The Women of Primrose Square

Book excerpt: The number one bestselling author Claudia Carroll returns! Perfect for fans of Marian Keyes and Joanna Trollope. 'Modern, warm, insightful and filled with characters that felt like friends at the end' Emma Hannigan Frank Woods at number seventy-nine Primrose Square is about to turn fifty, and nobody seems to care. His friends are all busy; his wife and children have other plans. After years of being 'Mr Cellophane', he decides, finally, to do something for himself. But when he gets home to a surprise birthday party, it is his guests who get the real surprise. Standing in the doorway is not Frank, but Francesca. As she transitions, Francesca struggles to come to terms with her true self, and her relationship with her family is thrown into turmoil. At a loss of where to turn, she moves in with her cantankerous neighbour Miss Hardcastle, who hasn't left her home for decades. There she befriends fellow lodger Emily Dunne - fresh out of rehab, finally off the drink and desperate to make amends. As gossip spreads through Primrose Square and every relationship is tested, nothing in this close-knit community will ever be the same again . . . Praise for Claudia Carroll 'It bubbles and sparkles like pink champagne' Patricia Scanlan 'Original, poignant and funny . . . [full of] wit and humour' Sheila O'Flanagan 'A wonderful read dealing with all of our human frailties through a prism of warmth and compassion. This is such an appealing story . . . Funny, smart and thoroughly engaging' Liz Nugent