The Field of the Star (The Journeys of Nicholas Luard Book 2)

In 1993, three pilgrims set out from Le Puy in France on the Way of St James: Luard, his indomitable sister Priscilla, and their formidable friend Hilary. Francesca, Luard’s daughter, had been diagnosed with HIV — a death sentence at the time. His pilgrimage becomes a journey of love and reckoning, devoted to her memory and to understanding their complex bond: an unconventional upbringing, long absences, and the fierce, passionate spirit of a young woman struck down in her prime.

An experienced writer, traveller, and naturalist, Luard captures moments of beauty, exhaustion, laughter, and loss. His letters to Francesca chart both her final journey and his own path through grief. Returning later to the Pilgrim’s Way, he continues on — haunted, heartbroken, but unflinchingly honest.