Search results for ""Author Joanna Toye""

Uplifting and heartwarming: drama, courage and romance at Marlow’s department store this Christmas For Lily Collins and her fellow shop girls at Marlow’s Department store, another Christmas with ration books, shortages of goods and staff – not to mention a store coping with war damage – will be a real challenge. But the girls rally round and put their worries aside to make this, the hardest wartime Christmas yet, one that their families, and their town, will never forget.

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Not even the Blitz will stop the shop girls ‘Such a good read!’ 5* Goodreads reviewer It’s 1941 and as the air raid sirens blare, Lily Collins is starting work in Midlands department store Marlow’s. She learns the ropes from her sophisticated boss Miss Frobisher alongside shy fellow junior Gladys. But her friendship with young salesman Jim draws her into a swirl of secrets. And with the war progressing to crisis point, Cedric Marlow and his staff must battle nightly bombings and the absence of loved ones to keep going. A Store at War weaves together a strong sense of community with a vivid evocation of a time when every man, woman and child was doing their bit. ‘Cheerful and uplifting… I enjoyed it immensely’ Katie Fforde ‘Highly recommended’ Anna Jacobs

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The new book in the heart-warming WW2 family saga series! ‘Just the balm our souls need right now’ Women’s Weekly Summer 1942. Despite grim reports on the wireless and rationing hitting hard, Lily Collins and her fellow shop girls from Marlow’s department store are determined to put out the bunting for a family party. But Beryl’s husband Les returns from North Africa a changed man, and Gladys worries for her own fiancé’s safety. The store is losing staff to the war effort and Lily’s young man, Jim, is torn over where his duty lies. Then comes the knock on the door that everyone dreads. Lily’s family, always the heart of her world, is rocked to the core. The small Midlands town – and Lily’s beloved Marlow’s – must face their greatest challenge yet.

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The new book in the heartwarming WW2 family saga series – available now! ‘Uplifting and full of warmth, this tale of friendship and love is another brilliant instalment in this much loved historical fiction series’ MyWeekly ‘This heartwarming, nostalgic book is a fitting finale to a delightful series’ Woman’s Weekly Summer 1945. After victory in Europe, best friends Lily, Gladys and Beryl are looking to the future. But even with this happy news, their lives are far from simple… Despite Lily’s joyful summer wedding, she has doubts over what her heart wants now. As she adjusts to her role as young wife, could this signal the end of her position at Marlows? The return of Gladys’s husband Bill raises questions of their family life as he struggles to find work after the Navy, and for Beryl big changes at her bridal shop are afoot. As the girls start to move on with their lives, they have never needed to stick together more… Acclaim for The Shop Girls series 'Jo writes with a sure hand and a light touch… a real page-turner with a spirited heroine who will worm her way into readers' hearts. A sparkling new voice in fiction' VERONICA HENRY ‘Cheerful and uplifting… I thoroughly enjoyed it’ KATIE FFORDE ‘Highly recommended – an engrossing story with a charmingly forthright heroine’ ANNA JACOBS ‘Warm and wonderfully page-turning’ ANNIE GROVES ‘Captivating… a triumphant debut novel’ Women’s Weekly ‘Family drama, community spirit and love… [a] warm, compassionate read’ People’s Friend

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War brings changes three friends could never foresee… ‘Highly recommended’ Anna Jacobs ‘A warm domestic drama’ People’s Friend It’s 1942 and as shortages of staff – and goods – begin to bite, young Lily Collins is nervously stepping up to sales junior at Marlow’s department store. Bombs are still falling and Lily and fellow shop girls Gladys and Beryl need a stiff upper lip to wave boyfriends, husbands and brothers goodbye, especially with a baby on the way and grim news on the wireless. Jim, who works with Lily at the store, seems restless, and nothing can prepare Lily for the secrets that come tumbling out when her favourite brother comes home on leave… Somehow, she must keep smiling through. Community, family and friends rally round as her home town – and the whole country – is tested once again.

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The new book in the heart-warming WW2 family saga series! As the tides of war turn, friendship has never been more important… Spring 1944. As the Allied forces push on towards longed-for victory, Lily Collins yearns to join up and do her bit. But where does her duty lie? Her best friend Gladys faces having her first baby alone, with her new husband back with the Navy. And their friend Beryl is run off her feet building her bridal-hire business amid the bomb damage. So while wedding bells are ringing for others at Marlows Department Store, where Lily works, will they be heard for Lily herself – or does fate have another twist in store? Acclaim for Joanna Toye ‘Warm and wonderfully page-turning’ Annie Groves ‘A wonderful testament to friendship as the Allied Forces push on towards victory’ Women’s Weekly ‘Family drama, community spirit and love…[a] warm, compassionate read’ People’s Friend

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The Archers, like life, is made of moments: marriages and births, loves and losses, triumphs and disasters. It has been the soundtrack of our lives for over six decades, from stooking corn with Dan Archer in the 1950s to the tragic death of Nigel Pargetter in 2011.We know the characters of Ambridge – from much-loved Phil and Jill Archer and the irrepressible Grundys to wayward Brian Aldridge – like we know close friends. This book is their tribute.The Ambridge Chronicles relives some of the defining moments in The Archers history, delving into the rich archive of its scripts, to celebrate the highs and lows that have made the world’s longest running radio serial so treasured.

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