The Midnight Rose

Description

The latest novel from international multi-million-copy bestselling author Lucinda Riley is a stunning, epic saga. Spanning four generations and two very different cultures, it sweeps from the glittering palaces of the great maharajahs of India to the majestic stately homes of England, following the extraordinary life of a girl, Anahita Chaval, from 1911 to the present day...In the heyday of the British Raj, eleven-year-old Anahita, from a noble but impoverished family, forms a lifelong friendship with the headstrong Princess Indira, the privileged daughter of rich Indian royalty. Becoming the princess' official companion, Anahita accompanies her friend to England just before the outbreak of the Great War. There, she meets the young Donald Astbury, reluctant heir to the magnificent, remote Astbury Estate, and his scheming mother. Eighty years later, Rebecca Bradley - a young American film star - has the world at her feet. But when her turbulent relationship with her equally famous boyfriend takes an unexpected turn, she's relieved that her latest role, playing a 1920s debutante, will take her away from the glare of publicity to the wilds of Dartmoor in England. Shortly after filming begins at the now-crumbling Astbury Hall, Ari Malik, Anahita's great-grandson, arrives unexpectedly, on a quest for his family's past. What he and Rebecca discover begins to unravel the dark secrets that haunt the Astbury dynasty...Filled with unforgettable characters, The Still of the Night is a multi-layered, heart-breaking tale, and marks Lucinda Riley's most ambitious novel to date.

Author description

Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland and travelled extensively during her childhood, particularly to the Far East. Moving to London, she became an actress, working in film, theatre and television. At twenty-four, she wrote her first novel based on her experiences as an actress, then went on to write seven further novels that have been translated into fourteen languages. Her novel, The Hothouse Flower, was published in 2010 and was selected by the Richard and Judy Bookclub. It will be published in fifteen other counties. Lucinda's most recent novel, The Girl on the Cliff, published in 2011. She currently lives in Norfolk and France with her husband and four children.