Call The Midwife – Jennifer Worth

Call The Midwife: A True Story Of The East End In The 1950s
Jennifer Worth

Jennifer Worth came from a sheltered background when she became a midwife in the Docklands in the 1950s. The conditions in which many women gave birth just half a century ago were horrifying, not only because of their grimly impoverished surroundings, but also because of what they were expected to endure.

But while Jennifer witnessed brutality and tragedy, she also met with amazing kindness and understanding, tempered by a great deal of Cockney humour. She also earned the confidences of some whose lives were truly stranger, more poignant and more terrifying than could ever be recounted in fiction.

Attached to an order of nuns who had been working in the slums since the 1870s, Jennifer tells the story not only of the women she treated, but also of the community of nuns (including one who was accused of stealing jewels from Hatton Garden) and the camaraderie of the midwives with whom she trained.

Funny, disturbing and incredibly moving, Jennifer’s stories bring to life the colourful world of the East End in the 1950s. Continue reading »

The Haunted – Niki Valentine

The Haunted
Niki Valentine

They wanted a honeymoon adventure. They found a place of nightmares.

Arriving in the Scottish highlands, Martin and Sue decide to escape their luxury hotel, heading out for a night of back-to-basics living in an abandoned shack. When a storm strikes, they find themselves stranded in the simple hut, miles from anywhere and completely isolated. As gentle bickering leads to violent arguments, Sue starts to sense they are not truly alone – especially when a deep, dark presence seems to takes hold of the pair.

With no way to escape, Sue and Martin must try to hold on to their sanity as the shelter quickly becomes a prison – and their thoughts begin to turn murderous…

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Flowers In The Attic – Virginia Andrews

Flowers in the Attic
Virginia Andrews

It was a game of happy families. The four children lived such perfect lives in such a happy, golden family.

It was a game of hide and seek. Their father died suddenly. The children now lived alone, hidden in the airless attic.

It was a case of tender, loving murder. Their mother promised that they would stay only long enough to inherit her family’s fortune. But gradually she forgot how much she adored those children.

Millions of readers have been enthralled by this gripping story of a family’s betrayal and heartbreak, love and revenge – which then sows the seeds for the future.

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Annie May’s Black Book – Debby Holt

Annie May’s Black Book
Debby Holt

Entries from Annie May’s Black Book:

“October 15th, 1974: Miss Baker for telling me how to blow my nose and not believing when I still couldn’t do it.

February 6th, 1977: David Llewellyn for saying my landscape painting looked like a pig’s trough and then making honking noises every time he saw me.

April 12th, 1987: Peter Elton for ‘borrowing’ my cigarettes and never buying any of his own.

9th February, 1988: BEN SEYMOUR FOR EVERYTHING FOR EVER!”

In her Black Book, Annie May has recorded the name and offence of everyone who has ever done her wrong. The greatest transgressor of them all was Ben Seymour: the man who jilted her at the altar seventeen years ago. Now he’s moving into a house round the corner…

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When God Was a Rabbit – Sarah Winman

When God Was a Rabbit
Sarah Winman

Young Elly’s world is shaped by those who inhabit it: her loving but maddeningly distractible parents; a best friend who smells of chips and knows exotic words like ‘slag’; an ageing fop who tapdances his way into her home, a Shirley Bassey impersonator who trails close behind; lastly, of course, a rabbit called God. In a childhood peppered with moments both ordinary and extraordinary, Elly’s one constant is her brother Joe.

Twenty years on, Elly and Joe are fully grown and as close as they ever were. Until, that is, one bright morning and a single, earth-shattering event that threatens to destroy their bond for ever.

Spanning four decades and moving between suburban Essex, the wild coast of Cornwall and the streets of New York, this is a story about childhood, eccentricity, the darker side of love and sex, the pull and power of family ties, loss and life. More than anything, it’s a story about love in all its forms.

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