Margaret Thornton: 18 books

It’s the summer of 1914 – the last peaceful summer Britain will see for four long years. Tilly Moon has long looked to her elder half-sister, Maddy, as a role model. Maddy’s love of music inspired Tilly to follow in her footsteps, becoming an accomplished pianist. If there is one thing she loves...

From one of the genre’s best-loved names, a heart-warming saga set in the Yorkshire Dales in the early sixties. With her natural good looks, fashionable clothes and lavish use of make-up, Fiona Norwood, the rector’s new wife, has caused quite a stir amongst the close-knit parish community of Aberthwaite....

This provocative collection of essays by scholars from the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand explores the uneasy relationship between law and popular culture from a feminist perspective. The essays not only consider the representation of law in popular culture, including film, crime fiction and...

In August 1900, ten-year-old Maddy has made a new friend on the sands of North Bay, Scarborough. The summer stretches out before Maddy and Jessie with ice-creams, Pierrot shows and lots of fun to be had. And Maddy is enjoying having someone to show around her home town, relieved that the 'family business',...

Life for Maisie Jackson has been far from happy for a number of years - ever since her mother re-married after her beloved father's death, and her new stepfather and stepbrother moved into their small terraced house in Armley, Leeds. Suffering abuse at her cruel stepbrother's hand, and mercilessly...

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 wouldn’t be long before she asked to join their touring company. Now that day has come; his talented young daughter...

It is 1945 and the charming market town of Middlebeck is thriving once more. For fifteen-year-old Maisie Jackson, life could not be better; school is going well, her best friend Audrey is a constant source of fun and Maisie's mum is finally free from the cruel clutches of her now ex-husband. Best...

“Readers who found refuge with Father Tim in Jan Karon’s Mitford series may also enjoy getting to know the people of Aberthwaite.” —Booklist Happily married to the Reverend Simon Norwood, with a small daughter and another baby on the way, Fiona Norwood’s happiness should be complete....

A British college student and her birth mother each struggle with questions of love and loyalty in this novel set in the early 1970s.   Eighteen-year-old Debbie Hargreaves is heading to agricultural college in Leeds, England, where she’ll be sharing digs with three girls she’s never met before....

Kathy Leigh never knew her mother, who she'd been told had died many years ago in a freak accident. Raised by her reserved father, Albert, and loving Aunty Win in 1950s Blackpool, she leads a happy childhood. It is a time of glamour and excitement for the town, but although optimism fills the air,...

“A heartwarming portrait of three young women transitioning from fiancé to wife and mother.” —Booklist England, 1957. Newlywed Val Walker is looking forward to starting a family. Her best friend Cissie—who used to be the flighty one—is now expecting her second child, and their mutual...

A tale of three young women, a fast friendship, and a summer of life-changing romances in 1950s England . . . In August, 1955, Janice Butler is working as a waitress at her mother’s Blackpool boarding house before she heads off to university. Janice’s mother prefers to call it a “hotel,”...

Three friends discover that marriage and motherhood have their ups and downs in this warm and engaging family saga. Having been firm friends ever since they met in a Blackpool boarding house five years before, Val, Cissie and Janice are all now happily married, preoccupied with their growing...

From one of the genre’s best-loved names, a delightful tale of second chances and unexpected romance. Having been recently widowed in her forties, shy Jane Redfern has finally plucked up the courage to head off on holiday by herself. Embarking on a ten-day coach trip to Germany, the last...