Showing titles in 20th Century

When Dorothy Linford defies her father to marry Franz Hartmann, a former German internee, she’s cast out from the Linford family and forced to build a new life in Germany. For a time, happiness thrives – until the 1930s bring fear and suspicion that threaten to tear their world apart. Across the Channel, Dorothy’s sister Nellie and cousin Louisa face struggles of their own as the Linford family fractures under the weight of old secrets. Separated by distance but bound by love, the sisters must cling to hope – even as the shadow of war darkens their lives forever.

When Yvette Dubois's husband inherits a remote chateau, she reluctantly leaves Lyon behind – only for Armand to abandon her there to manage the vineyard alone. Everything changes the day she hears a mysterious knocking in the library. Behind a tapestry, she discovers a hidden tunnel – along with two frightened orphans. Yvette vows to continue the important work, wanting to honour the legacy. But Armand insists their safety depends on appeasing the occupiers.

From the Locus and Hugo Award-winning author Ray Nayler, this haunting novel blends history and speculative wonder into a story of survival, loyalty and the fragile beauty of life in the darkest of times. 'an extraordinary science fiction novel' SFX MAGAZINE 'constantly surprising, moving and...

Brought to you by Penguin. The tale of female camaraderie and bravery from beloved saga author Rosie Meddon. When one woman's attempt to help the war effort from her sleepy Devon village is thwarted, she is determined to fight back! September 1940: When Isabel Thaxley becomes homeless and...

British agent Richard Prince and the Danish spy Hanne Jakobsen come together for a vital mission: to find a Nazi war criminal responsible for the murder of fellow British agents. The hunt takes them on a perilous journey through Europe, a continent living on its nerves in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. They unearth a secret Nazi escape line funded by British traitors - and it’s one which could lead them to Hitler’s trusted deputy, Martin Bormann But when the Americans become involved, it is no longer certain who’s on which side.

Wartime Friends is a tale of unbreakable bonds in times of strife, by bestselling author Margaret Dickinson. As the storm clouds of war gather over Britain, two brave, young women will discover the value of true friendship as they deal with troubles of their own while the lives of those they...

September 1940. As the skies split apart and bombs rain down on London, it's all the staff at the famed Buckingham Hotel can do to keep their guests in the luxury they're accustomed to, and evoke the magic of the Grand ballroom for them each night. Home on leave and still reeling from the tragic events at Dunkirk, the dashing Raymond de Guise struggles to define his role in this new world, and to do his duty both to his country, and his beloved wife Nancy- who needs him now more than ever.

The instant Sunday Times besteller 'The work of a writer who has once again demonstrated complete command of his craft' - The Irish Times 'Short stories to astonish and delight' Financial Times 'Tales of quiet power' The Guardian In The News from Dublin, a beautiful collection of short stories...

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of An Italian Girl in Brooklyn comes a captivating new novel of enduring love and devastating secrets, based on a true story. 'Nobody does epic romance like Santa Montefiore' JOJO MOYES Rupert promised he was going to come back. All Florence had to do was...

Munich, 1935 - The Bavarian capital is a magnet for young, aristocratic Britons who come to learn German, swim in the lakes and drink beer in the cellars. What they don't see - or choose to ignore - is the brutal underbelly of the Nazi movement which considers Munich its spiritual home. When a...

1932. Dunfermline, Scotland. Marion Crawford, a bright, ambitious young teacher, is ready to make her mark on the world. Until a twist of fate changes the course of her life forever… 1936. Windsor Castle. At first this ordinary woman is in a new world, working as the governess to two young princesses, in a household she calls home but where everyone is at a distance. As the course of history changes, she finds herself companion to the future Queen, and indispensable to the Crown. And slowly their needs become her needs. Their lives become hers.

Kent, 1953. The Woolworths Erith store, a beloved cornerstone of the community, faces closure if the December turnover fails to increase. And, as if store manager Betty Billington doesn't have enough on her plate, personnel shortages and a troublesome new employee add to the strife. With...

Brought to you by Penguin. Kola Peninsula, 1987. High in the Soviet Arctic, a tiny village houses an apocalyptic secret . . . When research zoologist Dr Amelia Blackburn ventures north to investigate the ravages of the Chernobyl reactor meltdown, she stumbles on the evidence of another sinister...

Between 1947 and 1957, Ealing Studios produced a series of immensely popular, darkly funny film comedies that made the West London borough famous throughout the world. Almost 50 years later, four of these timeless films were recreated for BBC Radio 4, and are now collected together for the first time.

Bloomsbury presents Tenderness by Alison MacLeod, read by Antonia Beamish, Tim Treloar, Sophie Aldred, Bill Hope and Elliot Fitzpatrick. The spellbinding story of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and the society that put it on trial; the story of a novel and its ripple effects across half a century...

In A Presumption of Death, Jill Paton Walsh tells how World War II changed the lives of Peter, Harriet and their growing family. The story opens in 1940. Harriet Vane - now Lady Peter Wimsey - has taken her children to safety in the country. But the war has followed them: glamorous RAF pilots and even more glamorous land-girls scandalise the villagers; the blackout makes the nighttime lanes as sinister as the back alleys of London.

Sunderland, 1942: Christmas is fast approaching and with it comes a flurry of snow and surprises.... Against all odds, Polly’s fiancé has finally returned home from the front line. If they can keep things on an even keel, she might get the winter wedding she’s always dreamed of. Meanwhile shipyard manager Helen is determined to move on after a turbulent year. Her sights are set on breaking the yard’s production record and no one, not even the handsome Dr Parker, is going to get in her way. 

Londoner Madeleine Grant is studying at the Sorbonne in Paris when she marries charismatic French journalist Giles Martin. As they raise their son, Olivier, they hold on to a tenuous promise for the future. Until the thunder of war sets off alarms in France. Staying behind to join the resistance, Giles sends Madeleine and Olivier to the relative safety of England, where Madeleine secures a job teaching French at a secondary school. Yet nowhere is safe. After a devastating twist of fate resulting in the loss of her son, Madeleine accepts a request from the ministry to aid in the war effort.

In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal. Nearly 30 years later, Hugo's estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father's funeral. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. In it is a startling revelation.

Hiding out in a cave in the Austrian Alps with three others, Monika runs into trouble. Pursued by vengeful forces of the Wehrmacht and the Gestapo, she and her three companions undergo an arduous journey over the mountains to safety in a Catholic monastery outside the town of Hallein, near the German border. Meanwhile, Sarah is in Berlin, arranging with some of the highest-ranking German generals to assassinate Hitler and end the war. After being denounced by the local block warden, she is pursued through the streets and over the rooftops of Berlin.