Heartache for the Shop Girls
Summer 1942. Despite grim reports on the wireless and rationing hitting hard, Lily Collins and her fellow shop girls from Marlow’s department store are determined to put out the bunting for a family party.
But Beryl’s husband Les returns from North Africa a changed man, and Gladys worries for her own fiancé’s safety. The store is losing staff to the war effort and Lily’s young man, Jim, is torn over where his duty lies.
Then comes the knock on the door that everyone dreads. Lily’s family, always the heart of her world, is rocked to the core. The small Midlands town – and Lily’s beloved Marlow’s – must face their greatest challenge yet.
Joanna Toye joined the production team of The Archers after reading English at university, and became a scriptwriter for the programme for over twenty years. She has also written a number of spin-off books about the long-running radio drama. On television she has written for Crossroads, Family Affairs, Doctors and EastEnders.