Originally published: Great Britain: Bantam Press, 2014.

Marcia Willett's previous novel, A Week in Winter, her first to be published in the United States, received a rousing welcome from readers and reviewers alike. Her new novel, A Summer in the Country, introduces an equally beguiling cast of characters whose lives become intricately entwined at Foxhole, a charming and cozy country house on the wild edges of the Devon moors. Brigid Foster has inherited Foxhole from her father, and has created two guest cottages, which she rents during the holidays to tourists. Brigid's delight at welcoming Louise Parry, one of her regular summer visitors, is tempered by the irritating presence of Brigid's monumentally judgmental mother, Frummie. Having abandoned Foxhole (and Brigid) forty years earlier, Frummie makes no secret of her disdain for the glorious natural splendor of her surroundings, nor of her preference for Brigid's flightly but fabulous half-sister, Jemima. Jemima, meanwhile, has problems of her own. When a stranger begins lurking in the isolated byways of the lonely countryside, Brigid turns to her oddly elusive father-in-law for comfort and protection. But both Brigid and Louise Parry are hiding certain essential facts, and each woman's fragile sense of haven and security is threatened by disclosure. A Summer in the Country is the story of the enduring, but often painful love that exists between mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives. It describes with exquisite sensitivity and tenderness the precarious journey each of us undertakes as one generation makes way for the next, as each indelible and priceless relationship grows, changes, blossoms, or dies. Marcia Willett writes novels that will last.

There’s nothing like the breezy days of summer...the freshest produce, grilling outdoors, swaying on the porch swing and watching the kids chase fireflies. A trip to the farmers’ market, or a short walk to your own backyard, give us reasons to share the most flavorful dishes with our family & friends. We're celebrating all these memories in the making with Summer in the Country. Breakfast is a breeze when serving Aunt Emma-line’s Strawberry Muffins, and packing a picnic or toting a dish to a reunion couldn’t be easier...just pair up Confetti Coleslaw with Beverly’s Fried Chicken. Firecracker Grilled Salmon and Sizzlin’ Chicken are perfect for the grill, while Toasted Taffy is a fast-fix campfire dessert. With a whole chapter of sweet treats, whipping one up is so easy...choosing between all the yummy choices is the hardest part! You’ll find recipes for old-fashioned favorites like Lazy Daisy Cake, Flowerpot Cupcakes and Watermelon Slice Cookies inside. We’ve also included a chapter of food gifts to give...straight from your summer kitchen. Aunt Marj’s Violet Jelly and Pioneer Day Blackberry Jam are two of our favorites. The weather is perfect, so set a date and call your friends, family & neighbors. It’s time to celebrate summer...in the country! Hardcover, 224 pages. (9-1/4" x 6-1/2")

"Tense, atmospheric, and gorgeously written, The Summer Country is a novel to savor!" – Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network A brilliant, multigenerational saga in the tradition of The Thorn Birds and North and South, New York Times bestselling historical novelist Lauren Willig delivers her biggest, boldest, and most ambitious novel yet—a sweeping Victorian epic of lost love, lies, jealousy, and rebellion set in colonial Barbados. Barbados, 1854: Emily Dawson has always been the poor cousin in a prosperous English merchant clan-- merely a vicar’s daughter, and a reform-minded vicar’s daughter, at that. Everyone knows that the family’s lucrative shipping business will go to her cousin, Adam, one day. But when her grandfather dies, Emily receives an unexpected inheritance: Peverills, a sugar plantation in Barbados—a plantation her grandfather never told anyone he owned. When Emily accompanies her cousin and his new wife to Barbados, she finds Peverills a burnt-out shell, reduced to ruins in 1816, when a rising of enslaved people sent the island up in flames. Rumors swirl around the derelict plantation; people whisper of ghosts. Why would her practical-minded grandfather leave her a property in ruins? Why are the neighboring plantation owners, the Davenants, so eager to acquire Peverills? The answer lies in the past— a tangled history of lies, greed, clandestine love, heartbreaking betrayal, and a bold bid for freedom. THE SUMMER COUNTRY will beguile readers with its rendering of families, heartbreak, and the endurance of hope against all odds.