Susanna, a stylish self-made woman and arch-observer of her Viennese neighbours, has secrets of her own to hide in the years before WWI. A more grown-up and melancholic novel than Ibbotson’s other sweeping, swooning and often impish confections, this is a vibrant but poignant snapshot of a world soon to disappear… Best enjoyed with a plate of Christmas vanillekipferl.