Anne Bennett
Список книг автора Anne BennettForget-Me-Not Child
A story of struggle and hardship and one girl’s battle for survival from the best-selling author of If You Were the Only Girl and Another Man’s Child.Angela McCluskey comes to Birmingham from Ireland with her family as a young girl to escape the terrible poverty in her homeland. But the dream of a better life is dashed as bad fortune dogs the family.When Angela marries her childhood sweetheart, she has hopes of a brighter future, which are dashed when her husband is called up to fight in the Great War. Tragedy strikes and Angela is left to rear her frail daughter on her own, though the worst is yet to come when Angela suffers another terrible misfortune.Pregnant and destitute and already with one mouth to feed that she can ill afford, there is nowhere left to turn. What destiny awaits Angela and her unborn child? Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, will Angela forever be punished for the choices that she makes?
Love Me Tender
A heartrending tale of love and tragedy during The Birmingham Blitz. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Annie Groves.For Kathy O’Malley, life has not been easy with her husband, Barry, out of work and with two children to feed. Then when war breaks out in 1939, many of the local men enlist, including Barry, leaving the women to cope as best they can.The years that follow are full of hardship: rationing, nightly air raids and endless shifts working at the local munitions factory all take their toll on Kathy who longs to feel the strong arms of her husband around her once more.When she meets Doug, a handsome American GI, she is drawn immediately drawn to him but determined to honour her marriage vows. But after she receives a telegram informing that her husband is missing, presumed dead, she makes a decision that will have consequences, not just for herself, but for the lives of all those she loves too…
A Girl Can Dream
A dramatic and emotional story of one woman’s story to keep her family together. For fans of Dilly Court and Kitty Neale.When Meg’s mother dies in childbirth, she is determined to keep the promise made on her mother’s deathbed – keep the family together. But her father has descended into drink and resents the baby, Ruth, who he believes cost him his wife.Though struggling financially, Meg resists the offer of help from their unscrupulous and sinister landlord, Richard Flatterly. Things get worse when her father returns home one night with a woman called Doris and announces he intends to marry her. When war breaks out three of the children are evacuated to the country while little Ruth must stay with Meg’s father and his new wife as she is too young.Meg and her friend Joy sign up for the Land Army and go to work on the farm where she meets Stephen, home on leave after fighting the Nazi’s – the attraction is instant and she and Stephen fall in love. But when she returns to the family home for a visit, she is horrified to discover the house in squalor and that worst of all, Little Ruth has been sent to an orphanage. With no options, Meg must turn to the only man who can help her, Richard Flatterly, but in return for his help, she must pay a very high price…
A Little Learning
Can an ordinary girl dare to be different? The compelling new bestseller from Birmingham’s Queen of FictionJanet is determined to make something of herself, instead of being chained to a sink with a baby a year like most women of her generation. She passes her eleven-plus and wins a scholarship to go to a good grammar school, but her father refuses to believe that girls have the right to do anything other than look after their husbands and raise children.Struggling to fit in at her new school and picked on by the other girls, Janet befriends, Ruth, another lonely pupil whose Jewish family have suffered many hardships. Janet and Ruth forge a strong friendship through her school life and beyond. But will their friendship survive when Janet falls for Ruth’s brother, Ben –marriage to a Catholic girl would go against everything his community hold dear. When the whole world seems stacked against her, can Janet hold onto her dreams?
Child on the Doorstep
The heartbreaking new novel from the bestselling author of The Forget-me-not Child and If You Were the Only Girl.Angela McClusky is haunted by the young baby that she left on the steps of the workhouse. Born out of wedlock and the result of a traumatic assault, the child has grown up away from the loving arms of her mother and only has a locket to remind her of the family she never knew.Angela, meanwhile, has carried the guilt of her actions with her for almost a decade, now widowed and alone, she is courted by a new suitor, Eddie, who seems to offer her the happiness she craves.When Angela’s teenage daughter, Constance, discovers that Eddie is not all he seems to be, it drives a wedge between mother and daughter. But her secrets won’t stay hidden and now Angela must face up to her past…
Another Man’s Child
A moving family drama of one young woman’s fight to survive, to find her long-lost relatives and to find a place to call homeCelia Mulligan is in love with farm hand Andy McCadden, but when Andy asks her to marry him and she accepts, her father is furious – no daughter of his will marry a mere hireling. Celia elopes with Andy and they make their way by ship to England. While on board, Celia meets a demure young woman called Annabel who tells her in confidence that a friend of her father forced himself upon her and she has since fallen pregnant.Annabel plans to throw herself on her brother’s mercy and asks Celia if she will accompany her to Birmingham as her ladies maid. Without a job and with nothing to offer her, Andy encourages Celia to accept – he can find employment for himself and save for their future. But neither of them can foresee the events that will follow, and soon Celia will be forced to choose between the man she loves, and the love of a vulnerable child…
A Sister’s Promise
A heartrending saga of a sister separated from her baby brother by tragedy and prejudice, who will brave the Blitz to bring him to safetyMolly’s life changes forever when her mother is killed in a horrific accident. Although her beloved grandfather wants to keep her and little brother Kevin with him in Birmingham, the authorities decide it’s best for the girl to live with her maternal grandmother, on a farm in Donegal. So Molly is packed off to Biddy Sullivan, who’s a hard, cruel woman who loves to bear a grudge.Years of hardship follow and just as Molly begins to grow independent, war breaks out. She learns that her grandfather has died – so what’s become of ten year old KevinSurely he must need her? So the naive country girl sets off for her home city, little guessing what perils are to befall her before she can discover her brother’s fate…
A Mother’s Spirit
From rural rags to brief riches and back to ruin, this is a moving saga of hard work, bad luck and finally hope for a family’s future.Gloria Sullivan can’t quite believe where she has ended up.Growing up with no money worries, she fell head over heels in love with the handsome, hardworking Irishman employed by her father. They were the golden couple – until the Wall Street crash, when everything was lost. Finally she agreed to start again in London with husband Joe and their small son.World War Two was raging, and Joe laboured on the docks by day and fighting fires by night. He was a hero – but one dreadful fire left him terribly injured. Once more Gloria resolved to leave everything behind and to take Joe home to his family farm in Ireland, his only hope of recovery.Gloria now dutifully nurses her husband, but she can’t settle in the countryside. Then a nearby American base begins recruiting civilians. Gloria tells everyone it’s her chance to do her bit – but will she be tempted to do much more?
Anne Bennett 3-Book Collection: A Sister’s Promise, A Daughter’s Secret, A Mother’s Spirit
A compelling and heartrending collection of novels. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Annie Groves.A Sister’s PromiseWhen young Molly’s mother is killed in an accident, she and her beloved little brother are parted, with Molly sent to live with her cruel grandmother. After years of hardship, war breaks out and Molly is determined to find her 10 year-old brother. Separated by tragedy and prejudice, can Molly brave The Blitz and bring him to safety?A Daughter’s SecretAgnes Sullivan is only fifteen when she is cruelly abused by someone she trusts. Pregnant and compelled to leave home, she must seek a safe haven in Birmingham. But the back streets of the city prove to be anything but safe and Agnes is forced to seek help from the one person that she never would have dreamed of asking before…A Mother’s PromiseGloria and her husband Joe had everything – until the Great Depression tore their world apart. Starting again from scratch, their fortunes appear to be turning but when Hitler’s bombs start doing their terrible work, another tragedy occurs. From rags to riches and back again, this is a poignant saga of work, bad luck and finally hope.
