20th Century

Characters you'll come to love and a story that keeps you turning the page.' Rosie Goodwin THE SIXTH BOOK IN THE MUCH-LOVED DOVER CAFE WWII SAGA SERIES Dover, January 1942 The war is closing in on every shore, and when Marge Atkinson is assigned to an elite group of Wrens, chosen to teach war...

Amsterdam, 1940: Schoolteacher Aletta knows the war will soon reach her and the Jewish children in her class. When her family hide an injured Allied airman in their home, they must decide: how much will they risk when resistance could prove deadly? Paris, 1940: Since her mother’s death, Chloe has dedicated herself to protecting her brothers. So when the SS accuses Claude of being in the Resistance, she sacrifices herself to save him.

The Dordogne, 1936 Amid tangled gardens and crumbling walls, Chateau Rousseau guards its secrets well. Pushing open its faded door, Thirza Caruthers arrives to care for her great-aunt. She's made a promise – unaware of what awaits. As the skies darken above Europe, the chateau begins to reveal...

Set in the height of the Second World War, The Cazalet Chronicles continues with the third in the series, Confusion, where chaos has become a way of life for the Cazalet family. Read by Indira Varma (Game of Thrones, Luther and Oedipus at The Old Vic) ‘They could be like telegrams, or the most...

London, East End, 1941: When everything is lost, can love rebuild a family? With the Blitz blazing through London and sirens wailing through the night, district nurse Sarah Rhodes tends the injured and comforts the frightened, determined to endure this terrible war. But when her own home is destroyed, she is forced to leave London and seek refuge at Harbour House. There, more devastating bad news awaits. Her beloved husband Stan, a brave RAF pilot flying dangerous bombing raids, is reported missing in action when his plane fails to return. Sarah's world shatters.

Told almost exclusively through other characters' perceptions, conversations and memories, Woolf's groundbreaking novel centres around Jacob Flanders, a young man whose identity is difficult to grasp. Rather than presenting a conventional biography, Woolf assembles Jacob's presence from absence, evoking an air of emptiness and mystery, set against the haunting shadow of the First World War.

Based on the Incredible True Story of Sr Kate McCarthy IMPRISONED BY EVIL, HER SPIRIT NEVER SURRENDERED 1944, Ravensbrück - the infamous concentration camp for women. Amid unimaginable suffering, Sr Kate McCarthy, an Irish nun and Resistance fighter, stands at the gates. Kate joined the French...

A young man died, consumed by fire. There was no evidence of crime, but suspicions persist. Julian Courtauld had raised hackles, not that he cared. Rich, confident and handsome, he saw a glittering future for himself. He was a budding playwright, he had girls swooning at his feet despite just becoming engaged to a dazzling heiress. And then the fire ended it all. Five years later a parcel arrives on Miss Busby's doorstep. The anonymous letter begs for her help.

The breathtaking new novel from the bestselling author of the Richard and Judy Book Club pick The Midnight House. 'I just loved this sweeping and deeply moving book of dark secrets' SANTA MONTEFIORE 'A page-turning mystery, richly layered and irresistible' CARMEL HARRINGTON 'A gorgeous novel...

Two years into the conflict, Rose is adjusting to life as a Land Girl, working the Somerset fields alongside Jimmy, the farmer's son whose watchful, protective attention she can neither escape nor ignore. As the threat of invasion grows, the girls prove their courage to the commanding officer of a secret resistance unit and are drawn into a dangerous world of espionage, coded messages and hidden loyalties. But there is trouble close to home too. Daisy knows she is in love with her lifelong friend Mattie, but will she speak the truth before it's too late?

The Mayfair Ladies' Club survived the Blitz — but can it survive betrayal? September 1944. Deirdre Rowan is a spirited Irish receptionist at the exclusive Mayfair Ladies’ Club in London. When new manager Maxwell Forster arrives, Deirdre is immediately attracted to him. But Max has a secret...

When Caroline Alleyn inherits Wickham Grange, all she wants to do is sell up. There are bad memories there, linked to her childhood as the daughter of a single mother – and to all the other mothers she knew in that house. But her grandmother Frances’s will means that it can’t be sold...

Step into the occult underworld of Edwardian London with Aleister Crowley, a rebellious genius and aspiring magician, as he plunges into the secret society of the Golden Dawn. The year is 1900, and this isn't just a new club; it's a war zone. Crowley, a world-class mountaineer and acclaimed poet...

Jeremy, the daring pilot, flies dangerous missions across Europe and beyond, risking his life as he battles a waning and desperate empire. Beside him stands Amelie, the courageous ambulance driver dedicated to saving soldiers' lives at the front—Allied and enemy. She is equally devoted to...

Best friends Jana and Eva are carefree eight-year-olds in Prague – until Nazi occupation tears them apart. As their mothers are taken away and the girls face the horrors of war, survival becomes all that matters. In Theresienstadt, two desperate women make unimaginable sacrifices to one day find their children. But will love and hope be enough to help them reunite?

In a place built for death, one woman fought to save life. An elderly doctor stands before a room of students in a lecture hall. What unfolds is a story of courage, brutality, and survival. When Dr. Gisella Perl is deported to Auschwitz, her medical training becomes the only thing that can keep her alive. Forced into the women’s barracks under the command of Josef Mengele, she faces starvation, disease, and relentless brutality. Every day, she must make impossible choices, using her skills to save the women the camp has marked for death.

Singer Jessie Delaney is back home after narrowly escaping the London Blitz with her life. With husband Johnny Randolph serving overseas, Frances Randolph is busy juggling the business, motherhood and keeping West End star Ruby Randolph out of trouble. Young, talented amateur entertainer, Peggy Marshall has been left in the care of her feckless stepmother while her father serves on the dangerous Atlantic convoys. With everyone doing their bit, the Seaside Girls pool their talents to support the community and also their men at war.

June, 1944. As news of D-Day reaches London, the residents of West India Dock Road dare to celebrate. But amid the bunting, shared food and children’s laughter lie fear, grief and secrets that refuse to stay buried. Divya has built a life for herself and her son that she once thought...

England, 1947: In the rubble-filled streets of post-war London, nineteen-year-old Audrey is devastated to lose her job when the men return from war. But her mum needs her more than ever since she was injured in the bombings, and her beloved fiancé Martin wants her to focus on building their life together, so her future seems set. Yet Audrey can't help but wonder if there's more to life than keeping a home and raising a family. And when she hears about a chance to train as one of England's first airline stewardesses, her heart leaps.

Bloomsbury presents Prey by Graham Hurley, read by Andrew Cullum. A breathtaking thriller combining espionage and combat, Prey is the story of the brutal battle for the skies during the darkest days of World War II. 1943. The war is turning against the Third Reich, but the Luftwaffe are eagerly...

Post-war London is a city in flux, with burned-out buildings serving as vivid reminders of the past. But beneath those scars is a sense of resurging optimism. Chrissie Walker, a new student at Goldsmiths arts college, feels it keenly. So does Mary Quant, the auburn-haired classmate who becomes...

Louis and Beau L’Amour present a collaboration across time, an epic novel of Cold War suspense—a pair of unlikely heroes, a woman without a name, and the undefeated agents of the Third Reich find themselves locked in a deadly race to control the greatest secret of the twentieth century. “I...

Québec, Hautes-Laurentides, 1922. Avant de mourir, Rose Gélinas a demandé à ses quatre enfants de lui faire cette promesse folle. Édouard décide de briser son serment et unit sa destinée à celle de Clémentine. Son annonce troublera-t-elle l'harmonie dans la famille ? Et Édouard...

Orphaned Elspeth Bremner longs to become a teacher, but her foster mother, Flora McDonald, decides that Elspeth must begin work when she turns fourteen. Wishing to improve her future prospects, she attends night school to learn shorthand, typing and book-keeping. Elspeth begins to date Kenneth Monteith, who is studying to become a doctor, and when Kenneth returns to Glasgow, Mattie also travels there to begin her teacher training, following Elspeth's dreams and now her man.

From bestselling author Jackie French comes a compelling book about the choices we make and the chances we never dreamed we'd be given. 1931. The height of the Depression, Sydney, New South Wales They were diamonds: beautiful, sparkling and irresistible. Nice girls do not accept employment from...