The Beekeeper's Daughter

By: Santa Montefiore

Narrated by: Lucinda Clare

England, 1932: Grace Hamblin is growing up on the beautiful estate of the marquess and marchioness of Penselwood. The beekeeper's daughter, she knows her place and what the future holds - that is until her father dies. Her childhood friend, Freddie, has recently become her lover, and she is thankful when they are able to marry and take over her father's duties. But there is another man who she just can't shake from her thoughts.

Massachusetts, 1973: Grace's daughter, Trixie Valentine, is in love with an unsuitable young man. Jasper Duncliffe is wild and romantic and in a band that might hit it big. But when his brother dies and he is called home to England, Jasper promises to come back for Trixie one day, if only she will wait for him.

©2014 Santa Montefiore (P)2015 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"Escapism of the highest order." ( Booklist)

"A multigenerational banquet of love: falling in, falling out, rediscovering, rekindling. The Beekeeper's Daughter features sophisticated, irresistible backdrops and brilliantly drawn characters that made it one of the most engrossing reads of my year." (Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Matchmaker)

"Nobody does epic romance like Santa Montefiore. Everything she writes, she writes from the heart." (Jojo Moyes, author of The One Plus One)

The consistency of the recording was distractong

I was engaged in the story initially until it was so obvious that the recording had been pieced together in many places, giving me the impression the reader had actually changed on places when the character in the book had not. I did, for the most part, enjoy the story but it needs to be re-recorded

A lovely little story

I originally bought this book because of the main character's last name, Hamblin. My maiden name is strikingly similar and my father's ancestry is British. Although tragic along the way, it was a beautiful story and I loved it, once it finally hooked me. I admit to having had a hard time getting into it. In the course of the telling, the reader is whisked back and forth between WWII England and 1970's Massachusetts, between Grace Hamblin Valentine's generation and her wild-ish daughter's. The story is told with the finest attention to detail — I feel I could now walk through either of the two fictional villages and know exactly how to get around and to jar my own honey. It was one of my favorite books this year, and I daresay, of all time. If you like romance mixed with learning experience, if you love hearing English accents, do give this one a try. Right now, my heart is very warm.

Well developed characters, who keep the story alive

the last chapter was a bit too predictable but it worked in keeping true to the characters

A Subtle Story That Pulled Me In.

The characters were intelligent and interesting. The story took some subtle, unexpected twists that kept me intrigued. This is a book that I will listen to again and again.

A bit predictable

Nice easy read. Well performed (badly edited) a family story with some minor twists. Recommend if you want a sit back and relax kind of read