The Courtyard
A captivating tale of an extraordinary friendship
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4.3 • 37 Ratings
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- £5.99
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
It is going to take all their strength to withstand the crises ahead...
The Courtyard is a sensitive and compassionate story of an invaluable friendship that helps see two women through a time of crisis. The perfect read for fans of Hilary Boyd and Erica James.
'She may not be as famous as Binchy or Pilcher but British writer Willett is just as gifted' - Booklist
Nell Woodward and Gussie Merton make unlikely friends - one a young married woman and the other a lonely elderly lady. Nell's husband, John, is an estate agent fresh from the Navy, but he is ignorant of the outside world and, as others abandon the collapsing property market, he gets in deeper...
It is at Nethercombe, the home of Gussie's nephew, Henry, that a refuge is found. Henry has developed and sold a cluster of cottages, known as The Courtyard, and the people who buy them form a bond of friendship that embraces Nell and Gussie. But it is going to take all their strength to withstand the crises ahead...
What readers are saying about The Courtyard:
'Her [Marcia Willett's] writing is crisp, fresh and very vivid and her characters are so ALIVE'
'Enjoyable and believable characters, simple storyline and wonderful description of the Devonshire countryside and surrounds'
'Engrossing'
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A chance tea shop meeting between an elderly pensioner and a beautiful young mother blossoms into friendship in this treat from British novelist Willett (Echoes of the Dance), first published 10 years ago in the U.K. It's 1988 in Bristol, England, and Nell Woodward, with young son Jack in boarding school, is uneasily married to John, a former navy officer who is trying to remake himself as a realtor. Meanwhile, Henry Morley is converting the stables of his estate, Nethercombe Court, into the Courtyard, a housing development. Henry's wedding preparations are underway as the book opens, and soon after, his discontented younger bride, Gillian, has problems adjusting to country life. At the same time, Nell's friendship with Gussie Merton, an elderly second cousin of Henry's, brings them both to Nethercombe. As relationships unravel, crises rise and fall, and tragedy strikes. Willett creates a compact multirelationship saga with a nice edge, sharpened by Willett's keen depiction of Nell and John's marriage in particular.
