An early work from the New York Times bestselling author of The
Giver of Stars and the forthcoming Someone Else's Shoes, Jojo Moyes,
the story of a young woman who opens an eclectic shop and comes to terms
with the secrets of her past.
In the sixties, Athene Forster was the most glamorous girl of her
generation. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she was also beautiful, spoiled, and
out of control. When she agreed to marry the gorgeous young heir Douglas
Fairley-Hulme, her parents breathed a sigh of relief. But within two
years, rumors had begun to circulate about Athene's affair with a young
salesman.
Thirty-five years later, Suzanna Peacock is struggling with her
notorious mother's legacy. The only place Suzanna finds comfort is in
The Peacock Emporium, the beautiful coffee bar and shop she opens that
soon enchants her little town. There she makes perhaps the first real
friends of her life, including Alejandro, a male midwife, escaping his
own ghosts in Argentina.
The specter of her mother still haunts Suzanna. But only by confronting
both her family and her innermost self will she finally reckon with the
past--and discover that the key to her history, and her happiness, may
have been in front of her all along.
