Damian Barr’s Literary Salon tempts the world’s best writers to read exclusively from their latest greatest works and share their own personal stories. Star guests include Jojo Moyes, John Waters, Yaa Gyasi, Mary Beard, Diana Athill and Louis de Bernières—all in front of a live audience at leading glamorous locations world-wide. Our London home is the Savoy. Suave Salonnière Damian Barr is your host.

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In this episode, Harriet Evans reads from her gripping novel The Beloved Girls (Hachette UK).

Catherine, a successful barrister, vanishes from a London train station on the eve of her anniversary. But how and why? The answer lies buried in the past, in the events of the hot, seismic summer of 1989. At Vanes—a mysterious West Country manor house—a young girl, Jane Lestrange, arrives to stay with the gilded, grand Hunter family. She’s to take part in their curious ritual involving the bees kept in the crypts of a ruined chapel. As the day of the ritual looms closer, Janey falls for each member of the family in turn. She and Kitty, the eldest daughter of the house, will forge a bond that decades later, will haunt her waking life and lead to devastating consequences.

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This podcast is produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman. To listen to the rest of the episode, as well as the whole archive of Damian Barr’s Literary Salon, subscribe and listen on iTunes or wherever else you find your favorite podcasts.

Damian Barr's Literary Salon

Damian Barr's Literary Salon

Damian Barr's Literary Salon tempts the world's best writers to read exclusively from their latest greatest works and share their own personal stories. Star guests have included Bret Easton Ellis, Jojo Moyes, John Waters, Helen Fielding, Diana Athill and Louis de Bernières - all in front of a live audience at leading glamourous locations. Suave salonnière Damian Barr is your host. Don't worry it's not a book club - there's no homework. Salon Selective!