VILLAGE GOSSIP

THE SEVENTH IN THE TALES OF TURNHAM MALPAS

The peaceful lives of the inhabitants of Turnham Malpas are disrupted when a visitor comes to stay. Hugo- an old friend of Jumbo and Harriet’s at the village shop – is a famous actor and recuperating from a serious illness.
Hugo is soon bored with the day to day pattern of country life and when he meets Caroline, the Rector’s wife, he is instantly attracted to her. Soon he has agreed to direct and star in a play with the villagers as his supporting cast and Caroline as his leading lady.

Peter, Caroline’s husband, is delighted that she has something to occupy her now that she has recovered from her brush with cancer. However, when he realises that the attraction between her and Hugo goes way beyond the scenes on stage, he has to use all his powers of patience and diplomacy to contain an potentially heart-breaking situation.

As gossip, scandal and jealousy mount, preparations for the play turn the lives of many villagers upside down; a marriage is wrecked, a proud man humbled, a domineering woman learns a hard lesson, two people are brought closer together, while others learn to express their emotions as they throw themselves into their new roles.

"Rebecca Shaw mixes all the ingredients for a winning novel of village life and adds a few nice touches" The Times