The Sailing Ship Tree

This beautifully crafted, elegiac novel operates equally successfully on two levels - as a work of fiction and as a social document. Set in Lancashire in the years precedign World War One, it moves between the Big House and the cottage in the grounds, linking the destinies of Master George from the former and the Hollins twins, Dorothy and Walter, from the latter. Doherty's wonderfully assured grasp of the ethos of both worlds and her remarkable vision of childhood as a period in which apparently rigid class distinctions can be transcended combine to create a totally engaging story, which tellingly charts a move from separation to integration. Highly recommended!