The French House

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What to expect

Freedom worth fighting for. Love worth waiting for.



In Nazi-occupied Guernsey, the consequences of making the wrong decision can be deadly...

Left profoundly deaf after an accident, Émile is no stranger to isolation - or heartbreak. Now, as Nazi planes loom over Guernsey, he senses life is about to change forever.

Trapped in a tense, fearful marriage, Isabelle doesn't know what has become of Émile and the future she hoped for. But when she glimpses him from the window of the French House, their lives collide once more.

Leutnant Schreiber is more comfortable wielding a paintbrush than a pistol. But he has little choice in the role he is forced to play in the occupying forces - or in his own forbidden desires.

As their paths entwine, loyalties are blurred and dangerous secrets forged. But on an island under occupation, courage can have deadly consequences...

Lyrical, moving and compelling, this is a novel about wanting to hear and learning to listen - to the truths of our own hearts.

(P) 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critics Review

  • A brilliantly moving historical novel

    2020 Caledonian Novel Award
  • A raw and honest love story, filled with a wealth of historical detail. The French House is a powerful depiction of the brutal intricacies of island relationships and loyalties in a time of war

    FIONA VALPY, bestselling author of THE DRESSMAKER'S SECRET
  • Deeply involving . . . A fantastic debut by a gifted storyteller

    JILL MANSELL, Sunday Times bestselling author
  • A story of fraught secrets and tested loyalties . . . I found this beautifully told tale hard to put down

    ANITA FRANK, author of The Return
  • Heart-wrenching . . . A truly special novel

    LOUISE FEIN, author of People Like Us
  • A vividly written, refreshingly different World War Two love story, with a central character I adored. Just brilliant!

    GILL PAUL, author of The Collector's Daughter

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