Anna Darton believes she has committed a heinous crime and therefore she has to escape, she has no choice, no one will understand what happened or believe her.
She heads to London, bit of a cliche perhaps but the only place she knows she can hide.
Whilst determined to survive, her sheltered upbringing makes her naive and susceptible to being conned.
Then she meets Nancy, a chance meeting leads her to reinvent herself as Verity ‘Vita’ Casey and she becomes immersed in Nancy’s world of society, dancing, drinking, love and fashion.
Meeting a wide variety of people, Vita starts to become immersed in the fringes of 1920s London society and her past seems just a distant memory. Her past though is about to catch up with her and will she be able to make the right choices.
One of those choices is Archie, enamoured with Vita a love affair begins and she knows that this is the man that will love her forever, but are other forces at work and will a love affair survive all the friendships she has forged in her new life.
This book, the first in a proposed trilogy took you right into the heart of Twenties London, where everything was starting to change, The Great War starting to become a memory and the “Young Bright Things” are pushing boundaries, raising hemlines, cutting hair short and embracing being women who now have more of a say. Experimenting with alcohol, drugs, friendships and differing sexual relationships this book manages to pack it all in. Not in a sensationalist way but with what can be seen as thorough research to enrich the storyline.
I had to keep reading to see whether the past ever caught up with Vita and whilst the denouement ties lots of loose ends together it left many unresolved, I was slightly disappointed with Vita’s actions and I was surprised I felt this way when I had been her greatest advocate all the way through the book. But now I want to know where and how the author is going to take this story so I am looking forward to book two.
A great historical read, enthralling, captivating and will have you reading long into the night as you immerse yourself in the 1920s. A must for historical fiction fans.
Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
The Runaway Daughter is out now.
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