Farewell to Eden

The epic and profound new historical novel set in post-World War Two Britain, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of BIRDSONG, Sebastian Faulks.

Philip Deval, a soldier recently returned from the beaches of Normandy, arrives in Palestine on a peace-keeping mission in the final days of the British Mandate. The Sea of Galilee glitters in the distance as war-weary troops marvel at the novelty of oranges and sun – a paradise that belies a fierce new conflict about to erupt.

Some years later, Philip begins work teaching at a school in the English countryside and meets the enigmatic music mistress, Frances Darwood. Over long evenings spent listening to records in her music room, they grow close.

But Philip is a changed man, and must confront the secrets and scars of all he has lived through – which threaten, even now, to upend his future.

Farewell to Eden is a sweeping and profound novel about faith in all its forms, and a rich portrait of an embattled post-war Britain. It asks the question: how, after great suffering, do we retain our humanity, learn to love again, and believe in the promise of a better life?

'A fascinating, timely and densely pleasurable novel, written with measured and impressive intelligence and tremendous narrative aplomb' WILLIAM BOYD

‘Beautifully written and deceptively deep novel of moral choice set in the aftermath of the Second World War. The characters are as utterly convincing as the story’ ANTONY BEEVOR

© Sebastian Faulks 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026