Showing results by narrator "Diane Piper" in All Categories

Whether you're becoming a mum for the first time or you have children who are growing up faster than you could have ever imagined, motherhood can feel like the most joyful and yet the most daunting of times. But you're not alone. From the moment I knew my first baby was a girl I started to plan, hope and dream. I couldn't wait to experience that special bond, but I wondered how I'd feel about being a working mum, how I'd hold on to the person I am.

In the Los Angeles suburbs, the Crawfords seem like the average American family. Leo is a rising star in advertising. His wife, Rose, is brilliant, restless, and pregnant with their second child. Their teenage daughter, Melinda, is already leaning toward rebellion. Then Rose vanishes during a family vacation. When she comes back, she’s not the same.

It’s July 1946, and after a decade of Depression and war, life in America is returning to normal. But for Charlotte and Mary Oswald, one tumultuous summer will unearth all their secrets and upend their world, once again. Charlotte Oswald’s life is dictated by rules. Where she can go. Whom she can speak to. How she can spend her long, dull summer days. It’s a small, closeted existence, but necessary to protect Charlotte, who has suffered from debilitating fits since childhood.