Over five volumes, Elizabeth Jane Howard - 'Jane' - told the story of an upper-middle-class family before, during and after World War II.

The final instalment appeared in 2013 just before the author's death. There were many unanswered questions and it looked like readers would never know whether the family timber business could be saved, how the death of matriarch ‘the Duchy’ would signal the end of an era, or how the now middle-aged grandchildren Clary, Polly and Louise might negotiate their own careers and marriages in the next generation of the family.

But in this new book by bestselling writer Louisa Young, we're visiting the Cazalets again. It's Christmas 1962, the family's beloved Home Place has been sold, and Polly and Gerald are hosting parents, siblings, cousins and children at their grand property, Fakenham Hall in Norfolk.

Brothers Hugh, Edward, Rupert and their sister Rachel are all here and negotiating life as the England they knew fades from view. Cousins Polly, Louise and Clary are seeking to balance the demands of midlife with their personal desires. And there's a new generation growing up in a society on the cusp of real change.

It's a fabulous read. Just as The Cazalet Chronicles provided a consuming, escapist saga, so Louisa Young has continued the tale with the characters as vivid, their plight as gently intriguing and the style so comforting and mesmerising.

Louisa Young has written novels, biography, memoir and children's books. Her second Cazalet book ‘Move On Up’ will come out in September 2027 and the third in 2028.

This trilogy is likely to appeal both to fans of The Cazalet Chronicles and new readers. Who can resist the glorious cover for one thing, and the original five volumes by Elizabeth Jane Howard have been reissued to match! Her first book in the series is 'The Light Years'. Wonderful. A real tonic.