In Love and Friendship

Newcastle, 1890. A school outing to Cullercoats Bay almost ends in tragedy when two girls are cut off by the incoming tide. But from the panic and confusion something wonderful emerges - a lifelong friendship between three girls; Ruth, Lucy and Esther. Each is a world apart from the other two, but together they form a strong and unbreakable bond that will see them through the years ahead, when the happy, carefree days of childhood are nothing but a distant memory...

'Bursting with the flavour of the period... Breathe in deeply and you could almost be there' Northern Echo, 'This is a delightful, carefully interwoven story of passion, love, loss and the power of friendship - a rollercoaster ride of emotions' Sunderland Echo

Benita Brown was born and brought up in Newcastle by her English mother, the youngest of thirteen children, and her Indian father, who came to Newcastle to study medicine and fell in love with the place and the people. After meeting her husband while she was at drama school in London, Benita returned to her home town and worked as a teacher and broadcaster before becoming a full-time writer, publishing many much-loved novels. Sadly, Counting the Days was Benita's last book, as she passed away in April 2014 following a sudden illness. She will be greatly missed.