Kayte Nunn The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant, The Botanist's Daughter & The Silk House

The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant, The Botanist's Daughter and The Silk House bring together three novels by Kayte Nunn. Each story follows women whose lives are reshaped by discoveries, hidden histories and the consequences of secrets kept over time.

From an asylum run by a pioneering psychiatrist, to an isolated island off the Cornish coast, and a household tied to the silk trade, these narratives move between different settings and eras. Letters, diaries, artwork and fabric patterns become the starting points for mysteries that draw the characters into situations that test their freedom, ambitions and safety.

Included titles

• The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant
• The Botanist's Daughter
• The Silk House

Key details

• Three-book collection by Kayte Nunn
• Includes The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant, The Botanist's Daughter and The Silk House
• Stories set across multiple time periods, including 1951, 2018 and the present day
• Settings include the Cornish coast and Kew Gardens

Synopses

The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant

In 1951, Esther Durrant, a young mother, is committed to an asylum by her husband. Although the hospital is run by a pioneering psychiatrist, it initially feels like a prison, raising the question of whether captivity can lead to freedom.

In 2018, marine scientist Rachel Parker takes shelter on an isolated island off the Cornish coast during a research posting. There, she uncovers a hidden collection of love letters.

The Botanist's Daughter

In the present day, Anna is building a new gardening business while renovating her late grandmother’s house. When she finds a box concealed in a wall cavity, containing watercolours of exotic plants, an old diary and a handful of seeds, she is drawn into a mystery that spans centuries.

Her search takes her halfway across the world to Kew Gardens and then on to Cornwall in pursuit of the truth.

The Silk House

Rowan Caswell leaves her village to work in the home of an English silk merchant, where she is pulled into a dangerous world. Her talent for herbs and healing begins to attract unwanted attention.

Mary-Louise Stephenson dreams of becoming a silk designer, a path largely forbidden to women. A length of fabric she weaves, patterned with deadly flowers, leads to shocking consequences for those who live at the Silk House.