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April Grove, a Street at War #7
Dance Little Lady
An absorbing Sunday Times bestselling wartime saga from this much-loved author.
Kate, Sally, Maxine and Elsie work at the naval armament depot on the shores of Portsmouth harbour. The hours are long and the work difficult and dangerous, but even in the dark days of the Second World War they still find time to enjoy themselves, at the ENSA concerts and hops in the local drill hall. However, beneath the careless laughter each girl nurses a secret. Kate is terrified that she carries a jinx, while Maxine has discovered a family secret which turns her bitterly against both her parents. Elsie is still grieving the loss of her son Graham, killed in the Blitz. And spirited young Sally has lied about her age in order to get her job.
Each faces a dilemma that will be resolved only after D-Day in June 1944. What happens then brings each woman face to face with her own strengths and failings and, ultimately, her own destiny.
Kate, Sally, Maxine and Elsie work at the naval armament depot on the shores of Portsmouth harbour. The hours are long and the work difficult and dangerous, but even in the dark days of the Second World War they still find time to enjoy themselves, at the ENSA concerts and hops in the local drill hall. However, beneath the careless laughter each girl nurses a secret. Kate is terrified that she carries a jinx, while Maxine has discovered a family secret which turns her bitterly against both her parents. Elsie is still grieving the loss of her son Graham, killed in the Blitz. And spirited young Sally has lied about her age in order to get her job.
Each faces a dilemma that will be resolved only after D-Day in June 1944. What happens then brings each woman face to face with her own strengths and failings and, ultimately, her own destiny.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
8 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Lilian Harry
65 books71 followersaka Donna Baker, Nicola West
Donna Thomson was born in Gosport, near Portsmouth Harbour, England, UK. Growing up during the terrifying years of the Blitz in a two-up, two-down terraced house, the youngest of four, she aspired to be a writer from an early age.
As a young woman she worked in the Civil Service and moved to Devon to be near her sailor husband. They had a son and a daughter. When the marriage ended, she and her two children moved to the Midlands, where she happily married again to her second husband. After living in the Lake District for twelve years, she finally moved back to Devon, and now lives in a village on the edge of Dartmoor. She lost her son Philip in 2008, and has two grandchildren. A keen walker and animal-lover, she now has a dog and three ginger cats to keep her busy, along with a wide range of hobbies she enjoys.
She started signing her romance novels as Donna Baker and Nicola West, now she also writes as Lilian Harry (inspired by the first names of her grandparents). Among her works are historical novels, romances and even two books giving advice on how to write short stories and novels.
Donna Thomson was born in Gosport, near Portsmouth Harbour, England, UK. Growing up during the terrifying years of the Blitz in a two-up, two-down terraced house, the youngest of four, she aspired to be a writer from an early age.
As a young woman she worked in the Civil Service and moved to Devon to be near her sailor husband. They had a son and a daughter. When the marriage ended, she and her two children moved to the Midlands, where she happily married again to her second husband. After living in the Lake District for twelve years, she finally moved back to Devon, and now lives in a village on the edge of Dartmoor. She lost her son Philip in 2008, and has two grandchildren. A keen walker and animal-lover, she now has a dog and three ginger cats to keep her busy, along with a wide range of hobbies she enjoys.
She started signing her romance novels as Donna Baker and Nicola West, now she also writes as Lilian Harry (inspired by the first names of her grandparents). Among her works are historical novels, romances and even two books giving advice on how to write short stories and novels.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 22, 2018
I read this book ages ago and I really enjoyed the story. Lilian Harry is one of my favourite authors and I really enjoy stories from this era. Recommended.
February 9, 2009
On a holiday in France with too few books to read this was one of a very limited choices. I had never heard about Lilian Harry and had no expectations at all. It turned out to be a very likeable story where you really get into the life in Britain during WW II. By following the life of different women you get all the different sides and aspects of life up to D-day. It is so absorbing that I almost felt bad about using too much hot water and sugar while reading it. My only objection is the ending. Unless the author has planned a follow-up of some kind I felt left with too many loose endings. Is there a sequel?
March 19, 2018
I like these books, I think because I love reading about WW2, not about the fighting but about the human element, 55 million died and the majority were civilians and not soldiers, these people going about their lives and what were those lives like? Lilian Harry does heightened emotions very well, are they heightened because it's war or because they are women & teenagers in love? either way I read it and it reminds me of how when I was younger that young love was all consuming and life came second.
January 29, 2020
Another good Lilian Harry book. I find it interesting reading about Gosport as it’s where my mum grew up during the war. My uncle worked at Priddys Hard putting the fuses in the ammunition, so this story was of particular interest to me. I liked the characters and I wanted to know what happened to them next.
May 20, 2022
book 7, read many years ago will buy this series on kindle.
September 29, 2009
I've found a new author for WWII fiction. Not yet sure if I like her as much as Annie Groves - I will have to try a few first.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews