For fans of Alice Hoffman and Kate Morton, The White Hare is a
spellbinding novel about mothers and daughters finding a new home for
themselves, the secrets they try to bury, and the local legends that may
change their lives.
In the far west of Cornwall lies the White Valley, which cuts deeply
through bluebell woods down to the sea at White Cove. The valley has a
long and bloody history, laced with folklore, and in it sits a house
above the beach that has lain neglected since the war. It comes with a
reputation and a strange atmosphere, which is why mother and daughter
Magdalena and Mila manage to acquire it so cheaply in the fateful summer
of 1954.
Magda has grand plans to restore the house to its former glory as a
venue for glittering parties, where the rich and celebrated gathered for
cocktails and for bracing walks along the coast. Her grown daughter,
Mila, just wants to escape the scandal in her past and make a safe and
happy home for her little girl, Janey, a solitary, precocious child
blessed with a vivid imagination, much of which she pours into stories
about her magical plush toy, Rabbit.
But Janey's rabbit isn't the only magical being around. Legend has it
that an enchanted white hare may be seen running through the woods. Is
it an ill omen or a blessing? As Mila, her mother, and her young
daughter adjust to life in this mysterious place, they will have to
reckon with their own pasts and with the secrets that have been haunting
the White Valley for decades.
