I miss Winnie, Rachel and Jan, and I adored Mrs Savage who although played a small part made up for it with character! This is overall, an enthralling story with characters that you'll take into your hearts, is full of secrets and you'll be rooting for them every step of the way. Now 16 years old, she's finally managed to escape the cruel confines of the orphanage, and enter the real world. Finding work at a nearby café, Pearl is thrilled to start earning her own money, even if she must contend with sharp-tongued Dolly Dolby. Most modern authors would have used such affirmation as a reason to immediately make their mark in publishing. However, even though her writing talents were so clear to everyone who knew her, it would be years before Kitty Neale sat down to write fiction. I was on tenterhooks at times and feared for a character who I also came to like and I was hoping that their life would get better.

Winnie Berry is her own boss and doesn't take any nonsense in her pub a well respected woman liked by everyone, then sorrow is about to hit not only Winnie but a lot more of the character's for the war is still on going bringing more tragedy and sorrow. The Family Secret is a one can't put downable read, and boyo boy there's a lot along the way to surface as you read. In the meantime, his ex wife Pearl Button has divorced him and remarried, determined to protect her son from knowing who his real father is.Battersea Tavern is run by Winnie & Brian Berry, but these days it's more Winnie doing all the running around. Heartbroken and threatened by scandal, Constance is forced to wed Albie and moves to Battersea, where she suffers unforgiving stares and cruel whispers from the neighbours. Trapped in a bitter and loveless marriage without a penny to her name, Constance has no choice but to stay and surrender. Will she ever find freedom – or happiness – again? The author married her first husband in 1966. Their son and daughter were born soon after. Then came the divorce, followed by a number of years during which Kitty struggled to survive as a single mother. Even though Kitty knew that she enjoyed telling stories, it wasn’t until she arrived at Tennyson Street Secondary school that the notion of pursuing a career in writing and publishing finally took root in her mind.

This book was so heart breaking in a lot of chapters, that broke my heart I literally sobbed. The feeling it brings you to feel involved like they are all your friends. Kitty Neale comes from a working-class family. She grew up in South London. Her parents worked in the local factories. Kitty spent a lot of time on the streets around Battersea.

Aw you guys, Winnie is a wee soul, wholesome, she has such a kind heart and always wants to do for others, her goodness is emphasized by the shady characters around her. We see the community in the build up to the war, the disbelief it will come to be and how it affects those in and around Winnie's life. A chance encounter sees Winnie have to face the past and the ripples it creates in her present day life, secrets have a habit of always coming out and it isn't just Winnie who has secrets!