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April Grove, a Street at War #8
A Farthing Will Do
A heart-rending wartime saga, bringing the reality of the end of war to the people of April Grove and Bridge End.Ruth, Lizzie and Heather each have their own reasons for greeting the end of the war with mixed feelings. For Ruth, it means she must face the possibility of losing Sammy, the evacuee boy she has come to love as her own - not to mention the uncertain relationship she has with his father, Dan. For Heather, who has been enjoying working the farm since her husband Ian went away, there is the difficult process of adjusting to a man who believes that his wife's place will now be in the kitchen. And Lizzie is confronted by the truth about her own strength of will in enduring years of loneliness - particularly as her friendship with the American airman, Floyd, deepens.With the coming of peace, life changes more than anyone had expected as the 'love and laughter' that had been promised turn to bewilderment, anger and disappointment. Yet although nothing is quite as they had hoped it would be, they are able to move into a future without war, and learn to live with peace.
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
6 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 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 24, 2020
I had not read the earlier books in this series. The war is coming to an end but plenty of detail is still provided, such as that the Germans claimed they had blown up HMS Victory early in the war. Portsmouth and the rural areas are contrasted, especially at the war's end and the kind of celebrations held.
We see that life was not simple for those who returned and found their space taken by women workers. Nor was it simple for women to relinquish their freedom. The book doesn't come out all that cheerfully but of course the ends are mostly tied up well.
This is an unbiased review.
We see that life was not simple for those who returned and found their space taken by women workers. Nor was it simple for women to relinquish their freedom. The book doesn't come out all that cheerfully but of course the ends are mostly tied up well.
This is an unbiased review.
December 5, 2017
I have read this book a few times and still one of my favourites.
Recommended.
Recommended.
February 18, 2021
A brilliant book centred around the inhabitants of the village Bridge End towards the latter part of WW2, its end, and aftermath for about a year. It's about people, their emotions, actions, and consequences for those actions- some happy and some not so happy. It shows how much people underestimated the effects of war. Everyone thinks that life will just easily slip back into its old ways and everyone will settle down in a week or two. But it's not so easy.
The book shows how much PTSD has scarred the men who come back, how out of focus they feel and how utterly useless at times. It also shows the difficulties women face. After stepping up and doing "men's" jobs, women have come to realise that there's nothing REALLY holding them back except social conditioning. It is unfair to expect women to tamely go back into kitchens as if the past 6 years hadn't happened. A good deal of compromising must happen and everyone must be patient. People must also learn to go with the flow, and say goodbye- heartbreaking though it might be- if that is the right thing to do. A poignant tale. I have always loved literature based on WW2 and this book certainly lived up to standards. When I started reading this book, I didn't know it was part of a series. I enjoyed this very much so I'll definitely keep my eyes open for the other ones!
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
The only character I definitely disliked was Stevie. Which was a pity because I really liked her at first. I get that she had learned to love country life and didn't want to go back. But seriously....did she not realise that the attention Ian was showing her and the things he was saying were totally inappropriate? I am certainly not absolving Ian of guilt here. As the married person, the sanctity of his marriage is firmly his responsibility. But Stevie considered herself primarily Heather's friend! She only fleetingly knew Ian before he was called up for the war and then for years she and Heather were best friends. Add to that, Ian was a person traumatised by the war. While Heather certainly had faced initial hardships (coming to the countryside and working on a farm while being an inexperienced townie), you can hardly compare those with the hardships suffered by Ian and even Heather. I found Stevie's character either irritatingly naive, dumb, or being manipulative while pretending to be innocent.
The book shows how much PTSD has scarred the men who come back, how out of focus they feel and how utterly useless at times. It also shows the difficulties women face. After stepping up and doing "men's" jobs, women have come to realise that there's nothing REALLY holding them back except social conditioning. It is unfair to expect women to tamely go back into kitchens as if the past 6 years hadn't happened. A good deal of compromising must happen and everyone must be patient. People must also learn to go with the flow, and say goodbye- heartbreaking though it might be- if that is the right thing to do. A poignant tale. I have always loved literature based on WW2 and this book certainly lived up to standards. When I started reading this book, I didn't know it was part of a series. I enjoyed this very much so I'll definitely keep my eyes open for the other ones!
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
The only character I definitely disliked was Stevie. Which was a pity because I really liked her at first. I get that she had learned to love country life and didn't want to go back. But seriously....did she not realise that the attention Ian was showing her and the things he was saying were totally inappropriate? I am certainly not absolving Ian of guilt here. As the married person, the sanctity of his marriage is firmly his responsibility. But Stevie considered herself primarily Heather's friend! She only fleetingly knew Ian before he was called up for the war and then for years she and Heather were best friends. Add to that, Ian was a person traumatised by the war. While Heather certainly had faced initial hardships (coming to the countryside and working on a farm while being an inexperienced townie), you can hardly compare those with the hardships suffered by Ian and even Heather. I found Stevie's character either irritatingly naive, dumb, or being manipulative while pretending to be innocent.
July 27, 2017
a OK read
November 25, 2012
Fantastic as ever in the series.
Just couldn't put it down so much drama in this book, loads of problems and stories coming in from each character. Really felt for some of these characters with all they had gone through in the war then to find there was still problems after the war.
Recommend anyone to pick this up and carry on with the series.
Nice balance between April Grove and Bridge End, I'm guessing the next book ' A Penny a Day' will be mainly Bridge End. Very excited for the next book as I believe it is the last in the April Grove series.
Just couldn't put it down so much drama in this book, loads of problems and stories coming in from each character. Really felt for some of these characters with all they had gone through in the war then to find there was still problems after the war.
Recommend anyone to pick this up and carry on with the series.
Nice balance between April Grove and Bridge End, I'm guessing the next book ' A Penny a Day' will be mainly Bridge End. Very excited for the next book as I believe it is the last in the April Grove series.
May 6, 2019
Would have liked the whole series of April Grove tied up so we know what happened to all of them, for example Olive?
Would have liked the whole series of April Grove tied up so we knew what happened to all of them, for example Olive?
Would have liked the whole series of April Grove tied up so we knew what happened to all of them, for example Olive?
May 20, 2022
last book in this series, ends all the books very well and ties up any loose ends .
brilliantly written ... nowadays will buy on kindle.
brilliantly written ... nowadays will buy on kindle.
June 16, 2013
such a brilliant follow on story. so much drama for all the character's. I really felt for all the character's storylines. a great read and a real page turner..
March 12, 2012
great read a follow on from twopence to spend another lillian harry masterpiece so easy to read
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews