Maybe This Time

by Anna King

A tale of frustrated love, passion and anger and in London’s East End Cathy Meadow’s return to the East End can only mean one trouble. Barney and Rory have a rivalry that goes back many years; a mutual hatred inflamed by the seductive Cathy. It was she who ended Rory’s relationship with the poor but pretty Josie Guntrip , and then broke his heart leaving him for the better-off Barney. Having snagged herself a rich man, no one was expecting her to return to the slums. With Rory under Cathy’s spell once again, he hasn’t the time to give Josie a second thought. Which is a shame, because Josie never stopped loving him… An unputdownable saga and brilliant read for anyone who enjoys Dilly Court, Sally Warboyes and Katie Flynn.

Genres: Historical Fiction

359 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

Anna King is the pseudonym of Josephine Carr, a writer formerly published by HarperCollins, NAL/Penguin, and Dial Books for Young Readers. She's delighted to embrace independent publishing with her new company, Three Kings Books (also publishing Joseph King with novels CRACK and EVIL DOES IT, currently available for Amazon's Kindle).

Reviews

[Mela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a good storytelling. It is such kind of a book you can take to your purse and then read it in a park or a bus. When someone makes you to interrupt reading you won't be angry because you can easily continue reading, without thinking what you have been reading before.

I haven't yet read many books which take place in the East End of London. I will remember The Tea Rose and The Winter Rose for long. But I am not sure how long I will remember this book. Yes, I like this book, I have read it fast. But if this book had been a little longer I would have begun to be bored.

So, because it take place in the poor part of London in the beginning of XX century it is often harsh. If you like only a climate of Regency romances you shouldn't pick it. For me it was interesting to see that love for different people mean something else, that decisions made by them differ from those made by rich and privileged people. So, I don't regret reading it and if you have this book on your shelf you can try by yourself. But if you are looking for a book which takes place in the East End, which is moving, which has a great love story - better buy The Tea Rose (or The Winter Rose) by Jennifer Donnelly.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about an Irish family living in the East End of London at the turn of the twentieth
century. About family life and love which is never straightforward. I enjoyed reading this book
and would recommend it.

[Gary David Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good

Seems like these stories end so abruptly. What happened to Jane and her baby? Did mother and father come home? All of a sudden Rory loves her?

[Pam Watmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is the East End of London and Jane Flynn is being taunted about her facial birth mark by Barney Hobbs and is rescued by her brother Rory Flynn. Rory and Barney have a history over a girl called Cathy. This book follows the lives of the families in the East End, the hardship of the times and the community of the area, those that stick together. Josie is a carer for her Mother who is very mean and nasty and spiteful to her and leaves her out of the will but when she dies they find a lot of money hidden in the bed which allows her to survive and flourish with the help of her neighbouring family the Flynns. To complicate matters Rory used to go out with Josie but dumped her for another girl creating heartbreak. This book explores what it was like to live in those times from hand to mouth and the desires of a young girl recently orphaned having to reply on the help of their neighbours together with the complications of Cathy who married an older rich man coming back into their lives creating jealousy between Rory and Barney. You feel the pain and thoughts of the characters in this book.