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Behind Five Willows

Jane Austen reimagined in Korea - from the NYT bestselling author of A Crane Among Wolves
Brief Description
From the New York Times-bestselling author of A Crane Among Wolves comes a warm and romantic homage to Jane Austen set in historical Korea, about a reader and a writer who secretly fight against government book banning and find themselves irresistibly drawn together. As the dutiful... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3799
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Releases 26th May 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Behind Five Willows" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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Behind Five Willows

From the New York Times bestselling author of A Crane Among Wolves and The Red Palace comes a historical romance set in the Joseon dynasty about forbidden books and those willing to risk their lives for their craft and each other.

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From the New York Times-bestselling author of A Crane Among Wolves comes a warm and romantic homage to Jane Austen set in historical Korea, about a reader and a writer who secretly fight against government book banning and find themselves irresistibly drawn together.

As the dutiful second daughter of a poor family, Haewon is expected to marry well. Instead, amid harsh censorship and rampant book bans, she secretly works as an illegal book transcriber - dangerous work she loves, especially when copying the writings of her favourite author, the elusive Black Lotus.

When her older sister begins courting a wealthy young man, Haewon is dragged along as chaperone - forced to endure the company of his arrogant, insufferable best friend.

As the only son of a noble, Seojun is expected to embody wealth, status, and propriety. No one can know that he secretly writes fiction - or that the only thing keeping him going under pressure from his overbearing father are the warm, insightful letters from his transcriber, 'Magpie'.

But when his best friend falls for a girl far below their social rank, Seojun must join their chaperoned outings - alongside her sharp-tongued younger sister. Yet the more time Seojun and Haewon spend together, the more they realise how wrong their first impressions were...

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781035434398

Publisher: Headline Publishing Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 26 May 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Wildfire

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 336

About the Author

June Hur is a bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of YA historicals, including The Silence of Bones, The Forest of Stolen Girls, The Red Palace, and A Crane Among Wolves. Born in South Korea, June spent her formative years in the USA, Canada, and South Korea before studying History and Literature at the University of Toronto, and working at the city's public library. Her work has been featured in Forbes, NPR, The New York Times, CBC, and KBS. June resides in Toronto with her family and can be spotted writing in coffee shops.

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