25 Library Terrace

Every house tells a story. Every woman has a story to tell. 25 Library Terrace is a house in Edinburgh where lives are changed. In 1911, new resident Ursula Black embraces women’s suffrage in the form of census protest, discovers vegetarianism, and learns just how difficult it can be to bring up someone else’s children. In 1931, the house becomes part of a radical experiment in a different way of living, and a family secret from the past is uncovered. In 2011, Tess Dutton needs somewhere to live in the wake of a failed relationship and is introduced to a rather unusual landlady. In 2022, delayed by the pandemic, it’s another census year for Scotland, and as Edinburgh’s residents are able to gather once more, the strands of four generations at 25 Library Terrace are finally woven together. 25 Library Terrace is a deeply satisfying novel about strong and determined women who grasp their own destiny and help other women to grasp theirs. At its centre stands the house, a reminder that however our lives change over the years, the things that matter – love, kindness, stories and good recipes – stay the same.