On New Year's Eve of 1970, sisters Sophie and Olivia's lives change forever with the ill-fated discovery of a sapphire and diamond bracelet gifted to their mother, Elizabeth Grace Bennett Bannister. Their mother hails from an old money family from England, and grew up roaming the halls of the vast and beautiful Harrington Hall mansion with her siblings. After the events of this evening, Elizabeth Grace all but disappears from their life, and the sisters are left to ponder why their mother never returned home to Toronto, Canada with their father. When Sophie and Olivia receive the opportunity to return to England years later, a series of disturbing buried secrets and scandals surrounding the characters of Harrington Hall begin to emerge. With elder sister Sophie taking the lead, the girls set out to reconnect with their estranged English family, and finally find an answer to their looming questions: What happened to Elizabeth Grace? And what other ghosts does Harrington Hall hide? "[Gwen's first novel, The Girlfriend Book, ] struck a chord with [our book club] of fifteen women who have shared hard earned wisdom, joy, heartbreak, and crossover life experiences...Gwen Harvey's upcoming book will certainly be on our book list when published." --Victoria E. Pullen
On New Year's Eve of 1961, while visiting family in England, sisters Sophie and Olivia's lives are forever changed with the ill-fated discovery of a sapphire and diamond bracelet gifted to their mother, Elizabeth Grace Bennett Bannister. Their mother, a Baron's daughter within the English aristocracy, grew up roaming the vast and beautiful estate of Harrington Hall. After the events of that fateful evening, Elizabeth Grace all but disappears from their lives, and the sisters are left to discover why their mother never returned home to Toronto, Canada. When Sophie and Olivia receive the opportunity to return to England years later, a series of disturbing buried secrets and scandals surrounding the characters of Harrington Hall begin to emerge. With elder sister Sophie taking the lead, they set out to reconnect with their estranged English family, and finally find answers to their looming questions: What happened to Elizabeth Grace? And what other ghosts does Harrington Hall hide? A beautiful coming-of-age story that explores the nuances of fraught mother-daughter relationships, the loss of love and wealth, and the difficult nature of wrestling with ghosts of the past. "Twisty and monstrously clever.