The Magic Half

A magical story of time travel, treasure and twins.

Young readers will enjoy this magical story with its well-drawn characters and happy ending

There's lots of intriguing developments in this gripping adventure story with some heart stopping moments

Annie Barrows is the co-author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, an international bestseller and now a major new film. In her latest novel, The Truth According to Us, she once again evokes the charm and eccentricity of a small town filled with extraordinary characters, troubled by a long-held mystery. Annie Barrows lives in California. 
 
Find out more at www.anniebarrows.com

Miri has a few problems: 
- She's the middle child, stuck between two sets of twins. 
- She's been sent to her room for smacking one of her brothers over the head with a shovel. 
- Her room has the ugliest wallpaper in the world. 
 
But when Miri sees a little piece of glass taped to her bedroom wall and decides to take a peek through it, she finds she has a much bigger problem to deal with . . . Suddenly, she's not in her bedroom anymore. Instead, she's face to face with Molly, a girl who insists that the room is hers, that the year is 1935, and that Miri has come to save her. 
 
Undaunted by the barest of clues, the meanest of cousins and the mystery of time itself, Miri and Molly find that magic is really just a way of setting things right.

Annie Barrows

A beguiling novel of small-town friendship and finding yourself.

In The Truth According to Us, Annie Barrows leaves no doubt that she is a storyteller of rare caliber, with wisdom and insight to spare. As she subtly unpacks the emotional intricacies of the Romeyn family and their small West Virginia town in the wake of the Great Depression, we’re struck by the slipperiness of history—how the stories we tell each other and ourselves often demand to be interrogated; how the things we’re driven to know about our families, our towns, our closest intimates, will always change us, sometimes over and over. Barrows is at her best here. Every page rings like a bell.

Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife

An epic but intimate family novel with richly imagined characters, an intriguing plot and the social sensibilities you would expect of a story set in the South ... sizzling.

Barrows, who co-wrote the surprise bestseller The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2008), takes a similarly panoramic approach to the insular hamlet of Macedonia, West Virginia, using multiple points of view with epistolary interludes…[T]his unique corner of Americana—a mélange of Yankee and Southern cultures—is re-created as vividly as the very different Anglo-European milieu of Guernsey. Undeniably entertaining.

The Truth According to Us is an irresistible novel, a sly charmer of a story about a small town in Depression-era West Virginia whose history is rewritten by a debutante on the run. Family histories, too, are unraveled, but mended by the fierce, strong women who dominate this delightful page turner, a tribute to the power of love and forgiveness to heal even the most heartbreaking betrayals.

Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator's Wife

Lovers of Southern family sagas will appreciate this beautifully written novel.

An utterly enthralling, evocative story of loyalty and love, trust and truth.

You will not be disappointed ... I loved it.

An absolute treasure of a book ...a deliciously nostalgic story that harks back to a slower, simpler time. Impossible to resist

I could [it] read again and again ... you can immerse yourself completely; the characters and setting feel as real as those around you, and when (if) you take a break you'll be shocked to find yourself back in real life.

Why You'll love it: Barrows effortlessly nails the interplay between her characters, her humour and small-town quirks are a joy

The Truth According to Us will spirit you away to a town from a bygone age, where customs and habits may be different, but where the hearts of its inhabitants, both dark and loving, remain recognisable.

A spellbinding tale of family secrets, love, redemption and hope.

Annie Barrows creates a worthy successor to Lee’s beloved Scout Finch….The Truth According to Us has all the characteristics of a great summer read

It takes a brave author to make the heroine of a new novel an observant and feisty girl...Like Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird...Barrows...has created a believable and touching character in Willa.

Sparkles with folksy depictions of a tight-knit family and life in a small town...Add The Truth According to Us to the stack of repeat-worthy literary pleasures.

A big, juicy family saga with warm humor and tragic twists...lively and engaging.

There is much to recommend this book...a pleasant summer read.

Good old-fashioned story-telling with a charming cast of characters

By the co-author of the book behind the new film The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. 
 
The New York Times no. 1 bestselling author 
 
'Utterly enthralling' Daily Express 
 
WHAT READERS SAY: 
 
'Definite echoes of Harper Lee! Very well written, using different styles of delivery that really help develop the characters. I enjoyed this book thoroughly' 
 
'An unexpected gem' 
 
'I couldn't put this book down from the moment I started reading it. The characters are so real that one longs to spend some time in the Romeyn household in the company of these warm, colourful and complex people' 
 
********************** 
 
 
Miss Layla Beck despises small-town life 
 
After refusing to marry the man her rich father has picked for her, Layla is banished to the remote town of Macedonia, West Virginia, a place where nothing important ever happens - or so she thinks. 
 
 
Tasked to write down the history of the town, Layla meets the seductive Romeyn clan. As she peels back the layers of family feuds and deceit, she discovers to her cost an unknown story far darker than she could ever have imagined. 
 
The smallest towns have the biggest secrets.

Annie Barrows

Praise for The Truth According to Us

A beguiling novel of small-town friendship and finding yourself.

The perfect read

In The Truth According to Us, Annie Barrows leaves no doubt that she is a storyteller of rare caliber, with wisdom and insight to spare. As she subtly unpacks the emotional intricacies of the Romeyn family an ...

A beguiling novel of small-town friendship and finding yourself.

The perfect read

In The Truth According to Us, Annie Barrows leaves no doubt that she is a storyteller of rare caliber, with wisdom and insight to spare. As she subtly unpacks the emotional intricacies of the Romeyn family an ...

A beguiling novel of small-town friendship and finding yourself.

The perfect read

In The Truth According to Us, Annie Barrows leaves no doubt that she is a storyteller of rare caliber, with wisdom and insight to spare. As she subtly unpacks the emotional intricacies of the Romeyn family an ...

Books by Annie Barrows

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