The Ring of Bells

’An enchanting story’ – Sunday Independent

A family affair…

Following the death of her mother, Jenny Fitzgerald goes to live with her grandparents at The Ring of Bells, a small country inn.

It is there that she falls in love with Roger Leyton and marries him, despite strong opposition.

When they take on the inn, Jenny's resolution and Roger's business sense make the venture a great success. 

Seventy years and three generations later, the inn has become a thriving business.

Time passes and as Jenny's children, Ellie, Lucy, Ben and Philip, grow older, they in turn buy three more inns, but the road to success is not always smooth. 

The First World War arrives and Jenny’s perfect life starts to tears at the edges, with the Great Depression threatening the business’ future.

But the Layton family are survivors and they struggle through the hardship of the war and make it out the other side.

Then World War Two begins.

Will Jenny and Roger make it to their Golden Wedding Anniversary? Or will the day be overshadowed with heartbreak and loss? 

The warmth and spontaneity of The Ring of Bells, combined with sympathetic characters and the fascinating background of the hotel business in changing social and political times, make this a novel which is both satisfying and a pleasure to read.

‘Well-paced novel… intriguing characters and romance’ – Publisher’s Weekly

‘A book to sink into and lose yourself in’ – Sarah Harrison

Barbara Whitnell was trained as a teacher and taught in a village school in Cornwall before going to Kenya and Uganda where she married and had four children. She travelled extensively, her husband's job taking the family not only to Africa but also Hong Kong and the West Indies.