The Potter's House - Softcover

Thomas, Rosie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007563221 ISBN 13: 9780007563227

Publisher: Harper, 2015

Synopsis

From the bestselling author of The Kashmir Shawl.

Olivia Giorgiadis has left her English roots behind. She lives on a tiny Greek island, married to a local man, mother to two small sons. Year on year, island life has followed a peaceful unchanging rhythm.

Until now. An earthquake ravages the coast, its force devastating the island. In the aftermath comes a stranger: an Englishwoman, destitute but for the clothes she wears.

Olivia welcomes the stranger into her home, the potter's house. But as Kitty melts into the family and the village community, so Olivia begins to sense that her mysterious visitor threatens all she holds dear...

About this title

Review

It's on a close, airless night at the end of the summer season that the earthquake strikes, devastating the Turkish coast and generating a tsunami wave that crashes over the tiny Greek island of Halemni. It's a defining moment for t he two women at the heart of Rosie Thomas's The Potter's House. For Olivia, who has settled on the island with her Greek husband and two sons, it's a catalyst, forcing her to reassess her life away from England and take stock of what matters to her; for Kitty, it's a chance to turn her back on an unsuccessful marriage and start again, with a new identity, a rewritten past and a hopeful future.

When Kitty arrives on Halemni in the aftermath of the tidal wave, she's a woman who had "gradually become someone who listened, rather than a creature who went out and did things". But by throwing herself into helping the Greek villagers rebuild their homes, she gains independence and confidence, and slips seamlessly into Olivia's world. As the novel evolves, the two strikingly similar women become more alike, their lives begin to merge, dissolving into each other as time loses its linearity. Olivia's precious tranquillity is endangered; the villagers' lives are threatened by an uneasy claustrophobia that may well have more catastrophic results than the tsunami the autumn before.

Rosie Thomas has written several bestselling novels, including White, about an expedition to conquer Everest and Border Crossing, which recounts her participation in the 1997 Peking to Paris motor rally. Like these, The Potter's House is a compelling, disturbing exploration of inner strength, personal challenges and dramatic journeys. --Jane Honey

Review

‘Beautifully constructed and written . . . A treat’ Marie Claire

‘Love, seduction, magic and illusion collide as Rosie Thomas takes us on a spellbinding journey through an extremely shadowy world’ Daily Express

Praise for The Kashmir Shawl:

‘A superbly researched and vivid evocation of wartime Kashmir and Ladakh’ Daily Mail

‘A spellbinding tale. Beautifully written, honest and compassionate...a delight from start to finish’
Daily Express

‘An epic tale...A complicated entanglement of family secrets, love during wartime and dangerous liaisons. For fans of Maggie O’Farrell’
Red

‘A superbly written novel, marvellously descriptive and especially evocative of the war years . . . a gorgeous treat’ Choice

‘Thomas’ portrayal of a young wife struggling to cope with life in wartime Kashmir, her husband’s indifference to her and her attraction to a charismatic mountaineer is beautifully written, touching and believable’ The Daily Express

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0007563221
• ISBN 13: 9780007563227
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 460