When their marriage is upended, Jennifer must go on a journey with a young woman she just met to discover a truth that might be too much for either of them to bear.

Now 16 years old, she's finally managed to escape the cruel confines of the orphanage, and enter the real world. Finding work at a nearby café, Pearl is thrilled to start earning her own money, even if she must contend with sharp-tongued Dolly Dolby. Aw you guys, Winnie is a wee soul, wholesome, she has such a kind heart and always wants to do for others, her goodness is emphasized by the shady characters around her. We see the community in the build up to the war, the disbelief it will come to be and how it affects those in and around Winnie's life. A chance encounter sees Winnie have to face the past and the ripples it creates in her present day life, secrets have a habit of always coming out and it isn't just Winnie who has secrets! The author does not know if she would have ever pursued her writing dreams if tragedy hadn’t come into her life. Kitty’s son was 27-years-old when he died. The occurrence nearly broke Kitty.I miss Winnie, Rachel and Jan, and I adored Mrs Savage who although played a small part made up for it with character!

Most modern authors would have used such affirmation as a reason to immediately make their mark in publishing. However, even though her writing talents were so clear to everyone who knew her, it would be years before Kitty Neale sat down to write fiction. This is a story of lots of mother's secrets throughout the whole fantastic book. My emotions made me laugh cry and cheer, all the way through. It's the third of September 1939 in Battersea London, Winnie Berry her husband Brian and son David had the wireless on and it's not good news, they are at war with Germany and Winnie has a main worry of her beloved son been called up. The author married her first husband in 1966. Their son and daughter were born soon after. Then came the divorce, followed by a number of years during which Kitty struggled to survive as a single mother. Neither Elsie nor Bert nor their children wanted to move to Candle Lane. The street in Battersea is modest but they all miss their home in Wimbledon, especially the kids, Ann and Arthur. She could do a little bit of everything but there wasn’t one skill she had truly mastered because no particular arena of employment ever satisfied her. And after a while, Kitty’s family came into the picture at which point they became the primary focus of her life.This is an interesting look at a number of people and how they coped with life’s joys and problems amid the war. It was obvious once I started it that this was the second book in the series and I had not read the first Battersea Tavern book. But the author filled in the story enough to get the gist of what had gone before. Winnie, is a warm hearted character who is not judgemental and who mostly tries to see the good in people. Sometimes that leads to trouble. She is fiercely protective of Rachel and Martha. We also meet The Hampton siblings Errol and Cheryl. Cheryl is close to her father but Errol and Harry have always had an uneasy relationship.

sadly the last in this three book series but I shall look forward to more adventures from Kitty Neale her book just keep coming in heaps and bounds with so many feel good emotions as you can't put them down. Victoria Oundjian, commissioning editor at Orion Fiction, acquired world English rights to the three new titles from Judith Murdoch at the Judith Murdoch Literary Agency. Kitty Neale comes from a working-class family. She grew up in South London. Her parents worked in the local factories. Kitty spent a lot of time on the streets around Battersea. Then she hears two pieces of terrifying news – Kevin Dolby is up for parole and that her dear friend Bessie is gravely ill. Bessie has taken on Nora Dobbs, a young woman and she asks Pearl to take over her care when dies. Pearl, thinking that Bessie will recover from her illness and live for many more years, agrees, but less than a week later, Bessie passes away.I was on tenterhooks at times and feared for a character who I also came to like and I was hoping that their life would get better. It wasn’t until she met Jim, her second and final husband, that Kitty Neale achieved a sense of stability in her life. By the time they got married, Kitty’s children had grown up and started lives of their own, so Kitty was free to indulge in her passions.