The Other Side of Paradise (Paperback) - Vanessa Beaumont

The story of a mother's love for her two sons and the deep lie that runs through the heart of everything

For fans of Downton Abbey, Gosford Park and After the Party.

Duty, scandal, and a mother's desperate attempt to protect her sons from a secret that will destroy them.

'A breathtakingly good, heartbreaking and utterly absorbing story.' Cressida Connolly, author of After the Party

'Sumptuously detailed... Razor-sharp social observations and glimmers of catty wit.' Telegraph

LONDON 1921 - Jean Buckman, a young and innocent American heiress arrives in England to find a society decimated by war but resolutely clinging to the status quo. She marries Edward Warre an engaging but complex man and the owner of a once great but now struggling estate.

As the marriage falters, Jean spends her summers in the South of France where she embarks on a passionate affair that will have repercussions for the rest of her life.

Two sons arrive, the oldest, heir to the estate, is not the true bloodline. But Edward needs Jean's money to survive, and she needs her husband's silence.

The Other Side of Paradise is the heart-breaking story of a family ripped apart by the shackles of inheritance and the rules imposed upon them by a society that cannot face the truth.

'With gorgeously fluid prose that never snags on the period detail, Beaumont is a debut writer with a bold future.' Jessica Fellowes, author of The Mitford Murders

About the Author

Vanessa Beaumont studied Classics at Oxford University before joining Short Books, the independent publisher in London, where she was Commissioning Editor for 8 years, editing both fiction and non-fiction. She co-ran the literary agency Prentice Beaumont, before deciding to take the reckless decision to embark on a novel. She lives between West London and Northumberland, and is married with three children.