A Cornish Summer

Flora carries twenty years of complicated feelings into a sun-drenched Cornish summer, only to find the holiday she needed is also the reunion she dreaded. Catherine Alliott's novel plants its protagonist squarely in an awkward domestic arrangement: staying with her former mother-in-law in a coastal idyll, until her ex-husband arrives with his new wife in tow. What unfolds is a warm, character-driven story about letting go, finding unexpected connections, and the family secrets that reframe everything you thought you knew.

Gemma Whelan brings a sharp, dry wit to the narration that suits Alliott's comedy of manners perfectly. Her ability to distinguish between characters keeps the ensemble cast clear even through the story's more tangled emotional dynamics, and her timing with humor lands consistently across the 12-hour runtime. The Cornish setting translates well to audio, Whelan's voice lending warmth and texture to the seaside atmosphere that makes this the kind of listen best enjoyed on a long summer afternoon.