Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest, was inspired by researching her father's experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own journey to uncover his story. It won the Asian Books Blog prize for fiction published in Asia in 2015, and was shortlisted for the best fiction title in the Singapore Book Awards 2016.
That initial inspiration led her to write more books about WWII in Southeast Asia - Bamboo Island: The Planter's Wife, A Daughter's Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter's Club, The Amulet, and The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu. Along with The Lotus House, published in October 2024, they make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.
Ann is also the author of The Oriental Lake Collection - The Lake Pavilion and The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, set in French Indochina.
The Runaway Sisters, USA Today bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture. The Stolen Sisters, was published in November 2024 is the follow-up to The Orphan List (published by Bookouture in August this year) and is set in Poland and Germany during WWII.Her latest book, The Bookseller of Kathmandu was launched on September 23rd 2025.
A former lawyer, Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and lives in Surrey, UK.
For more details, please visit her website www.annbennettauthor
Key information about booking:
- The event will start at 2.30pm
- Please purchase a ticket for each person attending
- Tickets £4 per person.
- Refreshments provided.
- Booking is essential, so be quick to avoid disappointment.
- Please arrive 10 minutes early.
- Books will be available to purchase after the event.
If you have any additional needs or require any special assistance, please let us know prior to the event by contacting library.events@surreycc.gov.uk (this inbox is managed Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).
If you are not able to or do not wish to provide us with any contact details (landline or mobile number and email address) you won’t be able to purchase a ticket online. Please visit the library that is hosting the event to purchase a ticket in person.
