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The Pledge
Three women, a promise - and a year that changes everything…
Cash-starved, hungover, lard-arsed January is the graveyard of good intentions, but this commitment – made on a snowy New Year’s Day after the first sea-swim of the year - is a pledge worth keeping. But will promises be enough, as secrets unfurl…?
LILY (28) – has been sacked from her ‘perfect job’. Can she – should she? - rescue her career? Also, why is her grandmother, MARGOT, setting her up with randoms when romance is the last thing on her mind?
JILL (50) – married her first boyfriend thirty years ago. Now her oldest child LILY is an adult and her youngest is off to Uni…who has she become? And has she left it too late to close the chasm in her marriage?
MARGOT (75) –is gloomily contemplating old age, but - when illness floors her– it turns out life is precious after all. Staring down death, MARGOT realises it’s time to come clean…
Can three strong women really find a new way to live, in just one year? Or – as a devastating secret comes to light - will next Christmas mark the destruction of family bonds, leaving them all at sea..?
Cash-starved, hungover, lard-arsed January is the graveyard of good intentions, but this commitment – made on a snowy New Year’s Day after the first sea-swim of the year - is a pledge worth keeping. But will promises be enough, as secrets unfurl…?
LILY (28) – has been sacked from her ‘perfect job’. Can she – should she? - rescue her career? Also, why is her grandmother, MARGOT, setting her up with randoms when romance is the last thing on her mind?
JILL (50) – married her first boyfriend thirty years ago. Now her oldest child LILY is an adult and her youngest is off to Uni…who has she become? And has she left it too late to close the chasm in her marriage?
MARGOT (75) –is gloomily contemplating old age, but - when illness floors her– it turns out life is precious after all. Staring down death, MARGOT realises it’s time to come clean…
Can three strong women really find a new way to live, in just one year? Or – as a devastating secret comes to light - will next Christmas mark the destruction of family bonds, leaving them all at sea..?
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 26, 2025
3 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Rosie Howard
8 books33 followersI wrote my first book when I was five. Of course it was abysmal. I vaguely remember something about a squirrel and a big red apple. If anybody’s interested I’m pretty sure my mum still has it in the attic somewhere.
There was a long gap in my writing career while I grew up, studied classical music and - to earn a living - took up public relations, campaigning and political lobbying, with a bit of freelance journalism thrown in. This was brilliant because it all involved writing, although my favourite form of writing – making stuff up – is sadly frowned upon in PR.
I take an anthropological interest in family, friends and life in our West Sussex village (think, The Archers crossed with Twin Peaks). This provides lots of entertaining material although any resemblance between my fictional characters and real life never ceases to amaze me – life imitating art, and all that… so, please don’t sue.
I am currently planning no more books as Rosie Howard, but do check out my Poppy Alexander books to read my latest work.
There was a long gap in my writing career while I grew up, studied classical music and - to earn a living - took up public relations, campaigning and political lobbying, with a bit of freelance journalism thrown in. This was brilliant because it all involved writing, although my favourite form of writing – making stuff up – is sadly frowned upon in PR.
I take an anthropological interest in family, friends and life in our West Sussex village (think, The Archers crossed with Twin Peaks). This provides lots of entertaining material although any resemblance between my fictional characters and real life never ceases to amaze me – life imitating art, and all that… so, please don’t sue.
I am currently planning no more books as Rosie Howard, but do check out my Poppy Alexander books to read my latest work.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 28, 2025
Grandmother Margot, daughter in law Jill and granddaughter Lily enjoy their weekly early morning sea swim.
They live in an idyllic village setting and have a good relationship but as is usual with families there are some secrets.
This was a relatable, emotional story with an uplifting ending which I enjoyed reading.
They live in an idyllic village setting and have a good relationship but as is usual with families there are some secrets.
This was a relatable, emotional story with an uplifting ending which I enjoyed reading.
Displaying 1 of 1 review