To Have and to Hold - Paperback

by Deborah Moggach (Author)

The bestselling author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel delves into what it means to be a sister, a husband, a wife, and--most importantly of all--a family.

Though sisters, Ann and Viv couldn't be more different. Ann is reserved, sensible, and--some would say--boring. Viv, always their father's favorite, is messy and impulsive, and a mother to two gorgeous daughters. Meanwhile, Ann has struggled to have children, her last attempt ending in a hysterectomy, which has devasted her and her husband, Ken.

Pained to see her sister left so sad and wanting, Viv offers to have a baby--and give it to Ann. Viv's husband, Ollie, is not on board with the idea, especially when it becomes clear that Viv will be carrying Ken's child, not his. But with the mechanics figured out, the men are pushed to the sidelines as the sisters roll full-steam ahead. What were once strong relationships are strained to the brink as fault lines in both marriages are exposed--leaving them all to realize that starting a new life just might end the ones they already have . . .

"A very good novel indeed." --The Times (London)

Author Biography

Deborah Moggach is an English novelist and screenwriter. She graduated from Bristol University, trained as a teacher, and then worked at Oxford University Press. In the mid-seventies, Moggach moved to Pakistan for two years, where she started composing articles for Pakistani newspapers and her first novel, You Must Be Sisters. Her novels The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Tulip Fever were adapted for film in 2011 and 2017 respectively.

Moggach began writing screenplays in the mid-eighties. Her screenplay for an adaption of Pride & Prejudice starring Keira Knightley received a BAFTA nomination, and she won a Writers Guild Award for her adaptation of Anne Fine's Goggle-Eyes. She has served as Chair of the Management Committee for the Society of Authors and worked for PEN's Executive Committee, as well as being a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Moggach currently lives in the Welsh Marches with her husband.