The Last Boat Home

1940: When Daisy, a paintress at the local pottery, looks out across Poole Harbour, waiting for the 'little ships' to bring the retreating soldiers home from Dunkirk, she prays her husband will be among them. But Alfie is declared missing, presumed dead, and Daisy must learn to live as a widow. Then a chance encounter with a French soldier throws Daisy's life even further off course, with heartbreaking consequences that will span generations.

1996: Decades later, Felicity is just holding herself together after the sudden loss of her husband. Needing escape, she travels to a small seaside town in the South of France and is surprised to find a piece of home in the window of a small shop. How did a jug from her home-town's pottery find its way to the Cote d'Azur? Seeking answers, she opens the door to the shop, and on the possibility of finding happiness after all hope seemed lost...

Boldwood Books are proud to support the RNLI and have pledged to donate to the RNLI based on sales of The Last Boat Home to support the work they do saving lives at sea.

Readers are loving Rachel Sweasey's captivating debut:

'I was swept up by this beautiful story of love, loss and the courage of so many during WW2' - Helen Parusel

'I loved this dual time-line read. Set in the start of WW2 and present day it deals with loss and war and finding love when you don't expect to ever love again. This was a great book and I highly recommend this one.' Goodreads reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

'Loved this book. I got totally immersed in the characters and their lives, loves and loss. The mix of fact and fiction and the two different time lines worked very well.' Goodreads reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️