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  • The Light Behind the Window

  • By: Lucinda Riley
  • Narrated by: Miranda Raison
  • Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (370 ratings)

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The Light Behind the Window

By: Lucinda Riley
Narrated by: Miranda Raison
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Publisher's Summary

From the Sunday Times best-selling author of the Seven Sisters series, Lucinda Riley's The Light Behind the Window is a breathtaking and intense story of love, war and, above all, forgiveness.

The present: Emilie de la Martiniéres has always fought against her aristocratic background, but after the death of her glamorous, distant mother, she finds herself alone in the world and sole inheritor of her grand childhood home in the south of France. An old notebook of poems leads her in search of the mysterious and beautiful Sophia, whose tragic love affair changed the course of her family history. As Emilie unravels the story, she too embarks on her own journey of discovery, realising that the château may provide clues to her own difficult past and finally unlock the future.

The past: London 1943. A young office clerk, Constance Carruthers, is drafted into the SOE, arriving in occupied Paris during the climax of the conflict. Separated from her contact in her very first hours in France, she stumbles into the heart of a wealthy family who are caught up in a deadly game of secrets and lies. Forced to surrender her identity and all ties to her homeland and her beloved husband, Constance finds herself drawn into a complex web of deception, the repercussions of which will affect generations to come.

Note to listeners: in the US, this book is published under the title The Lavender Garden.

©2020 Lucinda Riley (P)2020 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd

Critic Reviews

A sweeping, engrossing work. Riley is talented, delighting in the small details of aristocratic luxury and the pastoral countryside . . . The heroines of [The Light Behind the Window] struggle to master circumstances seemingly beyond their control, a common thread in Riley's work. A tale of family secrets, wartime espionage, and loyalties gained and gambled, The Lavender Garden will appeal to fans of historical fiction, Kate Morton, and Helen Bryan (Booklist)
A fast-paced, suspenseful story flitting between the present day and World War II . . . Riley expertly weaves Emilie's story into a dual narrative . . . A real old-fashioned romance which manages to have a compelling narrative as well as something of a history lesson in the Special Operations Executive. Brilliant escapism (Red)
Two superb storylines for the price of one here. In 1998 Emilie de la Martinieres inherits her grand South of France childhood home. She begins to uncover the past and finds a tiny room hidden in the wine cellar. Why has it been sealed for 50 years? As if that wasn't enough, there's also the part set in 1944. Constance Carruthers is sent to Paris as a spy, but loses her contact and falls in with an aristocratic family involved with the Resistance. Seriously, what could be more divine? Just sink in and wallow (Kate Saunders, Saga)

What listeners say about The Light Behind the Window

Average Customer Ratings
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Loved it

I did like this book , took a while to get into it I’m glad I Persisted with it

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Captivating...

Luncida Riley at her usual best. She tells a unique tale of French English and German sides of WW2

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beautifully narrated and a beautiful story

loved it, a beautiful story with wonderful characters, couldn't stop listening. narration was exceptional. thankyou

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The light behind the window

I loved this book needed to be a bit longer! Well read with good accents !

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Narration

I enjoyed the story but the narration was bloody boring and awful. No inflection. I don't know if she mispronounced certain words or if they were written that way.

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  • Overall
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Enjoyable read

As is often the case I find the author’s main character at the beginning of the book unrealistically and irritably perfect natured and equally gullible and naive. However she does spin a good tale which builds up to the inevitable happy ending which, once you get past the first chapter or so makes a thoroughly enjoyable read.

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Spellbinding

I’m so sorry the book had to end. I’ve enjoyed it so much. What a wonderful story teller you were,

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suspense

a gripping listen which I have truly enjoyed... Sadly over too soon! maybe now I can catch up on missed sleep!

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Another gripping read

As a story teller I love Lucinda Riley, the back story is so liveable you feel for the characters, the pain & the heartbreak. A fabulous story of deceit & mystery. Brilliant

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Another wonderful book

Such an enjoyable read. I really can’t get enough of Lucinda Riley. She has so many different ends in the story which she finally brings together, keeping you guessing and intrigued until the end.

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