‘Romantic misadventures, dastardly characters, lost boys and lashings of atmosphere: it’s all here’ Guardian

‘Magical and utterly compelling, as if The Cazalet Chronicles and We Have Always Lived in the Castle met and had a problem child’ Sarra Manning, author of You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me

'A family saga like no other. Gloriously off-beat, darkly comedic and totally bewitching. A bravura performance' Sarah Winnman

'Completely captivating: I absolutely loved it. A compelling, ingenious, mischievous blend of tragedy, comedy and intrigue' Nina Stibbe

We are all the ruins of castles . . .

Once home to generations of the mighty Gilbert family, Thornwalk is now a shadow of its former self, soon to be handed over to a chain of luxury ‘historic’ hotels. Millions will be spent on its restoration, but what will be lost?

Before the hotel people arrive, Maximus, loyal guardian of the Gilberts’ legacy, invites us on a final tour, where each room, each object, holds a secret.

From the bolt on the blue room door to the tiny dents in the bars at the nursery window, these are the keys that will unlock the lives of the five infamous Gilbert children – a frustrated romantic, a stubborn traditionalist, a dreamer, a diva and an explorer – as they are cast adrift on the irresistible tides of the twentieth century.