A young girl is drawn to her dramatic family heritage in the first Alison Plantaine saga from the author of Almonds and Raisins.
Alison Plantaine was born to the theatre. As a child the life she knew was one of backstage dramas and highly-charged emotions. The desire to perform is in her Plantaine blood. But when Alison learns about her secret heritage it makes her question the path she has chosen.
Meanwhile, tastes are changing and the family passion for acting is losing touch with trends. A war is breaking out and Alison senses change in the air. Her mother is a gifted actress and wants her daughter to follow in her footsteps. Her father, shrewd and practical, understands that his daughter’s respect for family tradition must not stifle her talent and the promise of success. But the decision must be Alison’s and she becomes torn between duty and heritage, or the life she always dreamed of on the stage.
A vivid and emotional family saga from a much-loved author, perfect for fans of Rita Bradshaw and Margaret Dickinson.
Praise for the writing of Maisie Mosco
“Once in every generation or so a book comes along which lifts the curtain.” —The Guardian
“Full of freshness and fascination.” —Manchester Evening News
“The undisputed queen of her genre.” —The Jewish Chronicle
Maisie Mosco was born in Oldham in 1924, the eldest of three children. Her parents were of Latvian Jewish and Viennese Jewish descent, and both sides emigrated to England around 1900. She wanted to study medicine, but had to leave school at the age of 14 to help in the family business. She joined the ATS aged 18, and ended the war helping illiterate soldiers to read. After the war, she edited The Jewish Gazette, and wrote radio plays for the BBC. The author of sixteen novels, she died in London in 2011, aged 86.