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A Short Road to Longbrook
€ 19.99
ISBN: 9781784746025
A tender story of mothers, daughters and breaking family patterns, from the author of bestseller My Policeman which became the hit film starring Harry Styles
When Winnie is happy, Lillian is happy, too.
It's the mid-1960s and Lillian Wells is a clever teenager with a daring pixie cut, tangerine mini-dress and new boyfriend, Jim, who works at the brewery. Even better, he lives across the road, so she's never far from her bee-hived, high-heeled single mother Winnie, who is prone to attacks of the nerves. But Lillian harbours secret dreams of going to art school in London. When she gets in, how will she tell her mother - and Jim - that she's leaving Abingdon - and them?
Forty years later, Lillian's own daughter Rachel is heading off to university, but Lillian is not sure either of them are ready. She sees herself and Winnie in Rachel, who is ambitious and intelligent, but also prone to nervous habits. As Lillian tries to bite her tongue about Rachel's symptoms, she is reminded of what everyone in Abingdon used to say: It's a short road to Longbrook... the local institution for the mentally ill. Lillian knows this is all too true, but in a family where secrets run through generations like the rushing waters of the local river, can she bring herself to break the cycle and tell Rachel the truth about her past?
'Roberts is an exceptionally tender and empathetic writer' Grazia
384 pages.
Not Yet Published.
Printed on or after 05/03/26. Please note dispatch may take 5-10 days after publication date.
A separate order should be placed for this item. If you order this along with other items, your entire order will be held and despatched when complete.
Date of Publication: 05/03/2026
Trade Paperback
