A beautiful and movingly portrayed tale of two families, united by marriage but torn apart by war, from the McKitterick Prize-winning author Giles Waterfield.

The wedding of Thomas, an idealistic German architect, and Irene, an English artist, brings together the Curtius and Benson families. But their new lives are soon shattered by the outbreak of war in Europe.

While Irene struggles to survive in a country where she is the enemy, her sister Sophia faces the war as a nurse on the Western Front. For their brother Mark, diplomatic service sees him moving between London, Washington and Copenhagen, all the while struggling to confront his own identity.

Against a backdrop of war and its aftermath relationships are tested, sacrifices are made and Irene and her siblings strive to find their place in an evolving world.

"Instantly involving, full of drama, sadness and atmosphere - a wonderful read." - Woman and Home

"[An] addictive family saga... Giles Waterfield writes with insight and compassion, and a deep love for the wonderful German culture that was nearly blotted out by the Nazis." - The Times

"Kept me spellbound... The book is written with Vermeer-like delicacy. Each scene is beautifully constructed with masterly restraint; much is left for the reader to intuit... Mr Waterfield's genius is to make us care for his characters as their world dissolves... As soon as I closed the book, I wanted to read it again." - Country Life

"A spirited novel... explores notions of duty, love and betrayal through the prism of two families." - Literary Review

"From the outset The Iron Necklace has all the ingredients you would expect from a sweeping dynastic World War story... A thoughtful, dispassionate look at how the war affected one family." - Belfast Telegraph

"An atmospheric, tender first novel" - Good Housekeeping

"An almost perfect first novel" - Daily Telegraph on The Long Afternoon

"A fascinating psychological portrait of a marriage" - Daily Mail on The Long Afternoon