True stories of love and loss during WWII, from the tough Northern women who kept the foundry fires burning. When war broke out, the young women of Sheffield had their carefree lives turned upside down. With their sweethearts being sent away to fight, they had no choice but to step into the men's shoes and become the backbone of the city's steel industry. Through hard toil and companionship, they vowed to keep the foundry fires burning and ensured that soldiers had the weapons, planes and ships needed to secure victory over Hitler. When the men returned from the front in 1945, many of these women tragically found themselves discarded 'like yesterday's fish and chip wrappers'. But decades later, a grassroots campaign spearheaded by the elderly Women of Steel finally brought their remarkable story to light. Women of Steel is the last chance to hear these unsung heroines' voices, as they share first-hand how a group of plucky young women rallied together to win the war for Britain.
May, 1941. Meet the Air Raid Girls: three young women keen to do their bit during the Yorkshire blitz. Connie's life has taken an unexpected turn since her husband died - she's living at home and working in the family bakery - but night shifts as an ARP Warden give her a firm sense of purpose. Her younger sister Lizzie is eager to play her part too, perhaps as an ambulance driver. Her fiance refuses to support her decision... but does he really know what's best for her? Twenty-year-old Pamela has led a sheltered life, but when her family's home is destroyed in a raid she must learn to stand on her own two feet - helped by new friends. As bombs fall and fires rage, the young women face the destruction of everything they've ever known. Can their fighting spirit prevail? And what of their families and the men they love? A thrilling and heartwarming new story of friendship, love and duty in wartime by the author of The Spitfire Girls, for fans of Elaine Everest and Rosie Hendry. **Don't miss the next two instalments in the series. The Air Raid Girls at Christmas and The Air Raid Girls: Wartime Brides are available now!** --------------------------------------------- Readers LOVE the Air Raid Girls series: 'There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book' 5 star review 'In all the women at war series of book I have read so far, I think this is the best' 5 star review 'I couldn't put this book down' 5 star review 'Loved the whole story. Hated it coming to an end' 5 star review 'Just the kind of book I like' 5 star review
The war is over... In Bristol, three very different women wait for their loved ones to return home. But Edna's fiancé returns badly crippled. And Charlotte's husband comes back a very different creature to the kind, gentle man she remembers. And as for Polly, her GI boyfriend doesn't come back at all, leaving her with a bun in the oven and a scandal in the making...
'I love these type of books that tell the story of young women taking on the jobs of men and keeping the country going... Johanna Bell writes lovely books that make you feel as though you are there' Reader review 5 stars London, August 1940. The war is raging in Europe and on the home front ordinary women are stepping up to do extraordinary things to defend their country against Hitler. Dot is dreading the day that her thuggish husband comes home on leave. As she fights her own battle to contribute to the war effort, she won't let anything stand in her way. Peggy has found confidence as an Air Raid Precaution Warden, despite the jeers of the men she works with. But beneath her pluck she fears for her close-knit family, scattered by the war, all determined to do their duty. Vivian a glamorous former debutante is running away from her own heart and into danger as a volunteer ambulance driver. She will stop at nothing to save innocent lives, even if the cost is her own. As the bombs fall on London, these three women are thrown together into an unlikely friendship. Can the Blitz Girls protect each other in their darkest hour? Everyone loves The Blitz Girls: 'Absolutely loved this book, if you enjoy WW2 stories then this is for you' Reader review 5 stars 'A heartwarming story of women discovering their inner strength. . . I couldn't put it down' Vicki Beeby, author of The Ops Room Girls 'Gripping new saga that I devoured. The research that has gone into this is unbelievable! The sense of camaraderie the girls have is honourable. A tough read at times but an important story' Reader review 5 stars 'I LOVED this book, every single page from start to finish' Reader review 5 stars 'Saga at its best. I sat up most of the night to finish it' Reader review 5 stars
Wanderlust is the story of Audrey Driscoll. Orphaned young, Audrey has grown up caring for her eccentric millionaire grandfather and her demanding younger sister, Annabelle, who assume she will always be there for them. Sheltered yet restless, responsible beyond her years yet hungering for experience, Audrey is hopelessly bound until she herself makes the daring decision to leave. As the 1930s unfold, alone, camera in hand, she will shock friends and outrage family as she plunges headlong into the wider world. Crossing the Atlantic aboard the luxurious Queen Mary, Audrey meets James and Violet Hawthorne, who will draw her into a sophisticated circle of artists and expatriates. And it is they who will introduce her to Charles Parker-Scott, in who Audrey will come to recognize a twin soul, a man propelled by relentless curiosity and driven by conflicting needs for intimacy and independence. Together they will spend an exquisite summer at Cap d'Antibes, then board the Orient Express on an adventure that will carry them to a remote outpost in China. But at the farthest reaches of this journey Aubrey must choose again. Japan has attacked China. Charles knows he must return to Europe at once. But Audrey becomes involved with a besieged orphanage and decides to remain in China without Charles, caring for the abandoned children until help arrives. In time Audrey will return to America with a daughter of her own. While she must come home to San Francisco to confront a world irrevocably changed by time, she finds she cannot stay. From prewar Germany to London during the Blitz, from a wrenching reunion with Charles to a war zone in North Africa, again and again she must choose between the dictates of her conscience and the yearnings of her heart. For Audrey Driscoll and the men and women whose lives touch hers, wanderlust is the inescapable element. Born at a time when women were expected to stay close to home and fulfill traditional roles, Audrey is compelled to follow the thread of events that will destroy the complacency of the past and shape the future. From Europe to China, from San Francisco to North Africa, she is irresistibly drawn into a man's world of conflict, discovery, and danger. In a vivid novel of breathtaking scope, Danielle Steel has once again surpassed herself in creating an unforgettable tale of men and women caught in the tides of personal drama and historic event. Wanderlust is Danielle Steel's finest journey.
Royal is an absorbing new novel from Danielle Steel, whose countless #1 New York Times bestsellers have made her one of America's favorite storytellers.
True stories of love and loss during WWII, from the tough Northern women who kept the foundry fires burning. When war broke out, the young women of Sheffield had their carefree lives turned upside down. With their sweethearts being sent away to fight, they had no choice but to step into the men's shoes and become the backbone of the city's steel industry. Through hard toil and companionship, they vowed to keep the foundry fires burning and ensured that soldiers had the weapons, planes and ships needed to secure victory over Hitler. When the men returned from the front in 1945, many of these women tragically found themselves discarded 'like yesterday's fish and chip wrappers'. But decades later, a grassroots campaign spearheaded by the elderly Women of Steel finally brought their remarkable story to light. Women of Steel is the last chance to hear these unsung heroines' voices, as they share first-hand how a group of plucky young women rallied together to win the war for Britain.
Millions of people have read, discussed, debated, cried, and cheered with Little Bee, a Nigerian refugee girl whose violent and courageous journey puts a stunning face on the worldwide refugee crisis. “Little Bee will blow you away.” —The Washington Post The lives of a sixteen-year-old Nigerian orphan and a well-off British woman collide in this page-turning #1 New York Times bestseller, book club favorite, and “affecting story of human triumph” (The New York Times Book Review) from Chris Cleave, author of Gold and Everyone Brave Is Forgiven. We don’t want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don’t want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this: It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific. The story starts there, but the book doesn’t. And it’s what happens afterward that is most important. Once you have read it, you’ll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don’t tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.
In December 1940, the Blitz has reached Sheffield, but Hattie is more concerned about the war brewing at home between her parents. Desperate to help her mother in any way she can, will Hattie get through with the help of her factory sisters? Betty is overjoyed to learn that her fiance will be coming home to complete his RAF training. But when the Blitz begins, he may be in greater danger than ever. Young Patty has never been prouder of her sweetheart, Archie, than in his role as an air-raid warden. But having seen the true cost of war, is he struggling more than Patty could ever imagine? And as the bombs begin to fall, with heartbreak on the horizon, will the Steel Girls find shelter in each other?
