Two Women in Rome

A beautifully atmospheric new tale from the prize-winning, bestselling novelist Elizabeth Buchan.





In the Eternal City, no secret stays hidden forever...



Lottie Archer arrives in Rome excited newly married and ready for change as she takes up a job as an archivist. When she discovers a valuable fifteenth-century painting, she is drawn to find out more about the woman who left it behind, Nina Lawrence.



Nina seems to have led a rewarding and useful life, restoring Italian gardens to their full glory following the destruction of World War Two. So why did no one attend her funeral in 1978?



In exploring Nina's past, Lottie unravels a tragic love story beset by the political turmoil of post-war Italy. And as she edges closer to understanding Nina, and the city draws her deeper into its life, she is brought up against a past which will come to shape her own future.

Praise for Elizabeth Buchan:

'It's a gem of a book... Beautiful, elegant.' Marian Keyes

'Intricately plotted and beautifully written.' Katie Fforde

'An amazing, emotive, heartbreaking but also ultimately uplifting novel. I really loved it.' Laura Barnett



Elizabeth Buchan was a fiction editor at Random House before leaving to write full time. Her novels include the prize-winning Consider the Lily, international bestseller Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman, The New Mrs Clifton and The Museum of BrokenPromises. Buchan's short stories are broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and published in magazines. She has reviewed for the Sunday Times, The Times and the Daily Mail, and has chaired the Betty Trask and Desmond Elliot literary prizes. She was a judge for the Whitbread First Novel Award and for the 2014 Costa Novel Award. She is a patron of the Guildford Book Festival and co-founder of the Clapham Book Festival.

elizabethbuchan.com



Buchan racks up the tension, while vividly evoking the city of the Vatican and Versace, frescoes and Frascati, in all its sublime and seedy complexity.



This evocative story captures the highs of love and the lows of betrayal... A compelling book, full of intrigue



Buchan is always brilliant on love and this gorgeously written novel has as many twists and shadows as the baroque city in which it is set.



Buchan is a skilful writer ... captivating



A beautifully atmospheric, elegant and emotive story ... intricately plotted and transportive



Tragic, romantic, gripping and utterly fascinating. Rome is vividly present, the characters real, imperfect and endearing



Elizabeth Buchan's new novel transports us to Rome in the 1970s and Rome today. Two women caught up in a tangled net of sex and espionage. If you enjoy a good spy story set in the alluring world of La Dolce Vita, Buchan's gripping read will not disappoint.



Impeccable writing and a fascinating exploration of women's lives. Rome is so richly depicted I could almost feel the heat of its pavements beneath my feet as I read and smell the incense in the cool interiors of its churches. The beauty of the city and its surrounding landscapes is threaded through with an ominous sense of danger for the young protagonist, Lottie, as she digs into the past and unpicks its secrets. A wonderfully enigmatic and vivid read, I couldn't recommend this novel more highly.



A feast for the senses - love, intrigue, danger and tragedy set against the swooning beauty of the Eternal City of Rome. A gripping mystery interwoven with Elizabeth Buchan's customary deep understanding of passion and human frailty. Her most stunning novel yet.



An exquisite story about the beauty of art and the secrets that lie beneath all our surfaces. Elizabeth Buchan's new novel is both tensely plotted and utterly immersive. The atmosphere of Rome and its buried past rises from every page.



Elegant and atmospheric, with two complex interlocking stories than join past and present. An excellent read.



So beautifully steeped in the spirit of a place, Two Women in Rome completely transported me to the city. Art, passion, and mystery - expertly layered, this is a rich and gorgeous book.