When a fortune-teller sees an unusual curve on six-year-old Richard Porter's palm, she predicts that his life will be troubled by family divisions...Born into a wealthy family in 1816, Richard will one day inherit his father's brewery. His siblings' and cousins' lives are similarly mapped out to run the family estates. But as the years pass, family rifts bring heartache in business and in love. In his twilight years, sadly deprived of everything he treasured most - except his small daughter Ada - he realises the gypsy had been right when she saw 'a full circle'. An engaging story spanning 70 years, set in the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fenlands, Virginia Aitken cleverly captures the very essence of life in the nineteenth century. 'The must-read' prequel to "Snowdrops for Ada".
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