Explore the novel
Vanessa’s journey
Follow the places and turning points that shape Vanessa’s life, from a wartime childhood to new beginnings in Cornwall.
01
Wartime London
With London at war, Vanessa’s mother travels to a nursing home in Epsom for the birth. Mother and baby spend a little time with family in Merton Park before going home to Streatham.
02
Childhood in South Africa
A childhood far from London gives Vanessa another place to call home. The journey between countries will become part of her understanding of family.
03
Back in England
Returning to England means learning the rhythms of home all over again, from the familiar faces of family to the routines of school.
04
School and ballet
Schooldays give way to the discipline of dance. In the ballet studio, every step asks for practice, patience and poise.
05
The teenage years
Adolescence opens up a wider social world. Friendship and the pull of independence begin to change what Vanessa expects of life.
06
Work and relationships
After Pitman’s College, Vanessa finds her feet in the working world. An estate agency is among the settings in which new acquaintances enter her life.
07
Marriage and family
Marriage and motherhood draw Vanessa into the intimate, demanding work of raising a family. Her own needs become harder to separate from those of the people she loves.
08
Life in Cambridgeshire
Farm life in Cambridgeshire brings its own daily rhythms and responsibilities. It is a long way from Vanessa’s early years in Streatham.
09
Cornwall
A circle of women friends gives Vanessa a place in Cornwall. Return visits to Alcúdia in Mallorca add another landscape to a life already shaped by travel.