by May Sarton
First published 2014
Violet Dene Gordon stands before Dene's Court, the Irish estate that has sat empty for years while she and her husband Charles lived in British Burma. The shuttered windows and overgrown tennis court tell the story of long neglect, but now they have returned to make this childhood monument their home again. Violet questions whether she and Charles can find happiness in these familiar yet changed surroundings. Their settlement becomes more complicated when Violet's American niece Sally arrives from college. Sally's mother has sent her across the ocean to separate her from an actor she loves too impulsively. The three residents must navigate the tensions that surface as they try to build new lives within the estate's quiet walls. Old emotions emerge as each person searches for belonging and peace in this place that holds both memory and possibility.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, return-to-roots
Setting: Dene's Court, British Burma, Ireland
Period: 20th Century
222 pages · Kindle Edition · Open Road Media