Hester and Harriet lead comfortable lives in a pretty cottage in an English village. Having opened their minds, home and hearts to Daria, a mysterious migrant, and her baby son Milo, the widowed sisters decide to further expand their own horizons by venturing forth to Italy for their annual holiday.
Back in England, Daria and Milo are celebrating – they’ve received official refugee status with papers to confirm they can make England their home. Meanwhile, nephew Ben, who knows only too well how much he owes his aunts, is hurtling towards a different sort of celebration – one he’s trying to backpedal out of as fast as he possibly can.
With a huge secret hanging between the sisters, an unlikely new love on the landscape for Hester and new beginnings also beckoning for Harriet, Italy provides more opportunities for adventure than either of them could ever have imagined. But which ones will Hester and Harriet choose?
As Hester and Harriet throw all their cards on the table in Italy, and potential catastrophe threatens Ben in England, it’s anyone’s guess how chaos will be kept at bay.
Available in Australia from February 2017; UK from March 2017.
Hester and Harriet, two widowed sisters who share a home, like their routine. But when they take in first a young girl and her tiny baby they find hiding in a bus shelter and then their truculent teenage nephew, their orderly lives are turned upside down. Seven days of mystery, mayhem and danger ensue - and nothing will never be the same again.
"May well be my favourite characters of the year." Newtown Review of Books
"The gentle humour and relaxed pace make this an enjoyable read." The Daily Mail
"This is a lovely book peopled with delightful characters." Amazon Top 100 reviewer
"I whizzed through this as once I had started it was quite difficult to put this down with its comedy drama tale." Amazon Hall of Fame Top 50 Reviewer
"Rarely in literature are older women ... presented with such verve and energy. Harriet and Hester are unforgettable characters." Brisbane News
Get it on
Hilary Spiers is a novelist, award-winning short story writer and playwright, who writes about ordinary women in sometimes extraordinary circumstances. She believes women's complex and fascinating lives deserve more scrutiny than they often get.
Her literary agents are Gregory & Company.
Her second novel featuring Hester and Harriet (Hester & Harriet: Love, Lies & Linguine) is out in February 2017 (Australia) and March 2017 (UK) . She is currently working on a third novel, this time with a different protagonist - but still a lady of a certain age.
Hilary was recently featured in Britain’s oldest newspaper, the Stamford Mercury, in advance of the launch of her latest book, Hester & Harriet: Love, Lies & Linguine.
Read the article hereFirst Do No Harm, Hilary's play (short-listed for the Ronald Duncan Award) based on real events in the Fens at the start of the welfare state immediately prior to WW1, toured the East and West Midlands in September/October 2014, having opened at BirminghamFest in July 2014. It was produced by Tea and Tenacity Theatre Company. Click here or click here for reviews.
Her plays Hoovering on the Edge, Pecking Order and Painting from Memory are now available from the National Operatic and Drama Association who also handle the performance rights.
Learn MorePerformed in the UK and Australia, Hoovering on the Edge charts the unlikely friendships that develop between seven very different women , tutored by one hapless male - on a summer writing holiday. Sun, sangria and storytelling , what could possibly go wrong...! Meet Moira the tactless hypochondriac, Clare the dippy yoga teacher, and feisty Rita, to name but a few, as the women embark on a voyage of discovery about themselves, their hopes and their dreams - and uncover some surprising home truths. Click here for reviews.
Learn MoreHester & Harriet is masterfully comedic and will go down as containing the funniest game of bridge I have ever encountered and most likely will ever encounter ... what I want now, and I hope someone is paying attention here, is to see a TV series – Hester and Harriet: Accidental Detectives. Like Miss Marple but with two of them. I can't wait.
Jamie Ashbird Melbourne Review of Books
The gentle humour and relaxed pace make this an enjoyable read.
Fanny Blake Daily Mail
This is a lovely book peopled with delightful characters.
Julia Flyte Amazon Top 100 reviewer
I whizzed through this as once I had started it was quite difficult to put this down with its comedy drama tale.
M Dowden Amazon Hall of Fame Top 50 Reviewer