I am delighted to be involved in the Christmas at Woolworths blog tour and very excited to say that by reading my review copy in the staff room at work, two colleagues have already said that they are ordering copies for family as Christmas presents!
Summary:
Even though there was a war on, the Woolworths girls brought Christmas cheer to their customers.
Best friends Sarah, Maisie and Freda are brought together by their jobs at Woolworths. With their loved ones away on the front line, their bonds of friendship strengthen each day. Betty Billington is the manager at Woolworths, and a rock for the girls, having given up on love . . . Until a mysterious stranger turns up one day – could he reignite a spark in Betty?
As the year draws to a close, and Christmas approaches, the girls must rely on each other to navigate the dark days that lie ahead . . .
With so much change, can their friendship survive?
Review:
Christmas at Woolworths is the second book in the series, not having read the first one didn't affect my enjoyment of the book in the least.
The characters all come to life right from the beginning and I cared about their stories, their safety and their friendships. Freda is so feisty and REAL! She is my favourite character and the one I identified with. Each character is very different, and brings their distinctive personality to the story. And the supporting cast are incredibly strong too!
The work women did during WWII was incredible, and beautifully illustrated in this tale. Touched upon is the effect the brutality of the war had on the soldiers on the front line, but this is mainly a story of survival, of honesty, of refusing to be beaten and of taking care of those around you.
A wonderful, heartwarming book that will make you shed a tear but ultimately make you smile and restore your faith in humanity.
I am looking forward to reading The Woolworth Girls and Wartime at Woolworths ( which is published April 2018 )
Information about the Book
Title: Christmas at Woolworths
Author: Elaine Everest Genre: Historical Saga
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Paperback
Release Date: 2nd November 2017
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Author Information
Elaine Everest, author of Bestselling novel The Woolworths Girls and The Butlins Girls was born and brought up in North West Kent, where many of her books are set. She has been a freelance writer for twenty years and has written widely for women's magazines and national newspapers, with both short stories and features. Her non-fiction books for dog owners have been very popular and led to broadcasting on radio about our four legged friends. Elaine has been heard discussing many topics on radio from canine subjects to living with a husband under her feet when redundancy looms.
When she isn't writing, Elaine runs The Write Place creative writing school at The Howard Venue in Hextable, Kent and has a long list of published students.
Elaine lives with her husband, Michael, and their Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Henry, in Swanley, Kent and is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Crime Writers Association, The Society of Women Writers & Journalists and The Society of Authors as well as Slimming World where she can been sitting in the naughty corner.
