The Elopement

A Powerful, Uplifting Tale of Forbidden Love

By: Tracy Rees

Narrated by: Sophie Roberts

'A beautiful book. Powerful and captivating, the story will transport you to another time and place, plunging you headlong into the lives of its characters. Tracy Rees's writing is fluid, vibrant and evocative. Extraordinarily good.' - Hazel Prior

Tracy Rees's latest novel The Elopement is an elaborately imagined historical novel full of delight and temptation, spanning the luxury and poverty of late Victorian England.

A wealthy heiress . . .
1897. Rowena Blythe is wealthy, entitled and beautiful. As her twenty-fourth birthday approaches, she’s expected to marry – and to marry well.

An unsuitable match . . .
Her parents commission a portrait of Rowena to help cement her reputation as a great society beauty. However, Bartek, the artist’s young assistant, is unlike any man Rowena has met before – wild, romantic and Bohemian. While society at large awaits the announcement of Rowena’s engagement, it is Bartek who captures Rowena’s heart along with her likeness.

A scandal in society . . .
Rowena knows her parents would never approve of Bartek, who in their eyes is nothing but a penniless foreigner. As her feelings grow, she has no-one to turn to. Dare she risk everything for love?

Praise for Tracy Rees:
‘a natural storyteller . . .’ – Rachel Hore
‘Tracy has a rare gift for creating characters you are rooting for from the first page’ – Gill Paul
‘has such a talent for writing engaging characters who stay with you’ – Hazel Gaynor
‘Tracy Rees is at the height of her game’ – Rebecca Griffiths

Critic reviews

I absolutely loved The Elopement. I can't praise it enough. The characters are warm and engaging and the story is wise and wonderful. Tracy has woven a rich tapestry of colourful characters so full of heart, against the fascinating and thought-provoking backdrop of late Victorian England. It was an absolute joy. (Rosanna Ley, author of The Forever Garden)

If you’re after a dose of escapist historical romance full of female empowerment, you won’t find anything better than The Elopement.

The Elopement is historical fiction at its best. Through a skilfully crafted plot and wonderful characters, the reader is plunged into a world that feels authentic, fascinating and totally entertaining.

The Elopement is a beautiful novel about taking wrong turnings on the path to love and happiness. The characters step from the pages in all their wilfulness and folly and make us care desperately what happens to them. Tracy Rees is a brilliant, immersive storyteller who truly understands the human heart. I adore all her novels, but this is my favourite so far. (Gill Paul, Author of The Manhattan Girls)

I've long been a huge fan of Tracy's sumptuous, immersive storytelling . . . The Elopement is another absolute beauty. (Jenny Ashcroft, author of Beneath a Burning Sky)

Absolutely loved this book about three kick ass women in Victorian London learning how to be true to themselves. Full of joy and wisdom - it left a big smile on my face. (Caroline Bishop, author of The Lost Chapter)

I've long been a huge fan of Tracy's sumptuous, immersive storytelling, and with The Elopement she's swept me away yet again. She has such a talent for creating the most wonderful characters - within pages, I feel I know them, and that they've become friends - and is a master at spinning gripping, lose-yourself, forget about everything and everyone else, tales. Full of warmth and love, The Elopement is another absolute beauty. (Jenny Ashcroft on The Elopement)

I absolutely loved this story . . . captivating . . . Tracy writes with such skill (Ronali Collings, author of Love & Other Dramas)

Tracy is a very skilled storyteller who weaves the vivid strands of her story together against a rich historical background. ( Jane Johnson)

Tracy Rees writes from the heart (Kathryn Hughes)

In this engrossing novel Tracy Rees takes the reader directly into the drama and action, her writing bringing every scene to sparkling vivid life. The rich use of language meant I was fully immersed in the Victorian world of the main women protagonists and didn’t want to leave. Written with empathy and revealing differing sides to even more minor characters, the roles and attitudes to women at the end of the Victorian period and the emerging ‘women’s movement were riveting. Totally unputdownable. (Dinah Jefferies on The Rose Garden)

Enjoyed it.

I enjoyed it. This kept me very interested. I didn’t want to like Rowena but she evolved and became good. And olive is the best character.

Good Story

Another enjoyable story from this author! Good pace of storytelling so you never lose interest.

Hang in there

I almost gave up on this story. It begins a bit shallow. Hang in there! The story takes off and the characters feel like friends. I love Tracy Rees, if you haven’t read Amy Snow and Florence Grace…do not pass go, start downloading. Enjoy

A lot of ups and downs with this book but overall a good listen

I had a tough time listening to this book in the beginning. It wasn’t overly engaging initially but as time went on I was drawn in by the story. The narrator selection was odd and at some points detracted from the story especially when Sam’s POV was included. Given his age it would have been better performed by a female. I did appreciate the tough subject the author tackled (amazingly well).
One final growing pet peeve—must Paris be in the title of a WWII story? That and Code Name — fill in the blank seem to be used as a sales gimmick and it’s getting old.

Loved it

I thought this book had great characters and an enjoyable storyline. Olive is my favorite though, by far. 👏