Spotlight: When We Meet Again

Happy Release day to Caroline Beecham – I look forward to reading When We Meet Again!

All content provided by the publisher

WHEN WE MEET AGAIN • By Caroline Beecham • G. P. Putnam’s Sons • Trade Paperback Original • On Sale: July 20, 2021 • ISBN: 9780593331156 • Price: $17.00 • Also available in e-Book & audio

Description:

In London 1943, as war and dwindling resources have taken their toll on the book publishing industry, young book editor Alice Cotton has only just seen her star begin to rise when she unexpectedly falls pregnant. Facing the stigma of being an unwed mother, Alice leaves her beloved job at Partridge Press and flees to a small town to give birth to her child, Eadie, whom her family has promised to help raise. Instead, her mother sells the newborn to “baby farmers,” who plan to give Eadie up for a private adoption. Alice begins her desperate hunt to find the daughter she never planned for but suddenly deeply loves. Alice’s story intertwines with that of Theo Bloom, an American editor tasked with helping Partridge Press overcome the publishing obstacles of the war. Theo and Alice are quickly drawn to each other during their darkest hours, bound by hope, love, secrets, and the belief that books have the power to change lives. By turns heartbreaking and hopeful,WHEN WE MEET AGAIN is an aching and unforgettable exploration of the bonds that buoy us during our darkest hours. 

About the author:

Caroline Beecham is the author of four historical novels. She studied the craft of novel writing at the Faber Academy in Sydney, with Curtis Brown Creative in London, and has an MA in film and television and an MA in creative writing. She lives in Sydney with her husband and two teenage sons. When We Meet Again is the first of her novels to be published in the United States.

Behind the book:

Beecham has long been fascinated by the efforts of the publishing industry during the Second World War, which saw publishers struggling to satisfy readers on the war and home fronts in the face of increasing paper rations and meager resources. One of the most infamous initiatives was the Council on Books in Wartime, a coalition of booksellers, publishers, librarians, and authors that sought to use books to boost morale, share information, and remind people what they were fighting for. But the engine of the story truly came to Beecham when she uncovered a long-held family secret: that a relative’s baby was sold to a childless couple in a nearby town. Shocked as she was to learn this, she was even more surprised to find that this practice of “baby farming” was quite common for the time, especially amongst unmarried mothers who were desperate to find a way of taking care of their illegitimate children. A law to protect children from unlawful adoptions was even shelved due to the outbreak of World War II, during which the practice ran rife as a result. Taken together, these historical threads form the carefully woven fabric of WHEN WE MEET AGAIN, which is centrally about the transformative and ultimately inspiring role that books can play in our lives.

Praise for WHEN WE MEET AGAIN:

“A compelling story of a determined young woman and her quest for justice set against the fascinating world of publishing—and even a zoo—during World War II.” —Rhys Bowen, bestselling author of The Tuscan Child

“When We Meet Again is a poignant and absorbing novel about a young woman editor personally devastated by the historically true practice of “baby farming” during World War II-era London. Caroline Beecham’s emotional and beautifully written story is a testament to the enduring power of a mother’s love and to the power of books and stories themselves, in even our darkest times.” —Jillian Cantor, USA Today bestselling author of In Another Time and Half Life

“By turns heart-pounding and heart-tugging, When We Meet Again is a dramatic story of baby farming in WWII-era London. Following a mother searching for her stolen daughter, Caroline Beecham’s writing, rich with historical detail and filled to the brim with emotion, will pull readers in from the very first page.” —Molly Greeley, author of The Clergyman’s Wife and The Heiress

“An evocative and heart-warming story that reminds us of everything that is important.” —Belinda Alexandra, author of The Invitation and The Mysterious Woman