'On a crisp September day in 1944, Ethel Alleyne stood outside Tate &amp; Lyle's factory at Plaistow Wharf, on the shining curve of the Thames. Looking up at the giant gate, Ethel felt as if she'd been preparing for this moment all her life. She drew herself up to her full height and did her best to hide her nerves as she headed into the factory. She was quite unprepared for the sight that met her eyes...' During the Blitz and the years of rationing, the Sugar Girls kept Britain sweet. The work was back-breakingly hard, but Tate &amp; Lyle was more than just a workplace - it was a community, a calling, a place of love and support and an uproarious, tribal part of the East End. From ambitious Ethel to irrepressible Gladys, lovelorn Lilian to fun-loving Joan - and Miss Smith, who tries to keep a workforce of flirtatious young men and women on the straight and narrow - this is an evocative, moving story of hunger, hardship and happiness. The Sugar Girls (Collins, 2012) weaves together tales of adversity, resilience and youthful high spirits, bringing vividly to life the East End of Call The Midwife and Silvertown. It provides a moving insight into a lost way of life, as well as a timeless testament to the experience of being young and female. For more information, pics and audio clips, see thesugargirls.com.

The Sugar Girls: Tales of Hardship, Love and Happiness in Tate & Lyle’s East End

Barrett, Duncan

Calvi, Nuala

Cookbooks, Food & Wine

Harper

The personal accounts of three young women who joined up in 1940.
In the summer of 1940, Britain stood alone against Germany. The British Army stood at just over one and a half million men, while the Germans had three times that many, and a population almost twice the size of ours from which to draw new waves of soldiers. Clearly, in the fight against Hitler, manpower alone wasn’t going to be enough.
Eighteen-year-old Jessie Ward defied her mother to join the ATS, Margery Pott signed up for the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, and nanny Kathleen Skin the WRNS. They left quiet homes for the rigours of training, the camaraderie of the young women who worked together so closely and to face a war that would change their lives for ever.
Overall, more than half a million women served in the armed forces during the Second World War. This book tells the story of just three of them – one from the Army, one from the Navy and one from the Air Force. But in their stories are reflected the lives of hundreds of thousands of others like them – ordinary girls who went to war, wearing their uniforms with pride.

The Girls Who Went to War

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Harper/Element

For readers enchanted by the bestsellers The Astronaut Wives Club, The Girls of Atomic City, and Summer at Tiffany’s, an absorbing tale of romance and resilience—the true story of four British women who crossed the Atlantic for love, coming to America at the end of World War II to make a new life with the American servicemen they married.
The “friendly invasion” of Britain by over a million American G.I.s bewitched a generation of young women deprived of male company during the Second World War. With their exotic accents, smart uniforms, and aura of Hollywood glamour, the G.I.s easily conquered their hearts, leaving British boys fighting abroad green with envy. But for girls like Sylvia, Margaret, Gwendolyn, and even the skeptical Rae, American soldiers offered something even more tantalizing than chocolate, chewing gum, and nylon stockings: an escape route from Blitz-ravaged Britain, an opportunity for a new life in affluent, modern America.
Through the stories of these four women, G.I. Brides illuminates the experiences of war brides who found themselves in a foreign culture thousands of miles away from family and friends, with men they hardly knew. Some struggled with the isolation of life in rural America, or found their soldier less than heroic in civilian life. But most persevered, determined to turn their wartime romance into a lifelong love affair, and prove to those back home that a Hollywood ending of their own was possible.
G.I. Brides includes an eight-pages insert that features 45-black-and-white photos.

GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love

Community & Culture

William Morrow Paperbacks

William Morrow Large Print

In the years leading up to and after the Second World War thousands of women left school at fourteen to work in the bustling factories of London's East End. Through the Blitz and on through the years of rationing the 'Sugar Girls' kept Britain sweet. The work was back-breakingly hard, but Tate & Lyle was more than just a factory: it was a community, a calling, a place of love and support and an uproarious, tribal part of the East End. From young Ethel to love-worn Lilian, irrepressible Gladys to Miss Smith who tries to keep a workforce of flirtatious young men and women on the straight and narrow, this is an evocative, moving story of hunger, hardship and happiness.

The Sugar Girls

Charnwood

They left everything behind to follow their hearts. . . . True stories that illuminate the experiences of British war brides in America after World War IIAmerican soldiers stationed in the UK came away winning more than just a war, they also won the hearts of young women across Britain. At the end of World War II, more than 70,000 GI brides followed the men they'd married--men they barely knew--to begin a new life in the United States. Meet four of these women: Sylvia Bradley, a loyal, bright-eyed optimistRae Brewer, a resourceful, quick-witted tomboyMargaret Boyle, an English beauty who faced down every challengeGwendolyn Rowe, a brave woman ahead of her timeThough all made the bold choice to leave family and the world they knew, the journey each experienced was unique--ranging from romantic to heartbreaking.Fascinating and unforgettable, GI Brides pays homage to these brave women, propelled by love and hope, who embarked on an adventure that would change their lives.

Harpercollins

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Books by Calvi, Nuala

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Calvi, Nuala. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Sugar Girls: Tales of Hardship, Love and Happiness in Tate & Lyle’s East End

The Girls Who Went to War

GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love

GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love

The Sugar Girls

GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love