Soundings S.
2 primary works
Book 1834
In 1951, the whole of London thrills to the Festival of Britain, but not Evie Smith. Mistress to Ted Hopkins these thirteen years, marriage is still little more than a dream. Ted has always resigned himself to caring for his bed-ridden wife in Lytham St Ann's, only seeing Evie and their two girls for a few weeks every year.
Then, just as Evie finds she is pregnant with their third child, Ted takes his wife abroad for new medical treatment. Five years passing with no word from him, Evie selflessly devotes herself to bringing up her daughters under the loving and protective gaze of her mother Flossie and stepfather Jim, until one day she meets and falls for charming George Higgins, a popular businessman with an almost endless supply of gifts for her family.
Tragically, George is killed saving his mother from a fire, leaving Evie lonelier than ever... but through grief may lie her chance of finding lasting happiness.
Book 1897
Flame-haired Wimbledon girl Joan Harvey could not have chosen a worse time to fall in love with Matt Pearson. With no end in sight to the Second World War, and Joan discovering she is pregnant, a rushed marriage is her only option, despite her family's reservations.
Then, on a visit to Matt's family in the East End, a street accident results in Joan going into premature labour. As her baby is born, a bomb plunges the hospital into darkness, before Joan has even had a chance to look at her son...
No one is happier than Joan to see the end of the war. Finally she and Matt can begin to behave like a normal family, and bring up their son and two daughters. But then a call from a solicitor brings astonishing news, about the day Joan's son was born, that is set to change Joan's life for ever...