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The Times Historical Fiction Book of the Year pick. The moving story of Frieda von Richthofen, a German aristocrat whose affair with the penniless, ambitious English writer, D. H. Lawrence, shocked society and inspired his classic novel Lady Chatterley´s Lover

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A TIMES HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH AND PICK OF THE YEAR

The extraordinary story of Frieda von Richthofen, wife of D. H. Lawrence and the inspiration for Lady Chatterley´s Lover.

´Effervescent´ The Times
´A convincing evocation of a remarkable woman´ Sunday Times
´Clever and deeply humane´ Observer
´A lush and absorbing portrait of a fascinating woman who refused to compromise on what really matters: to be known, to love, to be beloved´ Polly Clark, author of Larchfield

Germany, 1907
Aristocrat Frieda von Richthofen has rashly married English professor Ernest Weekley. Visiting her sisters in Munich, she is captivated by a city alive with ideas of revolution and free love, and, goaded by sibling rivalry with her sisters and the need to be more than mother and wife, Frieda embarks on a passionate affair that is her sensual and intellectual awakening.

England, 1912
Trapped in her marriage to Ernest, Frieda meets the penniless but ambitious younger writer D. H. Lawrence. Their scandalous affair and tempestuous relationship unleashes a creative outpouring that influences the course of literature forever. But for Frieda, this fulfilment comes at a terrible personal cost.

´Hard to put down thanks to its heroine´s audacity and strength´ Stylist
´Another absolutely superb novel from Annabel Abbs´ Historical Novel Society
´An incredible piece of storytelling´ The Lady
´A compassionately imagined tale´ Daily Mail
´Fascinating´ Red

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Abbs has a healthy disregard for the "great man" theory of literary history, and this clever and deeply humane book enables Frieda to emerge from her husband´s shadow as she becomes fascinated by ideas of self-fulfilment and empowerment. With a fine eye for period detail, Abbs confirms her standing as one of the best historical novelists today. Observer 20190519

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Abbs, Annabel
Annabel Abbs lives in London with her husband and four children. Her bestselling debut novel, The Joyce Girl, won the Impress Prize for New Writers and was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award, the Waverley Good Read Award and the Caledonia Novel Award. Annabel herself was shortlisted for the Gladstone´s Library Writers in Residence 2020.

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