Book picks similar to
Down Our Street by Joan Jonker


fiction
family-saga
audiobooks
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A Cut Above


Lynda Page - 2002
    She is the top stylist in a reputable hair salon, and her husband Dennis is dreaming of the big time with his rock 'n' roll band. Only one thing mars Kacie's happiness: her parents' constant disapproval that she doesn't have a 'proper' job or a more respectable husband, like her sister Caroline. But when Caroline turns up on Kacie's doorstep, asking to stay for a while, the revelation that follows plunges Kacie's own life into chaos and threatens everything that matters...

Above Us The Sky


Milly Adams - 2015
    Evacuees, the WI, and keeping calm and carrying on. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Ellie Dean. As the threat of bombing raids intensifies, newly-qualified teacher, Phyllis Saunders, is evacuated with her school to Dorset. Here she encounters prejudice and suspicion. But she is determined to make the best of life, for herself and the children in her care. All the while her fiancé and submariner, Sammy, is facing danger out at sea. Then the Blitz hits London and Phyllis, trying to persuade her mother to return to Dorset with her, gets caught up in it herself. Shaken but alive, she returns to the relative peace of the countryside. But soon she is nursing a secret she can tell no one. Until the news that Sammy's submarine has been sunk reaches her, and she is forced to make a decision she hopes she will never regret…

Mightier than the Sword: by Jeffrey Archer (The Clifton Chronicles Series, Book 5) | Summary & Analysis


Book*Sense - 2015
    Jeffrey Archer continues the Clifton Chronicles series in Mightier than the Sword. In it, the Barrington and Clifton families continue to navigate the turbulent politics of the twentieth century at the global and local levels, helping to guide their firms, their country and their world as the circumstances of each change. A new generation of the combined family begins to take its place in shaping the family’s fortune, bespeaking a promise of more to come. Jeffrey Archer’s latest installment in the series, depicts the continuing affairs of the Barrington and Clifton families as they engage in new ventures. Barrington Shipping launches a new liner, which is immediately beset by problems from those opposed to the Barringtons and the Britain of which they are an integral part. At the same time, various members of the Barrington and Clifton families—most notably Sebastian—face personal and professional trials that help them to accrue and maintain power with which not only to enrich themselves but to try to maintain what is good about the passing world while embracing what is good in the emergent. This companion to Mightier than the Sword also includes the following: • Book Review • Story Setting Analysis • Story elements you may have missed as we decipher the novel • Details of Characters & Key Character Analysis • Summary of the text, with some analytical comments interspersed • Thought Provoking /or Discussion Questions for both Readers & Book Clubs • Discussion & Analysis of Themes, Symbols… • And Much More! This Analysis of Mightier than the Sword fills the gap, making you understand more while enhancing your reading experience.

Goodbye Liverpool


Anne Baker - 2002
    But soon Josie realises she's made a mistake, and she and Suzy flee Liverpool and a man they now fear. But will they be safe from the past in Birkenhead?

The Lemon Tree


Helen Forrester - 1990
    For Helena Al-Khoury, life as an immigrant has been full of loneliness and despair. On the long road that has taken her from her family home in the Lebanon to the bustling port of Liverpool, the slums of Chicago, and finally to the Canadian wilderness, the struggle to overcome heartbreak, loss and cruel hardship has taken a heavy toll. Now, at last, with the constant support of Joe, her devoted lover, she has developed into a strong, independent woman.When unexpected circumstances take her back across the Atlantic to Liverpool, Helena is offered the chance to take over the family business, and to become a success in her own right. Yet with her love far away on another continent, she feels torn apart. Soon the tragedies of the past and the challenges of the future threaten to overwhelm her…

The Golden Fleece


Norah Lofts - 1943
    Will Oakley, landlord and host, with his two daughters, beautiful Myrtle, and the repellent Harriet, waited to receive his guests. Along with the usual farmers, merchants and the "quality", there were others who fitted into none of these categories. Like the handsome foreigner with the scarred face, and the fat man who appeared to be gloating over some malicious secret of his own...

Cockney Orphan


Carol Rivers - 2006
    The Isle of Dogs, heart of London's docklands, suffers the first terrible night of a nine-month Blitz. But for Connie Marsh, the discovery of an orphaned baby boy amongst the rubble brings a glimmer of hope to a time of darkness and suffering. She also finds herself falling in love with handsome Vic Campion, the man who helped her rescue the child they've named Lucky. But Connie's happiness is not to last. When his call-up papers arrive, Vic leaves for the navy - and Connie knows she might never see him again. And when a sinister figure emerges, claiming to be Lucky's grandfather, she is terrified of losing the child, too. Will she turn for comfort to Clint Hershey, the dashing GI who makes no secret of his admiration for her? Will she stay true to Vic, the man she really loves? Previously published with the title Connie of Kettle Street.

Bitter Seed


Meg Hutchinson - 1999
    She inherits their house while her twin brother Mark is left the family steel works. When World War I breaks out, Mark joins the RAF, and the management of the business is left in Isabel's hands, which is not welcomed by the town's industrialists. She makes many enemies and has to struggle to keep her business alive. After much unhappiness, she finally finds love with the manager of a local foundry as well as the identity of her real father.

The Dressmaker's Daughter


Nancy Carson - 2015
    Love, passion and romance are reserved for daydreams.But then into Lizzie’s quiet world comes two men – one reliable and kind-hearted, the other heartbreakingly handsome. Just as Lizzie’s made her choice, the ominous call of war sounds, and her life changes again.Will Lizzie get her chance at happiness, or has it gone forever?

The Street


Kay Brellend - 2011
    As the daughter of an alcoholic mother, and niece of an abusive uncle, she dreams that one day she and her baby sister will escape their rotten surroundings.Alice’s father, Jack Keiver, works day and night to provide for his family. But his hopes for a better life are dashed each time he returns home to find the money-jar raided and his feisty wife Tilly collapsed drunk in the corner.In the room below, Alice's downtrodden Aunt Fran spends most of her days nursing the injuries inflicted on her by her cruel husband Jimmy – but this time he's pushed the family too far and they're not going to let him get away with it.Revenge is going to be sweet.

In the Time of Famine


Michael Grant - 2011
    The British government called the famine an act of God. The Irish called it genocide. By any name the famine caused the death of over one million men, women, and children by starvation and disease. Another two million were forced to flee the country. With the famine as a backdrop, this is a story about two families as different as coarse wool and fine silk. Michael Ranahan, the son of a tenant farmer, dreams of breaking his bondage to the land and going to America. The passage money has been saved. He’s made up his mind to go. And then—the blight strikes and Michael must put his dream on hold. The landlord, Lord Somerville, is a compassionate man who struggles to preserve a way of life without compromising his ideals. To add to his troubles, he has to deal with a recalcitrant daughter who chafes at being forced to live in a country of “bog runners.”In The Time Of Famine is a story of survival. It’s a story of duplicity. But most of all, it’s a story of love and sacrifice.

The Light Keeper's Daughter


Jean Thompson Kinsey - 2010
    It follows her through a rough time and through falling in love again. Go with Belle as she matures from a young lady distraught with problems into a mature woman with a mind of her own.

Home for Christmas


Lizzie Lane - 2014
    Robert is the nephew of a Lord, and Lydia a mere doctor’s daughter – and a German doctor at that. While her parentage is no hindrance to their relationship in peacetime, when war is declared Robert’s family makes it clear they no longer approve of the match. With no means of contacting Robert on the Western Front, Lydia volunteers herself, joining the Red Cross. But her love affair with Robert has had more than one consequence…

A Brighter Day Tomorrow


Pamela Evans - 2018
    Then a handsome American serviceman catches their attention, and so begins heartache between the sisters. Dora is increasingly jealous of her sister's blossoming romance with Victor. But when Victor is killed in a bomb attack, Liz makes a shocking discovery that upsets her whole family.Forced out of her home, Liz finds support where she least expects it. And, with almost nothing left to lose, she hopes for a brighter day tomorrow...

The Tainted Crown (Horstberg Saga #4)


Elizabeth D. Michaels - 2015
    He also grew up observing the powerful and tender love shared by his parents. Determined to find that same kind of love in his own life, he is holding out for a woman who can see more in him than a marriage that will give his future wife prestige and great wealth. After more than a decade of searching for the right woman, Erich may have finally found a love beyond anything he’d imagined. But his happiness and the stability of the country is at risk when a long-dormant evil comes to the surface in Horstberg, threatening his life and that of his young nephew, who is Erich’s heir. While Erich tries to remain confident that he will live long enough to claim his right to serve his country, he is haunted by premonitory dreams that imply his life will come to a tragic end. As a force of extremist revolutionaries force Horstberg to the brink of war, the entire du Woernig family must flee into hiding for the sake of their own survival. Only when everything is on the line does Erich come to fully understand what truly matters. Please note that Book Five, the final book in the Horstberg Saga will be available for preorder on April 6th and will be released May 4th.