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Rags to Riches
By Maggie Ford. 1997
In the 1920s, nobody is safe from scandal...Amy Harrington leads a privileged life out in London society. Her maid, Alice…
Jordan, lives in the poverty-ridden East End. But when a disgraced Amy is disowned by her parents and fiancé, Alice is the only person she can turn to…Forced to give up her life of luxury, Amy lodges with Alice’s friendly working class family. But while Amy hatches a plan to get revenge on her former love who caused her downfall, Alice finds herself swept into the glittering society her mistress has just lost. And when Amy meets Alice’s handsome older brother Tom, they can only hope that love can conquer all… Will the two girls ever lead the lives they dream of?The Rag Maiden: a new emotional and heartwarming family saga
By Libby Ashworth. 2024
One woman dreams of a better life for her family – but how do you find it when all you've…
ever known is poverty?Ireland, 1848 The potato famine has left the Cavanah family destitute. Kitty and Peter manage to secure tickets for America - seeking hope in an unknown land. But still fortune will not favour them. On a terrifying crossing of the Irish Sea, Peter vanishes, and with him their tickets.Now, Kitty and her young family are stranded in Liverpool - with not a penny to their name. Facing prejudice and distrust, they move to Blackburn, where the welcome is no warmer, but Kitty at least can gather rags and scraps to exchange for a coin or two. She refuses to give up hope - on finding Peter, on getting to America. Yet Kitty knows they are just one bad day away from the evils of the workhouse . . .The Rag Maiden is a powerful and enthralling tale of one woman's struggle to save her family.The Rag and Bone Girl
By Maggie Ford. 2010
What will she sacrifice for love? Growing up in London’s East End with six siblings, Nora Taylor has always been…
close to her younger sister Maggie. But when she meets Maggie’s fiancé Robert, they are immediately drawn to each other. Forced to choose between her family and her heart, Nora decides to marry the man she loves – even if it means losing her sister.When the First World War breaks out, Nora must fight to hold her family together through the challenges and tragedies to come. As her children grow up they embark on their own adventures, but another war will threaten all their hopes for the future. Can this broken family survive the dark days of wartime?A sweeping saga charting one family’s fortunes through the First and Second World War and beyond, perfect for fans of Maggie Hope and Dilly Court.Quarter Tones
By Susan Mann. 2007
The most important things are hardest to find words for, her father once said. That's why people make music.When Ana…
returns to the ramshackle cottage of her youth in the seaside village of Noordhoek, near Cape Town, she does so with the intention of sorting out her father's affairs. It soon becomes clear that more is at stake. After a decade in London, where she has failed to find work as a musician, her return to South Africa puts further distance into an already strained marriage, not only because she is out of reach, but because Michael, her husband, has lost faith in the country.Quick to welcome her is her neighbour, Franz van der Veer, an architect searching for redemption. This is further complicated by the arrival of his eccentric brother, Daniel. Against a tangle of childhood memories, scarred histories and renewed hope, Ana finally starts to confront the death of Sam, her Irish luthier father, and with it, questions of guilt and belonging. Lyrical and beautifully told, Quarter Tones is a story about music and love and loss.Fans of Dilly Court, Kitty Neale, Emma Hornby and Rosie Goodwin will love this mesmerising and moving saga of love…
and loss from much-loved multi-million copy bestseller Rosie Harris. With strong characters and vivid descriptions, it's a real page-turner!WHAT READERS ARE SAYING!'Rosie Harris takes you to a different world with her fantastic stories. I find it very hard to put one of her books down' - 5 STARS'Brilliant'-- 5 STARS'Kept me engrossed from start to finish' -- 5 STARS'Delightful' - 5 STARS*******************************************************************************************************WOULD SHE ALWAYS BE UNLUCKY IN LOVE?The only child of over-protective parents, Sarah Lewis yearns to leave home. Studying hard to please them, she earns a place at Cardiff University. Here she is swept off her feet by handsome Gwyn Roberts, but when she becomes pregnant her parents are devastated and turn her from their door.All Gwyn and Sarah can afford are two squalid rooms in the infamous slums of Cardiff and Sarah soon realises she's made a terrible mistake. Gwyn becomes increasingly distant and when the baby dies in infancy, he leaves Sarah with little choice but to fall on her parents' mercy.But just when Sarah is starting to pull her life back together again, she is drawn to the charms of Stefan Vaughan and finds herself in trouble once more...Pub Walks in Underhill Country
By Nat Segnit. 2011
Pub Walks in Underhill Country by Nat Segnit is a cunning, hilarious and heartbreaking novel that takes the form of…
a guide for walkers but is really a whole lot more . . . 'Start by turning right out of the main entrance of Malvern Link railway station . . .'So begins Graham Underhill's guide to rambling in the West Midlands. But it is not many yards before Graham has gone completely off track, all but abandoning the route ahead to exult in his love for his beautiful if headstrong wife Sunita.Along the way Graham treats us to his intemperate views on mountain bikers, litter louts, landscape photographers, and the Highways Agency, who are intent on building a bypass through his home. At least he has Sunita. Or does he? With each walk it becomes clearer that the paths of Underhill Country lead into treacherous terrain.'If Vladimir Nabokov had written episodes of The Archers (with a little script advice from W G Sebald), then he might just have struck a note that chimed with the peculiar music of this beguiling first novel' Independent'A metafictional escapade . . . has both Nabokov and Alan Partridge as its forebears' Daily Telegraph'Has echoes of Mike Leigh's best films and Paul Torday's smash debut, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen' Daily MailNat Segnit lives in London. His journalism and stories have appeared in several national newspapers, and his play, Dolphin Therapy, and two co-written comedy series, Strangers on Trains and Beautiful Dreamers, were broadcast on Radio 4. Pub Walks in Underhill Country is his first novel.Fall in love with Jilly Cooper, one of Britain's most popular authors, in this fabulously frothy rom-com. Fans of Jojo…
Moyes, Marian Keyes, Dolly Alderton and Jane Fallon will love this witty and whimsical read - the perfect dose of laugh-out-loud escapism!'Unputdownable' -- Marian Keyes'Joyful and mischievous' -- Jojo Moyes'The funniest and sharpest writer there is' -- Jenny Colgan'Flawlessly entertaining' -- Helen Fielding'An absolute delight to read' -- ***** Reader review'The pages just whizzed by and I'm gutted to have finished it' -- ***** Reader review'Frothy, light, humorous.....loving it' -- ***** Reader review'Couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review'Wonderful writing from Jilly, she really grabs you and pulls in you the book' -- ***** Reader review****************************************************************************************The trouble with the Mulholland family, Prudence decided, was that they were all in love with the wrong people. She'd been overjoyed when Pendle, her super-cool barrister boyfriend, invited her home for the weekend to meet his family.But home turned out to be a decaying mansion in the Lake District, and family were his glamorous, scatty mother who forgot the mounting bills by throwing wild parties, and brothers, Ace, dark and forbidding, and Jack, handsome, married and only too ready to take over with Pru if Pendle didn't get a move on.It was only when she noticed the way Pendle looked at Jack's wife Maggie that it began to dawn on Pru that there was more to this weekend than met the eye.It looked like a non-stop game of changing partners . . .Private - Keep Out!
By Gwen Grant. 1999
A forgotten classic brought back into print for the first time in decades - the missing literary sister to Anne…
of Green Gables and Tracy Beaker, a tough and spirited girl's adventures growing up in a northern post-war mining town.‘I told our Lucy I’m going to be a writer when I grow up and she said, ‘You should be a good one then. You tell enough lies.’Psst! We know you shouldn’t really read something labelled ‘private’ but this book is special. It’s written by young girl growing up in a mining town in 1948 who is practising to become a writer when she grows up…possibly. It’s hard work being a writer. There’s no privacy in a house with six kids and there’s no time, especially if you have to go to school and to dancing class (and wear frilly knickers) and Sunday school (and sing about being a sunbeam). You’re supposed to write about what you know, which means this book is about annoying sisters with no sense of humour and brothers who think they know everything, and bullies and chicken spots and being run over. Sometimes you can write about good things that happen, like going to the seaside or Christmas Eve, but mostly the stories end with being sent to bed early in disgrace. But when the writer is a tough, spiky and funny as this one, her adventures will always be worth reading.The Prince and the Pauper
By Mark Twain. 2004
Tom Canty and Edward Tudor could have been identical twins. Their birthdays and their faces match, but there the likeness…
stops. For Edward is prince, heir to King Henry VIII of England, whilst Tom is a miserable pauper. But fate intervenes, and their identities become confused. Soon the prince is thrown out of the palace in rags, leaving ignorant Tom to play the part of a royal prince.Pride and Prejudice: Lit For Little Hands (The Penguin English Library)
By Jane Austen. 2012
'No sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in…
her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes ...'When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.Fans of Dilly Court, Kitty Neale, Emma Hornby and Rosie Goodwin will absolutely devour this gripping and atmospheric saga from…
much-loved multi-million copy bestseller Rosie Harris. You'll find yourself lost in the compelling action and convincing characters from page one...perfect to settle down with!WHAT READERS ARE SAYING!'A real page-turner' -- ***** Reader review'If I could give this 20 stars - I would: a MUST read' -- ***** Reader review'Very enjoyable from beginning to end' -- ***** Reader review'Brilliant book - couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review'Kept me engrossed from start to finish' -- ***** Reader review*************************************************************************************WOULD SHE EVER BE FREE FROM HER PAST?Lucy Collins and her brother Sam have lived side by side with the Tanner family all their lives. Lucy and Robert Tanner long for the day when they can marry - the future is full of promise.That is until tragedy strikes when Lucy's parents are killed in a car crash, and Sam is left gravely injured and in need of careful nursing. Sam's girlfriend Patsy refuses to help, and Lucy has little choice but to postpone her wedding. Not only is she left heartbroken at the loss of her parents, Lucy is then devastated to discover that Robert has betrayed her in the worst possible way.With little money and unable to earn a regular wage, Lucy and Sam are forced to move into the slums of Liverpool.As Sam's health deteriorates and their life spirals into poverty and despair, Lucy wonders if she'll ever find happiness again...Let multi-million copy seller Elvi Rhodes sweep you away with this moving and heart-warming saga set by the sea. Perfect…
for fans of Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy.READERS ARE LOVING PORTRAIT OF CHLOE!"Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book with its descriptive story and characters involved and I would recommend the reading of this to anyone" - 5 STARS"What a good writer [Elvi Rhodes] is...!" - 5 STARS"Magic" - 5 STARS**************************************************************************************IS THE GRASS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE?She was born plain Dora, in a bleak northern town where her future seemed all too predictable. But from the moment she was born, she went after what she wanted, and got it.When, at the age of eighteen, she decides she wants freedom, a new life - and a new name, Chloe, she goes to Brighton to work as a help to a MP and his wife, and glimpses for the first time a life of luxury and wealth - a life which, she believes, could be hers.But her new circumstances bring with them difficulties: the passionate interest of her boss and the unexpected bond she discovers with the small children she cares for. Torn between the interest of an attractive older man and her feelings of affection and loyalty towards his wife and children, Chloe embarks upon a dangerous course.Then a near tragedy changes everything for her...Poor Little Rich Girl: Family Saga
By Katie Flynn. 2002
Liverpool, 1934. Hester Lowe agrees to act as governess to spoilt, self-willed, little Lonnie Hetherington-Smith when they leave India to…
live with Lonnie's elderly aunt in Shaw Street, Liverpool. Hester speedily realises that her new employer dislikes her niece and means to make life uncomfortable for both of them. Things improve a little when they meet the poor, but happy, Bailey family who live in a court off Heyworth Street. Hester likes Dick Bailey very much, but her employer does not permit 'followers', whilst Lonnie and young Ben Bailey are deadly enemies.Then, the regime in Shaw Street changes and Hester is forced to leave the comforts of a middle-class household to make her own way in what is, to her, a strange country...Poor Little Rich Girl is sure to please the huge and growing fanbase of one of the most popular saga authors in the country, with more than two million books sold nationwide.Polly's Angel
By Katie Flynn. 2000
Liverpool, 1936Polly's guardian angel has to work overtime when her large family is forced to move to central Liverpool. With…
a hardworking mother, a sick father and her family close to ruin, Polly is easily led astray by the handsome, Sunny Anderson.But soon war looms, and Sunny joins the navy to train as a signaller. After the horrors of the May blitz, Polly decides she too wants to help her country and goes into the WRNS. She hears that an old flame, Tad Donoghue, is now in the Royal Air Force. Tad hopes to be reunited with his Polly, but she is in love with Sunny . . . isn't she?Pollyanna (Puffin Classics)
By Eleanor H. Porter. 2003
As soon as Pollyanna arrives in Beldingsville to live with her strict and dutiful maiden aunt, she begins to brighten…
up everybody's life. The 'glad game' she plays, of finding a silver lining in every cloud, transforms the sick, the lonely and the plain miserable - until one day something so terrible happens that even Pollyanna doesn't know how ot feel glad about it.Bestselling author Judy Astley hits the funnybone of contemporary life yet again in this delicious comedy, perfect for fans of…
Carole Matthews, Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Milly Johnson'Fast and fun' -- Woman & Home'It sparkles with Astley's wry wit' -- Peterborough Evening Telegraph'Loved reading this book' -- ***** Reader review'Enjoyed this from beginning to end' -- ***** Reader review'This is my happy book and I loved it so much I've read it twice' -- ***** Reader review'Very funny' -- ***** Reader review**************************************************************************************************EVERYONE HAS THEIR GUILTY PLEASURES...The residents of the Close were much concerned with crime - preventing it, that is. With all those out-of-work teenagers on the nearby council estate hanging around, stealing, joy-riding and goodness knows what else, it was just as well that Paul Mathieson was setting up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme.Not that the inhabitants of the Close did not have their own little activities, of course, but these were hardly the same thing...If Jenny and Alan's daughter was caught travelling on the underground without a ticket, and their son was doing a little experimenting with certain substances, and Laura didn't see the need to declare her earnings from hiring out her house to a film crew, and Jenny drove home only just over the legal limit - well, these were quite different matters, not to be compared with what went on in the Estate.And then there was Jenny's discovery, when she advertised flute lessons, that she could work up quite a nice little earner in a rather unexpected way...As the leafy London street resounded to the efforts of its citizens to keep crime at bay, Jenny realised that it was her marriage, rather than her property, that needed watching.Playgroups and Prosecco: The (mis)adventures of a single mum
By Jo Middleton. 2019
A hilarious and totally relatable book about the adventures of a single mum, for fans of Catastrophe and Motherland. Readers…
of Why Mummy Drinks, Unmumsy Mum and The Single Mum's Wish List will love this debut novel from parenting blogger Slummy Single Mummy.'You'll end up warming to Frankie so much that you'll be wishing you could crack open a bottle of prosecco with her in real life!' MIKE GAYLE, bestselling author of The Man I Think I Know________________________________January 3rdJaffa Cakes - 7. Times I was forced to watch a small child do a dance involving a dusty piece of ribbon found under the sofa - 4. Inappropriate thoughts about Zac Efron - undisclosed. Single mum Frankie’s whole life revolves around her kids. But when your toddler has a more active social life, something has to change. Forget ‘me-time’, Frankie would settle for some adult conversation, and watching something other than the Disney channel. The local playgroup may be ruled by Instagram mums with perfect husbands but Frankie accidentally forms a splinter group of single parents. After all, Mummy really needs a playdate of her own. (Now pass the prosecco.)________________________________WHAT READERS ARE SAYING'As a mum of three I could totally relate to this novel on so many levels' - Titian'Hilarious - made me laugh out loud' - Dominique'Lots of funny anecdotes parents will recognise!' - Claire'With shades of Bridget Jones, Frankie stumbles through life as a single mum' - Ann'A very funny and realistic look at motherhood' - KatrinaA Place Called Home: (The Cliffehaven Series Book 19)
By Ellie Dean. 2023
THE NINETEENTH CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEANCliffehaven, 1946. The war is over and those who have…
spent years fighting behind enemy lines are finally coming home.Peggy Reilly is over the moon that her husband Jim is safely back from Burma. But after the horrors he has endured, adjusting to life at Beach View won't be easy. Can he and Peggy find a way through?Meanwhile evacuee Ruby Clark has much to contend with when her estranged mother turns up, having completed a long prison sentence. There's huge heartache still to come for Ruby, and she will need her Beach View family more than ever.Will the sanctuary of home give them each the strength they need to face the challenges ahead?Pillars Of Salt
By Joanna Bell. 2001
Alice's world is blown apart when her husband Rob dies suddenly of a heart attack - in another woman's bed.…
Only 40, Rob was an energetic, opinionated, handsome local GP. This wasn't supposed to happen. Left to manage their home, three teenage children and a recalcitrant parrot, Alice struggles to hold it all together.Working herself at Rob's old surgery as a GP, she finds herself caught up in the designs of Rob's old partner, who owns the premises and wants to sell. And distracted by the good looks of locum Tom x. Her best friend Martha claims all she needs is a new man - but Alice knows it goes deeper than that. She's got to find a way to make her children happy, and work out a future for all of them ...The Pets at Primrose Cottage
By Sheila Norton. 2018
A charming and romantic story about living the simple life and the joy of animals, from the author of THE…
VETS AT HOPE GREEN.Emma Nightingale needs a place to hide away. Fresh from the heartbreak of a failed relationship, she takes refuge in quiet Crickleford. And not before long – and quite accidentally too – Emma finds herself the town’s favourite pet-sitter, a role she isn’t certain of at first, but soon her heart is warmed by the animals; they expect nothing more of her than she is able to give.The last thing Emma wants is for people to discover the real reason she is lying low, but then the handsome reporter from the local paper takes an interest in her story. Can Emma keep her secret and follow her heart’s desire…?