A Spring of Love — Celia Dale

Esther Williams is thirty and single. She lives with her grandmother in a small house and her life is one of routine and order; she always takes a seaside holiday each year and every Thursday she goes to the cinema alone. She does not know if she is happy or unhappy with her life - it merely follows the same pattern that it has always done and she is content to let it do so until one day, one special Thursday night, she meets Raymond Banks. Spending time with Raymond becomes everything to Esther, suddenly her life is complete and she feels, for the first time ever, truly alive. Raymond alters her awareness of the world around her, he teaches her about love and she is soon very much in love with him. When she discovers something about Raymond that threatens to ruin their happiness Esther is horrified, but she loves him deeply and surely love can conquer all? A compassionate and beautifully observed novel about love in all of its guises A Spring of Love was first published in 1960 and is a gripping and unforgettable story of tension, lies and, ultimately, the price people pay for love.