Kirjahaku

Recovering from a disabling injury, ninety-five-year-old Kate Whitehead can take no part in the VE Day seventieth anniversary celebrations, but a meeting with hospital visitor Rachel sends her on her own journey of recollection. It begins one evening in 1939, when Kate and her four closest friends meet for the last time before war takes control of their lives and sends them on their separate ways. Kate is a nurse in the second year of her training. Dorothy, pretty and independent, is biding her time before deciding on her chosen war work. Maurice, the youngest of the group, has only ever wanted to join the Royal Air Force. By contrast, Alan has recently come down from Cambridge University, brash, self-assured and fully expecting a commission in the RAF. Jack, quiet and determined, has already joined the Navy. As the older Kate relates their highs, lows and romantic adventures to Rachel, she realises that her new friend is struggling to make sense of her life and takes on a vitally supportive role. In this way the two stories begin generations apart but with facets that are timeless.

In this sequel to An Act of Kindness, Freddy and Sylvia are now married and living in Wensleydale, Yorkshire.It is 1950, and Britain is beset by rationing, austerity and shortages, but Freddy decides to lift everyone's spirits by reviving the Yoredale Players.The members are willing enough but, with no funds for essential items, Freddy must write and compose a new musical. Sylvia will provide choreography, and accompaniment will be provided by Freddy's dance band 'The Dalesmen.'The task is daunting; even Freddy and Sylvia are sometimes apprehensive, and another question, unrelated to the show, is seldom far from their thoughts. Will Sylvia ever become pregnant and start the family she wants so badly?

It is January 1944. Pilot Cliff Stephens and linguist Laura Pembury meet for the first time on a rain-swept night in Hampshire and are immediately attracted to each other. They meet again three times and their relationship blossoms. The future looks inviting until Cliff is posted missing over the English Channel.Unknown to those searching for them, Cliff and his crew are picked up by a German patrol vessel. Meanwhile, a storm in the Channel leads to the search being called off, and Laura believes Cliff has been killed.Now a prisoner-of-war in Germany, Cliff has no address for Laura, and the need for stringent security means he cannot write to her at the wireless station where she is based. It seems that their relationship is over.Destiny, however, follows its own agenda.

William Stamford is known by his friends as a prolific and plausible teller of tall stories but, when recovering from injuries sustained in the Battle of the River Plate, he is astonished to learn that his reputation has come to the notice of British Naval Intelligence. He is to join a team whose sole purpose is to deceive the enemy.The Admiralty has yet another surprise for him when he meets his assistant. Lucinda Pendleton is young, attractive and extremely personable, but she has failed so far in every task she has been set.William recognises, however, that she has special, hidden qualities that will make her his ideal and invaluable aide. They work successfully together and inevitably become secretly attracted to each other, a situation that might easily become an untimely distraction as they work on a scheme that could change the course of the war.As dramatic events unfold in Nazi-dominated Europe, it remains to be seen whether their unusual circumstances will draw them together or keep them apart.

In this final part of the Dales trilogy, Leah Hinchcliffe is now 24 years old. It is 1975, and she is recovering from the latest of a series of knee operations, following a tragic motor accident when she was a pupil at the Royal Ballet School.With her dreams of a dancing career hopelessly dashed, Leah is now teaching dance at the failing Nidderdale College of Performance Arts.To revive falling student numbers, the college is producing a musical to be performed in a London theatre and filmed as part of a TV documentary. The college's survival hangs on the success of the show, which depends in turn, on Gavin Lowe, the new Lecturer in Music, who is to write the music and lyrics, and fill the role of Musical Director.As Leah and Gavin form a dynamic partnership leading inevitably to a romantic relationship, preparations for the show gather momentum. Only time will reveal the extent of its success, and whether, after a string of failed relationships, Leah can find in Gavin the stability and security she needs.

In the four years since his wife's death, Adam Watkinson has concentrated his efforts on helping his children cope with their loss. Now, he realises the time has come for him to find a new direction.He buys a house in Netherdale, which has become his family's refuge, and moves there with his 18-year-old daughter Leanne. With occasional visits from his son Jimbo, a free-spirited music student, they settle into their new home.Adam becomes involved in local matters, beginning with frequent visits to a care home to read to the grandmother of newfound friend and neighbour Jennie Thorpe, and then taking over as conductor of a dwindling and disheartened choral society.Encouraged by early success, he suggests revitalising the Dale after the devastation of foot-and-mouth disease, by creating a choir festival that he hopes will attract visitors and revive local businesses.It seems Adam has found his new direction. All that remains for him is to fill the void left by his late wife, and that is no easy task.

Returning from National Service to a home dominated by a demanding and disapproving father, and now finding himself out of work, George Barker has little cause for optimism, other than the kind that has always come naturally to him. He finds evening work, playing the organ in a club, and then, at his father's insistence, regular employment in an accounts office. Frustrated by the oppressive atmosphere at home and the small-mindedness of his employer, he establishes his independence by moving out and by resigning from his day job. One romantic episode follows another, but with no lasting success. Eternally optimistic, however, he seizes a new opportunity as an agent and manager in the entertainment business. Here, he finds reward and satisfaction. All he needs now to make his world ideal is the right romantic partner, but she has so far eluded him.

In this sequel to Roses and Red Herrings, William Stamford is still working for the Admiralty's deception planners, but now without the help of Lucy, his assistant and fianc e. He has no idea of her whereabouts, except that she is somewhere in the USA and involved highly secret work.As if being parted from Lucy is not enough, William falls foul of a senior allied naval officer, who is resentful at being hoodwinked by one of his stories. An additional threat is the return of his old adversary Commander Bonnington. With those impediments, William must apply himself to the greatest deception of the war. The success of the invasion of Europe depends on the enemy being convinced that the landings will take place somewhere other than in Normandy. Agents on both sides play a deadly guessing game, culminating in a desperate bid to prevent the enemy from learning the truth.

In this prequel by 55 years to Second Wind, Jack 'Hutch' Hutchins is a maintenance engineer in a Yorkshire woollen mill. It is 1935, the lowest point of the great Depression, and the textiles industry, like many others, is struggling to survive. Hutch knows that the mill will soon close, and he will be unemployed, but his heart is set on following his friend Norman Barraclough's example, and becoming a professional dance band musician. He makes the journey to London, where he intends to fulfil his dream. Before long, Norman leaves his job on the RMS Duchess of Lancaster and joins him. Together they defy the odds stacked against their success. If they are to triumph, they will need all their ability and a great deal of luck. Romance also has its part to play in their story.

Lieutenant Ivor Loveday returns from survivors' leave after being torpedoed in the Atlantic. It is 1941, and Nazi U-boats are sinking Brtish shipping at an alarming rate. Ivor takes up his new appointment as First Lieutenant of HMS Hosta, a decoy, or Q-ship, brought out of retirement and hastily refitted after similar service in the previous war. He is a capable and confident officer, and he sets about training Hosta's gun crews and performing his duties as First Lieutenant. At Western Approaches HQ in Liverpool, he meets Grace, a confident and outspoken Wren from Tyneside. Their mutual attraction is immediately apparent, and their relationship flourishes until Grace begins to have reservations about their social differences and their future. He disagrees, but she is a determined young woman. Against the backdrop of the Battle of the Atlantic, Ivor can have no idea whether he has a future with Grace or if they are destined to part. Meanwhile, he must concentrate on the task allotted to him, to sink U-boats.

This sequel to The Right Direction finds the Watkinson family heading for turmoil. An unguarded remark from Jimbo on a TV talk-show causes feminist outrage, and Leanne crosses swords with a hidebound Ofsted inspector and the Principal of The Derwent Academy. Crisis looms, also, at Netherdale Amateur Operatic Society, where Jenny is rehearsal accompanist. All of this impacts, one way or another, on Adam, who is just beginning to enjoy some peace and relaxation, having recently relinquished the post of Conductor of Netherdale Choral Society. Duty beckons, however, and he and Jenny must find a way to help Jimbo, Leanne and the Society each find a new direction.

It is 1938, and Prime Minister Chamberlain returns from Munich promising peace, but there are those who, like Ted Dewhirst, remain unconvinced. Fit and athletic, he is eager to serve his country, and he volunteers immediately for military service, only for his hopes to be dashed when he is rejected because of a food allergy. Determined to make his contribution, he joins the Auxiliary Fire Service, putting his earlier disappointment aside and training with total enthusiasm. He sees some action in the north, but is impatient for more. Transferred to London's beleaguered East End, he finds new satisfaction in rescuing trapped victims and fighting dockland fires. He discovers a special kinship with colleagues, who come from varied backgrounds, but who share one purpose. He also finds romance. Amid the carnage of the Blitz, Ted's courage, values and resilience are tested repeatedly, but he can only live from one day to the next, because no one knows who will be the next victim of the incessant bombing.

In this latest story in the Hinchcliffe saga, Sylvia is now 87 and recently widowed. One of the features she misses from her marriage to Freddy is the music: his shows and pantomimes and, particularly, The Dalesmen, the dance band that was a local feature, but which fell apart as its ageing membership dwindled. One song is particularly important to Sylvia because of its association with Freddy, and she fears she will never again hear it played by a live band.Musician Liz Frankland, a friend of Sylvia's daughter Leah, also misses Freddy and the Dalesmen. She joins forces with lecturer Craig Townsend and, with some of Craig's students, they begin forming a new band. The process is daunting; Liz has her own work, and lone parenthood keeps her particularly busy. Craig also has his duties at the college, where his workload is increasing, but they are equally determined for the band to succeed.Craig is attracted to Liz, and is extremely popular with her daughter Carla, but a disastrous marriage has left Liz particularly cautious. Destiny, however, has its own agenda.

Four years have elapsed since Fred Fuller returned from New Zealand to join the Royal Naval Air Service. It is January 1918, and he finds himself at Dover Seaplane Base in Kent, searching the English Channel for U-boats in a vital struggle to keep the approaches open. He meets Agnes Morley, the young widow who runs the Navy and Army Canteen, and they are immediately attracted to each other. He surprises her with his liberal attitude towards society and his cavalier disregard for authority, and their relationship grows ever stronger. One significant hurdle stands in their way, however, and that is her reluctance to leave her familiar surroundings and take up a new life with him in New Zealand. As the war continues with no sign of resolution, they wonder if they, too, will ever reach agreement.

Recently demobbed after serving in the WAAF, Dorothy Needham learns of the disappearance of Sarah, her favourite Aunt since early childhood. As she is seemingly the only family member who is concerned for Sarah's wellbeing, she sets out to discover her whereabouts.Initial inquiries take her to Orl ans and Paris, where she finds herself at a dead end.Back in England, she enjoys the support and encouragement of her old friends Kate and Jack Farthing, and she learns something remarkable about herself.A chance meeting with the mother of another old friend, Alan Lofthouse, leads to another reunion and another clue regarding Aunt Sarah's journey. The search moves to war-scarred Hanover and L neburg, and together they continue the quest despite poor communications, grudging co-operation, and open hostility, with Dorothy determined to find out if her aunt managed to survive the ordeal of the concentration camp.

Recently discharged after twelve years with their regiment in India, Sergeants Seth Campion and Henry Fowler journey to the Dakota Territory of North America with the intention of pursuing their ideal, by joining the celebrated Colonel Custer and the Seventh Cavalry. However, they arrive in Bismarck, only to learn of the massacre at the Little Bighorn.They take the stagecoach to the town of Pentecost to seek employment in their former calling, as farmhands. They are successful in this, but life in the West during the 1870s is less than peaceful and often unfriendly, especially towards two Englishmen, and their survival relies heavily on their training and experience as cavalrymen in India.From time to time, they also feel obliged to assist the weak and vulnerable. This, and their idealistic approach to life invites comparison with the knights of old and, like those worthy champions, they press on, ever hopeful of finding their ideal.