An absorbing, frigtening, brilliant novel from the author of Over Bethnal Green and At the Mile End Gate
Sally Worboyes Books
Sally Worboyes draws from a raw family background for her East End sagas. Her work delves into the gritty realities of life, reflecting her own experiences. The author has also explored dramatic writing, penning several plays for television and radio, and even adapting her own work into a musical. Her stories are rooted in personal history, narrating the complexities of human relationships.
Anna has everything to make her happy - a husband, a lovely little house in Bethnal Green, two much-longed-for twin baby boys. But recently her husband Frank has been acting differently. He's started coming home late, drinking more heavily. More than once Anna has been sure she's caught a whiff of perfume on his shirts. When confronted, Frank brushes Anna's cautious questions aside, but somehow, Anna knows deep down that something is wrong in their marriage. Anna's sisters run an upmarket escort agency from a fine Victorian house nearby. It can be a risky business, but watching the carefree, laughter-filled banter of the women who work there, Anna begins to long for the girl she once was. Does being a wife and mother really mean that her dancing days are over? Maybe not. Old family friend Rob, a policeman who walks a fine line between right and wrong, is keen to show Anna a good time, even if her husband isn't...
Handbags & Gladrags
- 344 pages
- 13 hours of reading
Growing up in Bethnal Green, Charlotte longs for the day when she's old enough to put on her gladrags and be part of the swinging 60s. But her parents have other plans and move out to the quiet of the countryside, leaving Charlie pining for London as she grows into a beautiful young woman. So when a childhood friend walks back into Charlie's life just as she turns 18, it seems like the chance she's been waiting for to return to the bright lights. Surrounded by friends and family, it's everything she's ever dreamed of. But Charlie's dreams are shattered when brutal violence strikes close to home. For it turns out that London has a dark side too...
London, 1960. Patsy Lamb is turning 17 at the start of a decade that will change everything. The slums of the East End are making way for the new modern lifestyle that is being promised to Patsy's generation. But as Patsy looks to the future, her world is rocked by a secret from her past.
In 1876 the homes of the poor working class in the East End are being replaced by splendid houses for the rich. When a woman is found killed in Toacco Dock and her lover is arrested, Maria attempts prove his innocence. But the murderer is closer to home than she thinks.
Room for a Lodger
- 372 pages
- 14 hours of reading
It is 1970 and Kathy Dean, with her baby and a hard-working husband, is struggling to make ends meet. Johnny may have a good job at the docks but he is also an obsessive gambler. Desperate she gives him an ultimatum, but Johnny owes favours to the wrong sort.
