Anne Marlowe

Clara is the beloved daughter of a devoted, though authoritarian father and an imperious, devout Catholic mother. Set against the backdrop of the First World War, Clara experiences the vagaries of adolescence and, faced with the first tragedy of her adult life, she realises that neither parents, nor faith can protect her from change.

Witty, heartbreaking, shocking, satirical: the short story can excite or sadden, entice or repulse. The one thing it can never be is dull. These stories written by women, on the theme of loss, are selected and introduced by Victoria Hislop, one of the nation's favourite novelists.