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Article Row #1
London Belles
London Belles is a tale of four very different young women thrown together by war. Finding freedom and independence – as well as love, passion and heartbreak – for the very first time, a unique bond is formed as the hostilities take their toll on Britain.
Four lives. One war that will change them all.
When tragedy strikes, Olive is forced to seek lodgers. Three girls come knocking at her door, each in need of a roof over their heads.
Sally has left Liverpool to work as a nurse in London and when she arrives she is a shell of her former self. Where once stood a vivacious, sociable girl, now stands one plagued by homesickness and a betrayal that is devastatingly fresh in her mind.
Dulcie is living the high life in the West End, a world away from her home in Stepney. Working at Selfridges gives her access to the most fashionable clothes and makeup, but at home she is the black sheep of the family; always second to her sister. So she decides it's time to make a bid for freedom.
Agnes grew up in an orphanage, having been left on the steps as a new-born baby. But with war looming, and the orphanage relocating to the country, she must now seek out a job and lodgings. But with change comes exciting new opportunities, worlds away from the life she's known…
As the women prepare for war, all of their futures hang in the balance. Soon their lives will change irrevocably and the home that binds the London Belles is no longer the sanctuary they once sought.
Four lives. One war that will change them all.
When tragedy strikes, Olive is forced to seek lodgers. Three girls come knocking at her door, each in need of a roof over their heads.
Sally has left Liverpool to work as a nurse in London and when she arrives she is a shell of her former self. Where once stood a vivacious, sociable girl, now stands one plagued by homesickness and a betrayal that is devastatingly fresh in her mind.
Dulcie is living the high life in the West End, a world away from her home in Stepney. Working at Selfridges gives her access to the most fashionable clothes and makeup, but at home she is the black sheep of the family; always second to her sister. So she decides it's time to make a bid for freedom.
Agnes grew up in an orphanage, having been left on the steps as a new-born baby. But with war looming, and the orphanage relocating to the country, she must now seek out a job and lodgings. But with change comes exciting new opportunities, worlds away from the life she's known…
As the women prepare for war, all of their futures hang in the balance. Soon their lives will change irrevocably and the home that binds the London Belles is no longer the sanctuary they once sought.
438 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
107 people are currently reading
609 people want to read
About the author
Annie Groves
40 books170 followersPenelope Jones Halsall aka: Caroline Courtney, Penny Jordan, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 in a Preston, Lancashire, England.
She had been a keen reader from the childhood. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction.
She has earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, she found an agent. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her name to Melinda Wright and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her present historical romance novels, she has adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70m of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Now Penny Halsall lived in a house in Nantwich, Cheshire. She worked from home.
Penny died on 31 December 2011.
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 in a Preston, Lancashire, England.
She had been a keen reader from the childhood. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction.
She has earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, she found an agent. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her name to Melinda Wright and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her present historical romance novels, she has adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70m of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Now Penny Halsall lived in a house in Nantwich, Cheshire. She worked from home.
Penny died on 31 December 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
August 24, 2018
A brilliant story that I read some time ago. Storytelling at it's best.
June 3, 2016
One of my favourite guilty-pleasure authors has done it again. I love this book, I love the characters. A perfect read for those looking for something gentle yet emotional.
November 26, 2015
AUDIOBOOK
This was a fantastic performance of a story I have read so many times before. I already had high expectations as the story itself if great and I was not disappointed.
There is quite a cast of characters, but they all had their own voice both through the writing and with the narration.
This was a fantastic performance of a story I have read so many times before. I already had high expectations as the story itself if great and I was not disappointed.
There is quite a cast of characters, but they all had their own voice both through the writing and with the narration.
September 3, 2017
It always takes me a while to get used to the writing style of a certain kind of British writer, but I'm glad I took the time to do so. This was a sweet story set in London at the beginning of World War II.
January 7, 2016
Fans of the PBS series, "Home Fires: and "Mr.Selfridge", are sure to be delighted with this first installment of Annie Groves' "Article Row" series! As Britain begins to prepare for the inevitable invasion of German forces, Olive and her daughter, Tilly, find themselves taking in boarders in order to make ends meet. With the addition of Sally, Dulcie, and Agnes, number 13 Article Row quickly becomes more than a boarding house as Olive proves there is love in her heart for just one daughter. As each young woman struggles with her own personal issues, they are quickly bonded by the threats of war. Annie Groves is an amazing storyteller and manages to capture the reader with extremely well-developed characters. I was immediately captivated by this cast of characters who soon felt more like old friends. The insight into the preparations for war and everyone doing their bit to assist in the efforts makes for an intriguing and emotional journey into the past. Keep in mind this is just the first novel in the series, so don't expect the story to come full circle by novel's end...after all it's really just the beginning and what a beginning it is! I can't wait to read the next installment, "Home For Christmas". A wonderful beginning to what is sure to be a wonderful series! FIVE stars.
February 24, 2019
A great read
The book started slowly but after a couple of chapters I was hooked. Thoroughly enjoyed it & will be looking for more books by Annie Groves.
The book started slowly but after a couple of chapters I was hooked. Thoroughly enjoyed it & will be looking for more books by Annie Groves.
June 16, 2019
Book is excellent about to start book two shortly and looking forward to it great storyline brilliant author
July 7, 2020
Oplæser: Anna Baatz. Rigtig udemærket oplæsning. (Er vild med det engelske sprog)
Endnu en skøn 2. Verdenskrigs fortælling af Annie Groves. Denne roman handler om 4 unge kvinder der er meget forskellige af tempremant, men som finder et stærkt venskab midt under krigens kaos. Heldigvis er det kun første bog i serien, så jeg har mere at se frem til.
Endnu en skøn 2. Verdenskrigs fortælling af Annie Groves. Denne roman handler om 4 unge kvinder der er meget forskellige af tempremant, men som finder et stærkt venskab midt under krigens kaos. Heldigvis er det kun første bog i serien, så jeg har mere at se frem til.
May 11, 2012
This would be a 3.5* for me. I loved the other two in this series (which are actually 2 and 3)- but this one didn't grab me in exactly the same way. It might be because it was already setting the scene for the characters that I already knew. It did explain a few things in the next books! I am hoping that the 4th book is still due to be released.
Following her father in laws death, Olive is forced to take in 3 lodgers to help pay the bills. She takes in 3 girls and the book follows their jobs and social life around the time of World War 2.
Following her father in laws death, Olive is forced to take in 3 lodgers to help pay the bills. She takes in 3 girls and the book follows their jobs and social life around the time of World War 2.
April 27, 2016
*Audiobook*
Very nice story. I loved the characters. Well narrated. I enjoyed the different accents used in dialogues. I will read the next one very soon.
Very nice story. I loved the characters. Well narrated. I enjoyed the different accents used in dialogues. I will read the next one very soon.
January 30, 2022
I expected more from this story of four women sharing a boarding house in London at the onset of WWII. The characters were stereotypical - the bad girl, the poor little good girl, the daughter yearning to grow up, and the stalwart oldest sister type who watched over all. Yawn. Quick read with lots of open plot lines which I understand set the author up for a sequel. I'll pass.
July 12, 2024
I was not sure what to expect with this book. I thought it may not be that good, but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the book and the characters, which really made the book come to life. At the end, I felt like I'd gained a few good friends. It's so easy to fall in love with the characters here and understand them.
December 9, 2013
With England on the cusp of a second war with Germany, Olive determines to take assure the future both herself and her daughter, Tilly, by opening her Article Row home to lodgers. Left widowed thanks to injuries her husband suffered in the Great War, and short on income with the recent passing of her father-in-law, to the chagrin of some her neighbors Olive advertises for respectable working girls in search of clean, reasonably priced room and board. The all-too-eager to grow up Tilly, working in the financial office of St. Bart's, London's oldest hospital, discovers their first lodger in the form of Sally, a nurse from Liverpool who fled to London to escape the pain of loss and betrayal, determined to hide from her past. Their second lodger, Agnes, receives a recommendation from the minister's wife -- raised in an orphanage, Agnes stayed with the only home she'd ever known until it was forced to relocate to the country, pending Hitler's potential attacks on London. Olive's carefully laid plans for respectable lodgers seems set until wires are crossed and a room is promised to the bold and brassy Dulcie, a clerk at Selfridges, seeking to escape her East End upbringing and determined to ruffle Olive's maternal reservations at every opportunity. The group's disparate personalities, secrets, and dreams threaten to bring more drama and heartache to her home than Olive bargained for -- but as the country edges closer to the brink of war, the women of No. 13 Article Row slowly find themselves united in an unexpectedly rewarding sisterhood that may just be the key to surviving the coming storm.
World War II-era history is a period that holds endless fascination for me, and as such I am always on the lookout for new fiction that promises to shed fresh light on those pivotal years of the twentieth century. After Annie Groves's novels appeared in my Amazon recommendations several times, I finally decided to explore her wartime-era fiction (and I'm not gonna lie, I loved the candy-colored covers!). Groves is one of the pen names of prolific British novelist Penny Jordan, who appears to have produced fiction at a rate -- and with a resulting popularity -- to warrant being likened to perhaps Danielle Steel or Mary Higgins Clark (please be kind, those are my best guesses!). :)
While wartime history in general is always of interest to me, I find women's history in particular during this time period fascinating as opportunities for women to develop careers and lives outside the traditional realms of home and family flourished. With men volunteering -- or being conscripted -- in droves, opportunities for women in those jobs traditional held by men (i.e., factories, etc.) exploded. Where fiction of this ilk might typically choose to focus on a "Rosie the Riveter" type heroine, here Groves sheds welcome light on the lives of women on the homefront, seeking to survive and thrive under wartime rationing, bombing raids, and the restrictions that come with making one's home on an island under veritable siege from Hitler's blitzkrieg. Groves's wartime fiction is ostensibly in part based on family history and reminiscences, occasionally lending London Belles the flavor of a memoir. The characters inhabiting Olive's Article Row home come to life on the page with the gentle feel of the romanticized time period -- one is given the sense of revisiting history through the sentimental, sepia-toned lens of the British stiff-upper-lip sensibility.
I loved the unlikely group of women with which Groves populates her novel. From the oft-times overly protective, duty-bound Olive to Dulcie, the sultry Selfridges' employee always skirting on the edge of decorum, to Sally, a dedicated nurse whose professionalism in the workplace belies the personal wounds -- and stunted maturity -- haunting her personal life, the women of Article Row must navigate broken hearts and questions of morals while seeking to live in something resembling peaceful accord. Groves's characterizations might like the clarity and spice I generally crave in my fiction, but she her prose with moments of unexpected warmth and depth that make London Belles an enjoyable foray into the realm of popular British fiction.
Clocking in at well over four hundred pages, London Belles is overly long, in desperate need of editing to tighten the plot (if I had a dollar for every time the word "whilst" appeared in this book, I'd be a rich woman), and arguably overly sentimental, but for all that I enjoyed it and look forward to exploring more of Groves's backlist. If this novel is any indication, Groves's World War II fiction is going to prove the historical equivalent of contemporary chick-lit, and as such I am thrilled to have discovered her work. Despite the lack of polish in her characterizations, I genuinely liked Olive, Tilly, Agnes, Sally, and Dulcie, and I look forward to subsequent volumes and the opportunity to see these women grow and navigate the murky waters of rationing, the proliferation of black market goods, and the ever-present threat of bomb raids -- all whilst (I couldn't help it) coping with the changing mores of the time and the tantalizing promise of romance.
World War II-era history is a period that holds endless fascination for me, and as such I am always on the lookout for new fiction that promises to shed fresh light on those pivotal years of the twentieth century. After Annie Groves's novels appeared in my Amazon recommendations several times, I finally decided to explore her wartime-era fiction (and I'm not gonna lie, I loved the candy-colored covers!). Groves is one of the pen names of prolific British novelist Penny Jordan, who appears to have produced fiction at a rate -- and with a resulting popularity -- to warrant being likened to perhaps Danielle Steel or Mary Higgins Clark (please be kind, those are my best guesses!). :)
While wartime history in general is always of interest to me, I find women's history in particular during this time period fascinating as opportunities for women to develop careers and lives outside the traditional realms of home and family flourished. With men volunteering -- or being conscripted -- in droves, opportunities for women in those jobs traditional held by men (i.e., factories, etc.) exploded. Where fiction of this ilk might typically choose to focus on a "Rosie the Riveter" type heroine, here Groves sheds welcome light on the lives of women on the homefront, seeking to survive and thrive under wartime rationing, bombing raids, and the restrictions that come with making one's home on an island under veritable siege from Hitler's blitzkrieg. Groves's wartime fiction is ostensibly in part based on family history and reminiscences, occasionally lending London Belles the flavor of a memoir. The characters inhabiting Olive's Article Row home come to life on the page with the gentle feel of the romanticized time period -- one is given the sense of revisiting history through the sentimental, sepia-toned lens of the British stiff-upper-lip sensibility.
I loved the unlikely group of women with which Groves populates her novel. From the oft-times overly protective, duty-bound Olive to Dulcie, the sultry Selfridges' employee always skirting on the edge of decorum, to Sally, a dedicated nurse whose professionalism in the workplace belies the personal wounds -- and stunted maturity -- haunting her personal life, the women of Article Row must navigate broken hearts and questions of morals while seeking to live in something resembling peaceful accord. Groves's characterizations might like the clarity and spice I generally crave in my fiction, but she her prose with moments of unexpected warmth and depth that make London Belles an enjoyable foray into the realm of popular British fiction.
Clocking in at well over four hundred pages, London Belles is overly long, in desperate need of editing to tighten the plot (if I had a dollar for every time the word "whilst" appeared in this book, I'd be a rich woman), and arguably overly sentimental, but for all that I enjoyed it and look forward to exploring more of Groves's backlist. If this novel is any indication, Groves's World War II fiction is going to prove the historical equivalent of contemporary chick-lit, and as such I am thrilled to have discovered her work. Despite the lack of polish in her characterizations, I genuinely liked Olive, Tilly, Agnes, Sally, and Dulcie, and I look forward to subsequent volumes and the opportunity to see these women grow and navigate the murky waters of rationing, the proliferation of black market goods, and the ever-present threat of bomb raids -- all whilst (I couldn't help it) coping with the changing mores of the time and the tantalizing promise of romance.
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May 23, 2020Annie Groves books are so good. I so enjoy how she writes about the woman of the war and how they live their lives, I like how the woman bond and become such good friends and are always there for each other. I like how they all find love.
October 18, 2017
Really, really good. Amazing action, accurate and overall moving.
April 14, 2019
three words: atmospheric, clean, enjoyable
July 18, 2019
very good book . But would have been better if I had read this one first before her 2nd book Home for Christmas.
March 5, 2020
Enjoyed this book, the first in a series about the lives of five people in London during WW11.
July 31, 2020
Five women come together at the beginning of WWII. Although gruesome, there is no shying away from the horrors of war.
March 3, 2021
Didnt enjoy this read wasn't my cup of tea.onto book two to see if it's better as enjoy her books.
July 3, 2021
3.5 stars!
Enjoyed this book but didn't really like any of the girls that the book focuses on but overall a good read with a nice ending.
Enjoyed this book but didn't really like any of the girls that the book focuses on but overall a good read with a nice ending.
January 19, 2022
Nice easy read
June 28, 2022
Unremarkable entry into the "plucky British girls of varying temperaments contend with the onset of WWII" genre. When I discovered Groves was another pen name for Penny Jordan it made so much sense.
December 27, 2022
Disappointing as there was no real story and I became bored half way through the book. However beautifully written with interesting detail regarding everyday life during the outbreak of WW2.
November 15, 2023
This is such an enjoyable book with plenty of ups and downs, keeping one turning pages from start to finish.
December 13, 2024
Good book.
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March 15, 2025Great read
February 3, 2020
I loved this another great book by Annie groves.
August 6, 2012
I saw this book on the shelf at the library and grabbed it on impulse. I know that sagas are not particularly cool books to read for someone my age, but I tend to go back to them when I need something easy to read. I have felt myself in a bit of a reading funk recently, and I wanted something that wouldn't take too much concentration or require me to absorb myself too much. I don't mean any disrespect to sagas, but I have been immersed in A Song of Ice and Fire recently, and I needed something completely different.
London Belles tells the story of four young women and their lives at the start of World War II. Dulcie, Agnes and Sally come to lodge with Tilly and her mother Olive in Holborn. Dulcie is the pretty girl who seems to be interested in men and fashion, but inevitably comes to prove that she is a kind and sensible girl who has been neglected by her mother. Sally is a nurse from Liverpool who comes to London for a fresh start when her best friend back home betrays her. Agnes, an orphan who has grown up in a home, has to branch out on her own when she reaches eighteen, and finds a family with Olive and her lodgers. Tilly, Olive's daughter, is seventeen and beginning to notice boys.
As much as I enjoyed London Belles, I feel as though I have read similar stories elsewhere, and written slightly better. I know that the nature of a book like this, found in the Sagas section of the library, is that it probably will be similar to many other books. World War II. young women, love, friendship, family and the like are all familiar features of these books. However, there are some books of this type that I love, and that I would willingly read again and again. Mary Jane Staples and Lilian Harry are good examples of authors in that category. London Belles was enjoyable, and I am eager to read the next in the series, although I have just learnt that the author sadly died at the end of last year, and so the series will never be finished.
Three out of five stars for a book that did exactly what I needed it to do: gave me something easy to read to get me out of my reading funk.
London Belles tells the story of four young women and their lives at the start of World War II. Dulcie, Agnes and Sally come to lodge with Tilly and her mother Olive in Holborn. Dulcie is the pretty girl who seems to be interested in men and fashion, but inevitably comes to prove that she is a kind and sensible girl who has been neglected by her mother. Sally is a nurse from Liverpool who comes to London for a fresh start when her best friend back home betrays her. Agnes, an orphan who has grown up in a home, has to branch out on her own when she reaches eighteen, and finds a family with Olive and her lodgers. Tilly, Olive's daughter, is seventeen and beginning to notice boys.
As much as I enjoyed London Belles, I feel as though I have read similar stories elsewhere, and written slightly better. I know that the nature of a book like this, found in the Sagas section of the library, is that it probably will be similar to many other books. World War II. young women, love, friendship, family and the like are all familiar features of these books. However, there are some books of this type that I love, and that I would willingly read again and again. Mary Jane Staples and Lilian Harry are good examples of authors in that category. London Belles was enjoyable, and I am eager to read the next in the series, although I have just learnt that the author sadly died at the end of last year, and so the series will never be finished.
Three out of five stars for a book that did exactly what I needed it to do: gave me something easy to read to get me out of my reading funk.
January 14, 2020
I really like this book, but this is the first time I have listened to the audiobook and I have to be honest I am not a fan. I am pretty sure when I read this before I read the ebook version.
London Belles tells the beginning of the story of widow Olive and her 17 year old daughter Tilly, who decide to take in lodgers after the death of Olive's Father In Law and loss of his pension. The lodgers they end up with Selfridges make up counter girl Dulcie, Nurse Sally and the teenager who lives at the local orphanage but is too old to be evacuated with the others, Agnes.
All of the characters have distinct and different personalities and challenges, they are all quite likeable an enjoyable and reasonably quick read.
London Belles tells the beginning of the story of widow Olive and her 17 year old daughter Tilly, who decide to take in lodgers after the death of Olive's Father In Law and loss of his pension. The lodgers they end up with Selfridges make up counter girl Dulcie, Nurse Sally and the teenager who lives at the local orphanage but is too old to be evacuated with the others, Agnes.
All of the characters have distinct and different personalities and challenges, they are all quite likeable an enjoyable and reasonably quick read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews