This secret is so dangerous that her mother, Maura, and the redoubtable Kathleen, her best friend Nellie’s grandmother, decide the girls must be spirited away quietly to Ireland to await the birth of the baby.

I almost gave up reading but later on it became very interesting and involved, it still jumped about but by this time I had become used to the drift of it and could keep track better. Like the first book, The Four Streets, the story covers the lives of families living in The Four Streets area of Liverpool.

I also was so glad that "Kitty" found her inner strength and herself, as I was dreading her crumbling under the cruelty of the regime in the laundry run by the nuns. Her mother, Maura, and best friend Nellie's grandmother decide the girls must be spirited away to Ireland to await the birth of the baby. I find it hard to imagine how the families could have so many children whilst so poor, but then I am not Catholic. My only concern was that at times I found it hard to believe this was the early sixties as it seemed to be more 50's.

She has been MP for Mid Bedfordshire since 2005, and is presently serving as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. My books are based on the streets of Liverpool, or in the Liverpool hospitals where I trained as a nurse, or at one of my favourite places in the world, the west coast of Ireland. I recognised the caring and uncaring nuns and felt that she gave a very fair picture of the close knit Irish Commnity.I echo everything thats been said by other five star reviews and applaud this author's talent for the fine interweaving of all the threads involved. I too, grew up in this era (and in a catholic community), but we were not so naive or vulnerable as this community is portrayed. Fourteen-year-old Kitty Doherty, pregnant with the dead man's child, is a danger to everyone who needs to keep the secret. She trained as a nurse, then followed with a successful career in which she established and then sold her own business. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.

And as for leaving Kitty in that awful place in the charge of those malicious nuns, well, I almost gave up on the book entirely! However, unlike the first book which centred only around this area, in this book the story goes back and forwards to Ireland as we follow Kitty and her story.I thoroughly enjoyed it despite being thought provoking and bringing back memories of my Catholic school. This story started very slowly and did jump from one set of people to another so was difficult to keep track of who was who. So many loose ends to tie up - well done to Nadine Dorries - I only wish I had a fraction of her talent! One final query - Simon change brands for obvious reasons - almost as an aside -- but then apparently changed back again?