A Wing and a Prayer

by Margaret Thornton

The death of her enigmatic great aunt takes a young woman on a journey that leads to family secrets, heartbreak and finally happiness in this absorbing family saga.

1990, Blackpool. 33-year-old Helen Burnside is shocked when she learns that her beloved Great Aunt Alice has died of a sudden heart attack, and even more surprised when Alice's will reveals that she has bequeathed her Yorkshire cottage to Helen. Although Helen was close to her aunt, Alice was an enigmatic figure, estranged from most of her family. What led to the long-held animosity between Alice, her mother, Ada and her sister, Lizzie, and why did she leave Blackpool for Yorkshire all those years ago?

Moving into Alice's cottage in the small Yorkshire village of Thornbeck, Helen uncovers a series of devastating family secrets dating back to the Second World War. But as Helen starts to piece together the truth about her aunty's life, it seems her own is about to travel in unexpected and life-changing directions.

240 pages, Hardcover

Published September 3, 2019

About the author

Margaret Thornton was born in Blackpool and has lived there all her life. She was a qualified teacher but retired in order to concentrate on her writing.

Thornton has two children and five grandchildren. Her previous Blackpool sagas are available from Headline and have been highly praised. To date, she has written 24 novels.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting novel for sure!! This author has done an excellent job with her writing. I could tell this book came from the heart! I love when authors can pull u into the story and make you not want to leave the time and place to come back to the real world.
The plot was wonderful along with excellent characters.
I will be looking for more from this new to me author.
My thanks to Netgalley and NO compensations were received. All opinions are my own.

[Mrsk Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In her recent novel, A Wing and a Prayer, Margaret Thornton has followed the popular formula of writing two stories in parallel with each other. The first is told in present time and the latter takes place during and immediately following WWII, in Britain. While the story set in WWII is engaging and captures the readers sentiments the one set in present time is a predictable romance.

To its credit the novel is well researched and written. It leaves one pondering the fate of the many children, who were surely born out of wedlock, during a time of intense emotions and turmoil. If you like syrupy love stories and have an interest in the everyday life of civilian women during WWII you will definitely enjoy this book.

[Leeanne]

Set in 1990 and during World War two. Helen Burnside is single lives in Blackpool, near her mother and grandmother, when her Great Aunt Alice dies, Helen moves to Yorkshire to live in a cottage she inherits from her Great Aunt Alice. Helen makes a new life for herself and gradually gets to know her neighbors. As she sorts out her Great Aunt’s mementos Helen finds a small box with old letters and other small items revealing that Alice had a war time romance. Helen’s mother and Aunt don’t want to talk about Alice’s life and the reason she moved to Yorkshire after the Second World War.
Helen is determined to find out more about Alice’s life and the family secrets going back to the 1940’s and 1950’s.
This was a war time romance about families, adoption and secrets.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen's great aunt Alice is an enigma to her. She doesn't understand why Alice was estranged from the family or, more immediately, why she left her a cottage. Set in Thornbeck, Yorkshire, this has some nice local color but more importantly, it's a reminder of how old attitudes split families. Helen's research into Alice leads her to events during WWII and Alice's love. It's a good old fashioned read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this well written and engrossing story.
It's well researched, the plot is well crafter and the characters are fleshed out.
I was fascinated by two storylines, the descriptions of everyday life and the historical background.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Sheila Griffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in post WW 2 England an easy comfortable read as a single young woman finds out about her family’s past when she inherits her Great Aunts cottage and the clues to the past.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt story for quiet afternoon reading. The story had intrigue, love, and family relationships set on north west coast of England during WWII. I was not familiar with the Blackpool seaside town, nor with Yorkshire, so I enjoyed getting to know these areas of England.

I drew the family tree diagram to keep track of the family members, which added to the story interest for me. I loved the descriptions of every day life! And, I always enjoy a story with a mystery to understand. The story reminded me how dreadful family judgments can be, especially between mothers and daughters, and how cruel societal norms could be in the 1940s...we have come a long way to empathy! It was also refreshing to read just how mannered and well-behaved 20-somethings were in the 1940s.

Alice is a character I will remember for a very long time...a strong, loving, good person. Just being herself did more good for her family than she could have imagined. I wish that Tony's family had been informed at the end of the book.