1959. The Glenberry Castle household warily awaits the return of its laird and his glamorous bride, Mimi, with her modern American ways. As she sets about winning them over, especially stalwart estate manager Iain Watson, Mimi’s greatest challenges seem to be the castle’s menacing taste in art and choosing the right lipstick for the Strawberry Fair. But the Strawberry Fair turns sour. And then there’s a letter. And a love child.

 

2019. Ally, married to Mimi’s grandson, is grappling with an angry neighbour and an old land rights dispute when she discovers a letter from 1959. Turning to Watson’s journals to piece together the truth about the would-be heir, she discovers that Mimi had been keeping secrets of her own. All while Ally manages a renovation to strip out Mimi’s dated decor, and a sister-in-law falling for the builder.

 

Told with warmth and wit, The Glenberry Wives is a story of friendship, quiet solidarity, and the histories we leave behind, whether we mean to or not.