... Truly wonderful storytelling.”—Natasha Lester, author of The Paris Seamstress
“A captivating story of two women finding their way through powerful relationships and difficult decisions. Lost Autumn is both a grand adventure and a tender reflection on how lives bump against each other leaving bruises or, sometimes, deep wounds that take a lifetime to heal.”
—Kelli Estes, author of The Girl Who Wrote in Silk
"Grants us a peek into the private chambers of the British monarchy, where the extraordinary long to be ordinary, duty competes with desire, and nothing truly happens behind closed doors. Mary-Rose MacColl reflects on the push and pull of life in the spotlight through a compelling mix of characters and an absorbing story I won't soon forget."
—Ellen Keith, author ofThe Dutch Wife
“MacColl’s impressive attention to detail integrates historical research with lyrical psychological realism. Fans of historicals will find this saga riveting.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Sure to be a book-club favorite, Lost Autumn will please fans of Beatriz Williams and Kate Morton."
—Booklist
“Such compelling, confident storytelling. MacColl is emotionally sure-footed, skilfully warming and chilling your heart as she dwells on royalty, humanity, the psychological ravages of war, and the persistence of love.”
—Frances Liardet, author ofWe Must Be Brave
"With extraordinary insight and compassion, Mary-Rose MacColl has woven a captivating story of charming rakes, lost innocence, and the devastating consequences that sometimes result when we choose to place our trust in the wrong people. An exquisitely told and thoughtful tale."
—Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of The Two-Family House and The Wartime Sisters
“A deliciously absorbing, endlessly fascinating, and perfectly heartbreaking tale of royalty, obligation, lies, friendship, and redemption… it delves intimately into the hearts, souls, and personal tragedies of those behind the headlines. I sobbed my way through the final hundred pages and will be thinking about this beautiful book for a long time to come. Lost Autumn is truly a masterpiece, and I recommend it wholeheartedly."
—Kristin Harmel, author of The Room on Rue Amélie
“A thoughtful, multi-layered tale that probes the stories we tell ourselves about family and friendship, power and control. MacColl's writing deftly - yet gently - explores the nature of courage and kept me guessing to the very end.”
—Kirsty Manning, author of The Jade Lily Expand reviews