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April Grove, a Street at War #2
The Girls They Left Behind
It is 1940, and the neighbors in April Grove are close-knit, patriotic, and proud—but the onset of the Blitz tests their loyalties and courage as never before. Betty Chapman meets a devastatingly attractive man in the Land Army, who upsets all her settled ideas; Olive Harker, just married, must now decide whether to risk motherhood; and Nancy Baxter offers comfort to lonely serviceman, while her son runs wild.
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1995
16 people are currently reading
94 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 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 9, 2024
Phew. I’m going to have to pick something light for my next read.
I’m enjoying and really getting into this series, it being about the Blitz. That’s a topic of WW2 that has always interested me. The author does an incredible job of making me feel as though I’m right there in the experience. That makes it necessary to take a break once in a while, though. The third installment will there for me when I’m over my book hangover.
I’m enjoying and really getting into this series, it being about the Blitz. That’s a topic of WW2 that has always interested me. The author does an incredible job of making me feel as though I’m right there in the experience. That makes it necessary to take a break once in a while, though. The third installment will there for me when I’m over my book hangover.
February 27, 2018
I really enjoyed this story because it was set in an era that I love to read about and it was written by Lillian Harry. Doesn't get any better than this. Recommended.
March 8, 2021
Loving this series. Set during World War 2 it describes the struggles and challenges for many families living in Portsmouth enduring terrible times and conditions throughout the 6 years of war, particularly during the Blitz. Hard times for ordinary people, so many lives lost, disrupted and changed forever. Hard hitting - Lilian Harry's style of writing is excellent and really draws you in.
May 7, 2023
April Grove round two!
Even more heartbreak mixed with a few heart-warming moments.
I loved the development of previously introduced characters and enjoyed the new ones - especially Tommy Vickers!
Betty's story as a Land Girl is an interesting one and it was nice to get away from the Blitz. I liked the inclusion of a CO.
Even more heartbreak mixed with a few heart-warming moments.
I loved the development of previously introduced characters and enjoyed the new ones - especially Tommy Vickers!
Betty's story as a Land Girl is an interesting one and it was nice to get away from the Blitz. I liked the inclusion of a CO.
December 17, 2024
This was okay, but not much in the way of a plot except for the day-to-day danger of the war/blitz. The characters were fairly well done, but stereotypical. Still, I finished it and went on to her next book, Keep Smiling Through.
May 20, 2022
VERY GOOD BOOK LOVED THIS ENTIRE SERIES.
October 13, 2023
Enjoyed this Second World War story. It painted a realistic picture of life under bombing Portsmouth.
April 13, 2020
Love the descriptive if not sometimes graphic visual writing, totally invest in each character.
February 13, 2012
In this second volume in the April Grove series, Lilian Harry concentrates on the women who have to deal with shortages, bombing and war work while their men are away. Spanning from just after Dunkirk to the Spring of 1941, The Girls They Left Behind encompasses the Blitz, ambulance driving and rescue, the difficult life of a land girl, and even the complexities behind being a conscientious objector.
I much preferred this second volume to the first, Goodbye Sweetheart, which contained much hand-wringing over whether the War would come or not and whether and where the children should be sent for their safety. Where that book was a long, slow set-up, The Girls They Left Behind really gets a move-on, with events tumbling all over one another. Particularly effective is Harry's depiction of individual characters' experience in the same Blitz attack.
Once again, I'm happy that Harry trusts us to forgive her for killing off and/or damaging important characters, even if we've grown to love them. Families did not make it through the War unscathed and it would be disingenuous to pretend they didn't. Now that the War has really gotten going, so has the story, and I'm already looking forward to the next volume, Keep Smiling Through.
I much preferred this second volume to the first, Goodbye Sweetheart, which contained much hand-wringing over whether the War would come or not and whether and where the children should be sent for their safety. Where that book was a long, slow set-up, The Girls They Left Behind really gets a move-on, with events tumbling all over one another. Particularly effective is Harry's depiction of individual characters' experience in the same Blitz attack.
Once again, I'm happy that Harry trusts us to forgive her for killing off and/or damaging important characters, even if we've grown to love them. Families did not make it through the War unscathed and it would be disingenuous to pretend they didn't. Now that the War has really gotten going, so has the story, and I'm already looking forward to the next volume, Keep Smiling Through.
July 27, 2018
I'm a huge fan of Lilian Harry's books and this one didn't disappoint. This is the second book in the series and war is here. This book highlights the difficulties faced by those who remained in England while the war raged on the continent.
It painted a realistic picture of fear, anxiety, but also of hope, as young women became more independent and contributed themselves to the war effort.
The book is filled with love and heartbreak, and Harry is not afraid to show the horrors of war, even from the sidelines. War comes home to the little town as the bombs and telegrams arrive.
Really looking forward to the next one.
It painted a realistic picture of fear, anxiety, but also of hope, as young women became more independent and contributed themselves to the war effort.
The book is filled with love and heartbreak, and Harry is not afraid to show the horrors of war, even from the sidelines. War comes home to the little town as the bombs and telegrams arrive.
Really looking forward to the next one.
May 10, 2023
This is the second in the April Grove series. It follows the lovely characters and families who live there and covers lots of different aspects. This one stories of the blitz, RAF pilots and land army. I really enjoy these books. If you enjoy historical and wartime fiction this is worth a read.
May 2, 2013
loved loved loved this book, kept me gript all the way through, what an excellet author.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews