Le terrible secret d'une femme peut-il en sauver une autre des décennies plus tard ? Une virée entre amis s'achève en tragédie. Une jeune veuve trouve un bébé abandonné sur le pas de sa porte. Une mère se bat pour sauver son fils de la maladie. Alors que ces destinées brisées par le temps nous plongent dans des tourbillons d'émotion, la force de l'amour leur permettra de se croiser et de s'unir sous le sceau d'un secret enfin révélé.

Il était un secret

The letter

'UTTERLY UNPUTDOWNABLE' Jenny Ashcroft
Some love stories last a lifetime...
'Wow, wow, wow!!! The BEST BOOK I have read all year. A gorgeous story which had me hooked. Make sure you have a box of tissues when you read this beautiful story *****'
'A heartbreaking and heartwarming tale of love, loss and forgiveness' Daily Mail
'A spellbinding tale with lots of surprises and endearing characters. Hughes is a wonderful storyteller' Woman's Weekly
From the million-copy-bestselling author of The Letter, Kathryn Hughes, and inspired by true events, an unforgettable, moving and timeless story of love and war which will stay with you for ever. Readers who adored The Nightingale, The Notebook or The Rainbow will love to unlock The Memory Box...
Jenny Tanner opens the box she has cherished for decades. Contained within are her most precious mementoes, amongst them a pebble, a carving and a newspaper cutting she can hardly bear to read. But Jenny knows the time is finally here. After the war, in a mountainside village in Italy, she left behind a piece of her heart. However painful, she must return to Cinque Alberi. And lay the past to rest.
After a troubled upbringing, Candice Barnes dreams of a future with the love of her life - but is he the man she believes him to be? When Candice is given the opportunity to travel to Italy with Jenny, she is unaware the trip will open her eyes to the truth she's been too afraid to face. Could a place of goodbyes help her make a brave new beginning?
Will you be the next reader to lose your heart to The Memory Box?
'With beautiful writing, wonderful characters, and a page-turning plot, Kathryn has given us another unputdownable read. Warmth and heart burst from every page, transporting the reader from joy to heartbreak. I couldn't have loved it more' JENNY ASHCROFT
'I could not put this book down! It is absolutely phenomenal from the very first page right until the very last page. It is heartbreaking, joyful, hopeful, and a book that you won't want to put down*****'
'I have loved every single one of Kathryn Hughes' books, but this one was my absolute favourite! *****' 
'I love WW2 fiction and The Memory Box didn't disappoint. It's an emotive, thought-provoking read about love, loss and forgiveness'
'The twist at the end made me gasp! *****'
'I absolutely loved this book.  Devoured it in a few days. I eagerly await more of Kathryn Hughes' books. I will be first in line. Excellent *****'
'What a gorgeously written tale. This story was heartbreaking but also heartwarming. Full of unexpected twists, this one had me gripped! *****'
'A stunningly beautiful story. Brilliantly developed characters. A heart-warming and emotional read that I read in one sitting *****' 
'I absolutely adored this book! The story had me finishing the book in no time! A story that will stay with me a while' 
'An extremely well researched story, beautifully told. It is sad in places, but heartwarming in others'
'A heartwarming, well-written story. Heartbreaking in places but a story that had to be told *****

The Memory Box: Heartbreaking historical fiction set partly in World War Two, inspired by true events, from the global bestselling author

Available together for the first time in ebook, discover the heartrending novels from the No.1 bestselling author Kathryn Hughes.
** PRE-ORDER THE MEMORY BOX, THE NEW NOVEL FROM KATHRYN HUGHES COMING SOON ***
'A wonderful, uplifting story' Lesley Pearse on The Letter
'Gripping' Good Housekeeping on The Secret
'A heartbreakingly powerful read' The Sun on The Key
One decision can alter the course of your life for ever...
THE LETTER
Tina Craig longs to escape her violent husband. When she comes across an old letter in the pocket of a second-hand suit, her decision to read it will alter the course of her life for ever...
Billy Stirling knows he has been a fool, but hopes he can put things right. The letter he sits down to write on 4th September 1939 will change his future in more ways than he can ever imagine...
THE SECRET
Mary has been nursing a secret. Forty years ago, she made a choice that would change her world for ever, and alter the path of someone she holds dear.
Beth is searching for answers. When she finds a faded newspaper cutting amongst her mother's things, she realises the key to her son's future lies in her own past. She must go back to where it all began to unlock... The Secret.
THE KEY
1956: It's Ellen Crosby's first day as a student nurse at Ambergate Hospital. When she meets a young woman admitted by her father, little does Ellen know that a choice she will make is to change both their lives for ever...
2006: When Sarah discovers a suitcase belonging to a patient who entered the now abandoned Ambergate fifty years earlier, the shocking contents will lead Sarah to unravel a forgotten story of tragedy and lost love, and the chance to make an old wrong right . . .
Readers adore the unputdownable stories of Kathryn Hughes
'This is one of the BEST BOOKS I have ever read'
'I cried buckets of tears reading it'
'An amazing, heartwrenching, unforgettable story'
'A tale of love and hope with lots of twists and turns. A great story!

The Kathryn Hughes Collection

We each of us strive for domestic bliss, and we may look to Delia and Nigella to give us tips on achieving the unattainable. Kathryn Hughes, acclaimed for her biography of George Eliot, has pulled back the curtains to look at the creator of the ultimate book on keeping house.

 In Victorian England what did every middle-class housewife need to create the perfect home? 'The Book of Household Management'. 'Oh, but of course!' Mrs Beeton would no doubt declare with brisk authority. But Mrs Beeton is not quite the matronly figure that has kept her name resonating 150 years after the publication of 'The Book of Household Management'.

 The famous pages of carefully costed recipes, warnings about not gossiping to visitors, and making sure you always keep your hat on in someone else's house were indispensable in the moulding of the Victorian domestic bliss. But there are many myths surrounding the legend of Mrs Beeton. It is very possible that her book was given so much social standing through fear as she was believed to be a bit of an old dragon.

 It seems though that Mrs Beeton was a series of contradictions. Kathryn Hughes reveals here that Bella Beeton was a million miles away from the stoical, middle-aged matron. She was in fact only 25 years old when she created the guide to successful family living and had only had five years experience of her own to inform her. She lived in a semi-detached house in Pinner with the bare minimum of servants. She bordered on being a workaholic, and certainly wasn't the meek and mild little wife that her book was aimed at - more a highly intelligent and ambitious young woman. After preaching about wholesome and clean living, Bella Beeton died at the age of 28 from (contrary to her parent's belief) bad hygiene. Kathryn Hughes sympathetically explores the irony behind Bella Beeton's public and private image in this highly readable and informative study of Victorian lifestyle.

The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs Beeton (Text Only)

Tina est malheureuse auprès d'un mari trop porté sur la boisson et souvent violent. Le week-end, pour ne pas être à ses côtés, elle se réfugie dans une boutique caritative où elle est vendeuse bénévole. C’est alors que sa vie bascule lorsqu'elle y découvre une lettre dans la poche d'un vieux costume. Cette lettre n'a jamais été ouverte, le timbre n’est pas cacheté et elle date de septembre 1939 : c'est une demande en mariage.Très émue que la destinataire n’ait jamais reçu cette demande, Tina va mener l'enquête et découvrir l'histoire bouleversante d'un amour impossible… Celui de Chrissie, jeune sage femme de 17 ans qui tombe éperdument amoureuse du jeune séducteur de son quartier, malgré les réticences de son père, un médecin très strict. La guerre finit par exploser et son grand amour est contraint de partir au front, la laissant enceinte, et seule face à ce secret honteux qui va faire exploser sa cellule familiale.Pendant que Tina poursuit ses recherches, elle découvre qu’elle aussi est enceinte, mais d’un homme qu’elle n’aime plus. Elle décide d’essayer de retrouver à tout prix Chrissie et son enfant, en espérant ainsi redonner du sens à sa vie.

Il était une lettre

Au crépuscule de sa vie, Jenny se réfugie dans ses souvenirs. Chaque jour, elle ouvre presque religieusement un ancien coffret qui contient des lettres, des photos et des coupures de presse jaunies remontant aux années 1940. Jenny sait que le temps est venu désormais de se mettre en paix avec les fantômes de son passé. Et de réparer ses erreurs. Elle doit enfin retourner en Italie, dans ce petit village perché sur la côte méditerranéenne, qu'elle n'a pas revu depuis quatre-vingts ans. C'est dans cet endroit enchanteur que, pendant la guerre, elle a vécu ses plus belles années et ses plus tragiques moments. Peu à peu, les souvenirs d'une histoire d'amour et de trahison remontent à la surface. Un secret qui a hanté Jenny et a tragiquement bouleversé les destins de deux familles pendant des décennies...

Il était un souvenir

"Une histoire d'une puissance incroyable qui vous brisera le coeur". The Sun Années 50 Amy, une jeune femme désespérée, tente de se noyer suite à la mort de sa mère. Le lendemain, son père n'a pas le choix : il l 'envoie à Ambergate, austère hôpital psychiatrique. Pour Amy, qui est loin d 'être folle, ce sera le théâtre de terribles drames, et d 'amours interdites. 50 ans plus tard... Sarah se met à fouiller les vestiges d 'Ambergate dans le but d 'écrire un livre. L 'asile abandonné va alors livrer ses plus sombres secrets. Et si tout commençait par une simple clé ? La clé qui offrira l 'amour et la paix intérieure à celles qui les ont tant recherchés. Kathryn Hughes est née près de Manchester et s 'est mise à l' écriture sur le tard. Il était une lettre, son premier roman, désormais véritable phénomène d 'édition, a été publié dans le monde entier et a connu un vif succès en France. Il était un secret, paru en 2017 chez Calmann- Lévy, a également conquis des centaines de milliers de lectrices.

La clé du coeur

« Une histoire d’une puissance incroyablequi vous brisera le coeur. »The SunAnnées 50Amy, une jeune femme désespérée,tente de se noyer suite à la mort de sa mère.Le lendemain, son père n’a pas le choix :il l ’envoie à Ambergate, austère hôpital psychiatrique.Pour Amy, qui est loin d ’être folle, ce sera le théâtrede terribles drames, et d ’amours interdites.50 ans plus tard…Sarah se met à fouiller les vestiges d ’Ambergatedans le but d ’écrire un livre.L ’asile abandonné va alors livrer ses plus sombres secrets.Et si tout commençait par une simple clé ?La clé qui offrira l ’amour et la paix intérieureà celles qui les ont tant recherchés.Kathryn Hughes est née près de Manchester et s ’est mise à l’ écriture sur le tard. Il était une lettre*, son premier roman, désormais véritable phénomène d ’édition, a été publié dans le monde entier et a connu un vif succès en France.* Il était un secret*, paru en 2017 chez Calmann- Lévy, a également conquis des centaines de milliers de lectrices.*

Il était un secret

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