> Skip to content
  • Published: 27 May 2021
  • ISBN: 9781405933377
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 448

An Act of Love

A sweeping and evocative love story about bravery and courage in our darkest hours




The compelling new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Olive Farm series about the power of love and courage in our darkest hours

Forced to flee war-ravaged Poland, Sara and her parents are offered refuge in a beautiful but dilapidated house in the French Alps. It seems the perfect hideaway, despite haunting traces of the previous occupants who left in haste.

But shadows soon fall over Sara's blissful summer, and her blossoming romance with local villager Alain. As the Nazis close in, the family is forced to make a harrowing choice that could drive them apart forever, while Sara's own bid for freedom risks several lives.

Will Sara be reunited with those she loves? And can she ever find her way back to Alain?

  • Published: 27 May 2021
  • ISBN: 9781405933377
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 448

Also by Carol Drinkwater

See all

Praise for An Act of Love

Praise for Carol Drinkwater

-

I was hooked from a start threaded with mystery and menace . . . The story kept me gripped as the past tragedy unfolded

Dinah Jefferies

Carol Drinkwater's writing is like taking an amazing holiday in book form

Jenny Colgan

Carol Drinkwater's writing is always guaranteed to sweep me off my feet

Rowan Coleman

Emotional and tenderly written

Elizabeth Buchan

Carol Drinkwater writes with captivating eloquence . . . Full of secrets, tense moments and gorgeous descriptions

LoveReading

Secrets, tragedy, hidden pasts and family secrets - I loved this

Santa Montefiore

A great and compassionate writer

Danuta Kean

Plenty of page-turning drama but also mouthwatering descriptions of Paris and Provence

Daily Mail

Dramatic and enthralling (...) will encourage emotions to dip and soar as it gives hope even in the darkness

LoveReading

Carol skilfully draws us in to the beautiful Alpes Maritimes region of France to tell the story of Sara, a Polish refugee who want to live her life her way. The writing is evocative and Sara's story is both moving and inspiring

Sheila O'Flanagan, bestselling author of <i>The Women Who Ran Away</i>

I enjoyed it very much. Her portrayal of damaged and fearful teenager is so good and believable ... I longed to be in France. It's her best

Elizabeth Buchan, author of <i>The Museum of Broken Promises</i>

An outstanding and beautifully written story and one not to be missed. This compelling and meticulously researched WWII novel tells a part of history that should never be forgotten. Thoroughly recommend

Shirley Dickson, author of <i>The Lost Children</i>

I loved reading An Act of Love. It kept me engaged, fascinated and eager to turn the pages ... It's a wonderful, enjoyable novel with courage and survival at its heart

Elizabeth Chadwick, author of <i>The Wild Hunt</i> series

Romantic, evocative and pulse-racingly dramatic, this novel views the war from an unusual and fascinating angle

Wendy Holden, <i>Sunday Times</i> bestselling author

A terrific story [...] skilfully written & heart-rending, we are pulled into the beauty and destruction of the French countryside in WW2, as a young Jewish girl discovers what matters in life & fights for her love & for freedom

Miriam Margolyes

Accomplished ... the narrative is beautifully paced and clever

Anne Lucey, <i>The Irish Examiner</i>

I loved An Act of Love: it's a virtual hug of a tale; warm, and engaging, and tender. Just what I needed

Joanne Harris, <i>Sunday Times</i> bestselling author

A lovely novel. A moving story of love and friendship with a wonderful sense of place

Kate Mosse

An emotional and moving read. The beauty of the French landscape contrasts starkly with the fear and oppression of the war years in this story of love, loss and courage

Fiona Valpy, bestselling author of <i>The Beekeeper's Promise</i>

An emotionally charged, wartime story set in the French Alps . . . an evocative tale of courage and loss, of secrets and risk

France Magazine

Beautifully written, each sentence provides atmosphere and shimmers in thought-provoking prose

My Weekly

An exciting, evocative and beautifully written romance that views the war from an unusual angle

Daily Mail

Beautifully written, each sentence provides atmosphere and shimmers in thought-provoking prose

My Weekly

An evocative tale of courage and loss, of secrets and risk, in some of France's darkest days

France Magazine

An exciting, evocative and beautifully written romance that views the war from an unusual angle

Daily Mail

Included in 'The Hot List'

Inside Soap

A moving story of love, friendship and bravery that simply races along

Woman's Weekly

Her detailed research and vivid characters bring an emotional depth to a novel that depicts poignantly a remarkable period of history. An Act of Love is an emotional and compelling novel about the power of first love and friendship . . . could be Drinkwater's best novel yet

Historical Novel Society

A novel where the quality of the writing matches the intrigue of the story. An Act of Love is a beautiful book and the themes of displacement resonate with contemporary events

Woman & Home, Historical Novels of the Year