Margaret Thornton Books

Frances Goodwin, a pretty young infant school teacher, returns to Blackpool from Yorkshire to look after her increasingly ailing mother. She soon becomes frustrated with the lack of space at her mother’s small bungalow and the constant need to account for her movements. To regain some freedom, she joins an operatic society, rekindling her love of singing and drama. However, her life takes a dramatic turn with the arrival of Adrian Glover, the new local Methodist minister, who falls in love with her. When he proposes, she accepts without hesitation, but their engagement becomes complicated as her mother’s health deteriorates and she meets a new colleague, the distinguished and attractive Marcus Avery.

1907. William Moon's heart swells with pride at the achievements of his daughter, Maddy. When at eleven, she won the talent contest held by the Pierrots on Scarborough beach, William knew it would not be long before she asked to join their touring company. His talented daughter has grown into a beautiful woman and with a voice so pure it would make angels weep. And William isn't the only man to notice. As Maddy travels with Morgan's Melody Makers, she makes new friends and she is eager to take her first steps along the road to love. But as she discovers the course of true love never did run smooth and her heart is taken on a bumpy ride as she experiences the highs and lows, the rapture and the heartache, of falling in love for the first time. Will her dreams of romance and happy ever after come true?

Written to cover the AQA GCSE Mathematics A modular specification (Unit 1, Foundation), our student book targets the skills and knowledge required for the exam. Functional mathematics is integrated throughout providing an emphasis on applying mathematics in a real-life context.

Three friends discover that married life doesn't always run smoothly in this absorbing family saga. 1957. Newly-wed Val Walker is looking forward to starting a family. Her best friend, the previously flighty Cissie, is expecting her second child, content to settle down to full-time motherhood. Their mutual friend Janice, having just got engaged to boyfriend Paul, is looking forward to wedded bliss. But life doesn't always turn out as one would expect. Val doesn't find it as easy as she'd expected to fall pregnant with her longed-for first baby. When Cissie's husband Walter starts taking an interest in a new female colleague, jealousy rears its ugly head. Janice is consumed with guilt at leaving her widowed father and young brother behind in Blackpool to start a new life in Yorkshire. Are the three friends' marriages strong enough to survive these unexpected obstacles?

Blackpool 1940. Although the War means uncertainty and anxiety for some, Eunice Morton is grateful for the opportunities it provides her with. She volunteers for the Women's Land Army and is sent to help on a farm in Gloucestershire. Milking the cows and working in the fields are a far cry from the domestic routine that she is used to, but Eunice enjoys her work and her newfound independence. Meanwhile, her relationship with her childhood friend Ronnie looks set to turn into something more romantic, but Eunice still isn't sure that Ronnie is the one for her. Then she befriends Heinrich Muller, a German POW sent to work on the farm, and an elicit moment of passion changes her life forever...

During WWII, Maisie Bragg was evacuated to the small market town of Middlebeck. It is now 1945, and Maisie is 15. She has been writing to the squire's son, Bruce Tremaine, while he has been fighting in Europe. Maisie has fallen in love with him, and indeed, him with her. But when he returns on VE Day, he is not alone.