Skip to Main Content

The Glass Painter's Daughter

Uncover an extraordinary love story from the million-copy bestselling author of The Hidden Years

About The Book

From the million-copy Sunday Times bestseller comes a gripping and moving story about family secrets, unrequited love, reconciliation and renewal.

SECRETS FROM THE PAST, UNRAVELLING IN THE PRESENT . . .

In a tiny stained-glass shop hidden in the backstreets of Westminster lies the cracked, sparkling image of an angel.

The owners of Minster Glass have also been broken: Fran Morrison's mother died when she was a baby; a painful event never mentioned by her difficult, secretive father Edward. Fran left home to pursue a career in foreign cities, as a classical musician. But now Edward is dangerously ill and it's time to return.

Taking her father's place in the shop, she and his craftsman Zac accept a beguiling commission - to restore a shattered glass picture of an exquisite angel belonging to a local church. As they reassemble the dazzling shards of coloured glass, they uncover an extraordinary love story from the Victorian past, sparked by the window's creation. Slowly, Fran begins to see her own reflection in its themes of passion, tragedy and redemption.

Fran's journey will lead her on a search for the truth about her mother, through mysteries of past times and the anguish of unrequited love, to reconciliation and renewal.

Praise for Rachel Hore's novels:
‘A tour de force. Rachel's Paris is rich, romantic, exotic and mysterious’ JUDY FINNIGAN
‘An elegiac tale of wartime love and secrets’ Telegraph
‘A richly emotional story, suspenseful and romantic, but unflinching in its portrayal of the dreadful reality and legacy of war’ Book of the Week, Sunday Mirror
'Pitched perfectly for a holiday read' Guardian
'Engrossing, pleasantly surprising and throughly readable' SANTA MONTEFIORE
'A beautifully written and magical novel about life, love and family' CATHY KELLY

About The Author

Charlotte Murphy

Rachel Hore worked in London publishing for many years before moving with her family to Norwich, where she taught publishing and creative writing at the University of East Anglia before becoming a full-time writer. She is married to the writer D. J. Taylor and they have three sons.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (April 6, 2009)
  • Length: 464 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781847398680

Browse Related Books

Raves and Reviews

‘Compelling, engrossing and moving; a perfect holiday indulgence’

– Santa Montefiore on The Silent Tide

‘A tour de force. Rachel’s Paris is rich, romantic, exotic and mysterious’

– Judy Finnigan on A Week in Paris

‘Engrossing and romantic, it’s a wonderful story of family secrets and the choices women make’

– Jane Thynne on The Silent Tide

‘With a serious eye for exquisite detail, Hore’s latest, brilliantly crafted novel aptly follows a photographer, Lucy. She takes a journey to capture past, life-changing family secrets, embracing three generations along the way, across Cornwall, London East Anglia and Occupied France’

– Mirror on A Gathering Storm

‘A fascinating, hugely readable book . . . Rachel Hore’s research and her mastery of the subject is deeply impressive’

– Judy Finnigan on A Place of Secrets

‘Another of this year’s top offerings’

– Daily Mail on The Glass Painter's Daughter

‘Pitched perfectly for a holiday read’

– Guardian on The Memory Garden

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Rachel Hore