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Secrets of the Homefront Girls

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What to expect

A new series from bestselling author Kate Thompson.

'Kate Thompson's wartime novels always strike a chord and Secrets of the Homefront Girls is no exception. You can almost smell the Yardley violets drifting over the factory as the girls live lives complicated by the trials and tribulations of war' My Weekly

'Kate Thompson's put the lives of women working in the Yardley factory during the Blitz at the heart of her latest novel' Woman's Hour

Stratford, 1939.

Britain may be at war, but on the home front keeping up morale and keeping up appearances go hand in hand. For the young women working on the lipstick production line at Yardley's cosmetics factory, it's business as usual.

Headstrong Renee Gunn is the queen of the lipstick belt - although her cheeky attitude means she's often in trouble. When Esther, an Austrian refugee, arrives at Yardley's, it's Renee who takes her under her wing and teaches her to be a true cockney.

But outside of the factory, things are more complicated. Lily, Renee's older sister, has suddenly returned home after six years away, and is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile Esther is finding life in England more difficult than expected, and it's not long before Renee finds herself in trouble, with nowhere to turn.

In the face of the Blitz, the Yardley girls are bound together by friendship and loyalty - but could the secrets they are hiding be the biggest danger of all?

'A compelling saga set around the tenacious women of the East End' Daisy Styles

'Kate Thompson is a skillful and humane storyteller who lights up the sooty face of the old East End with tales full of drama and human interest.' Annie Murray

(P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critics Review

Praise for Secrets of the Homefront Girls:
A compelling saga set around the tenacious women of the East End
Daisy Styles
Beautifully written, well drawn characters and a plot that had me guessing. I could really feel the emotion.
Fiona Ford, author of the Liberty Girls series
Kate Thompson's put the lives of women working in the Yardley factory during the Blitz at the heart of her latest novel
Woman's Hour
Kate Thompson is a skillful and humane storyteller who lights up the sooty face of the old East End with tales full of drama and human interest
Annie Murray
I loved this book, so filled with life and compassion and the sadness of wartime. Kate has caught the idioms and spirit of those tough women and the characters just danced off the page
Leah Fleming
Kate Thompson's wartime novels always strike a chord and Secrets of the Homefront Girls is no exception. You can almost smell the Yardley violets drifting over the factory as the girls live lives complicated by the trials and tribulations of war
My Weekly
A huge amount of social comment has been woven into the storyline. Telling it like it really was is so important - the good old days were not at all good for many people, especially women, and this book brings that out very clearly
Dilys Cossey, OBE, leading campaigner for abortion, birth control and reproductive rights and a key member of the Abortion Law Reform Association (ALRA)
A brilliant new novel recreates Yardley's famous 'lipstick line; and the lives of the women who proudly worked there
Daily Express
Lose yourself in this moving war story
Take a Break
Kate Thompson brought this war story to life by speaking to and even reuniting some Yardley factory friends after 70 years
Yours Magazine
Praise for Kate Thompson:
A riveting and wonderful read
Mary Wood
The way Kate Thompson writes . . . made me feel that I was reading about old friends. I just had to keep the pages turning. I am sure that before long her readers will be clamouring for more
Pam Weaver
Marvellous, full of gutsy characters I immediately empathized with
Margaret Pemberton
The remarkable story of the women who ruled the East End through the Blitz. A lively authentic social history, the book centres around five formidable working-class women . . . a hair-raising, but always warmhearted tale
My Weekly
Kate Thompson writes books that make you laugh and make you cry, sometimes at the same time. You cannot put them down. I advise you to read them all!
Anita Dobson
Inspiring tales of courage in the face of hardship
Mail on Sunday
Astonishing
Radio 5 Live
Celebrates the lives of tough wartime matriarchs
ITV News
Crammed full of fascinating stories
BBC2 Steve Wright
A love letter to East London, The Secrets of the Homefront Girls shows how everyone counts whatever their gender, class or religion
Roman Road London
Author Kate Thompson
Narrator Gina Murray
Duration 14 hours and 14 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781473698130
Format Audiobook
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Genre Generational sagas, Historical fiction, Second World War fiction, Social and cultural history
Availability AU, GB, IE

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