ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – New Horizons for the Woolworths Girls by Elaine Everest
New Horizons for the Woolworths Girls by Elaine Everest will be published by Pan Macmillan in paperback on 8th May. My thanks to the publishers for sending me a copy for review.
Very sadly, this was Elaine Everest’s last book as she passed away in 2024. I have reviewed most of her books on here (there are only two I haven’t read – her first novel Gracie’s War and The Butlin’s Girls (I have a copy of the latter so still have that to look forward to) and have also featured some guest posts and a Q&A. Here are all the links:
Woolworths Series Reviews:
Celebrations for the Woolworths Girls
A Christmas Wish at Woolworths
Teashop Girls Series Reviews:
Christmas with the Teashop Girls
Standalone Book Review:
Guest Posts:
Top Ten Things About the Woolworths Series
An Author with a Book to Launch in Lockdown
I was part of the blog tour organised by Pan Macmillan but the book arrived too close to my tour date for me to post a review on 2nd May. Please do check out the other stops on the tour.
There are fresh challenges and new beginnings on the horizon for the girls at Woolworths . . .
When the Bexleyheath branch of F. W. Woolworths is bombed, Annie must help save her fellow staff members. Thankfully uninjured, she is moved to the Erith store, where she soon finds her feet. But a tragedy close to home is another stark reminder that life can turn on a sixpence.
When Annie meets Dean, an American soldier who promises to care for her and her family, she has more than just the end of the war to celebrate. With wedding bells and a new life in America beckoning, great change lies ahead.
Suitcase in tow, Annie must remember one thing: if she follows her heart, it will always lead her in the right direction.
New Horizons for the Woolworths Girls is especially poignant as it was Elaine Everest’s last book. I shed a little tear at the end when I read the piece written by her friend, Vivien Brown, for the loss of a brilliant saga writer whose books I have so enjoyed reading, and with sadness that I won’t get to read any more books featuring the characters I have come to love.
In fact, this book, although a Woolworths book, is a kind of companion to the series. It features Annie Brookes who works at her family’s laundry business. Wanting to branch out on her own, she takes a job working for Woolworths in Bexleyheath in 1940. The war throws a spanner in the works and she has to work temporarily at the Erith branch where she meets some of my favourite characters from the series such as Sarah, Freda, Maisie and Betty. I really loved how they were weaved into Annie’s story and became her friends.
Annie goes through some difficult times but when she meets an American soldier she thinks she’s found happiness. I won’t say any more about that but I was really pleased with how the story ended and I can fondly imagine Annie’s life post-war.
I absolutely loved this wonderful book. The characters have the warmth and community spirit that I’ve come to expect from Elaine Everest’s creations and I found it easy to imagine the settings such as Annie’s family home on the marshes and the two stores, one larger than the other but both so relied on by their customers. What a joy it has been to read this book and indeed the whole of this series which is highly recommended for those who love a really good saga as I do.
Elaine Everest, author of bestselling novels The Woolworths Girls, The Butlins Girls, Christmas at Woolworths and The Teashop Girls, was born and brought up in North-West Kent, where many of her books are set. She was a freelance writer for twenty-five years and wrote widely for women’s magazines and national newspapers, both short stories and features. Her non-fiction books for dog owners have been very popular and led to her broadcasting on radio about our four-legged friends. Elaine has been heard discussing many other topics on radio, from canine subjects to living with a husband under her feet when redundancy looms.
Elaine sadly passed away in August 2024.
Nicola I hadn’t realised Elaine had passed away. How very sad.
It is so sad and was so unexpected.