A story of two very different women, whose paths cross only briefly, but whose lives, and the lives of the next generation, are profoundly affected by the mysterious bond that is forged between them.
Deidre Byrne grows up in the early part of the twentieth century in a remote area of rural New Zealand. Her life, as the eldest daughter of a stern farming father, whose second marriage has consigned her to the role of despised step child, is one of physical hardship and emotional deprivation.
Sarah Dutton’s background, by contrast, is one of family affection and social privilege. But when she falls in love with Louis, a radical artist, a chain of events is set in motion that will create a complex web of connection between these two vastly different families.
Ranging from the farms and cities of New Zealand, to 1960s London, and the fictional Cotswold village of Little Chippingham, River Lines creates a panorama of restless twentieth century life, its reverse emigrations, separations, and connections.
