The Girl in the Pink Raincoat: A gripping World War 2 saga, perfect for fans of Dilly Court

Alrene Hughes

Jul 2018 · Head of Zeus Ltd

About this ebook

In wartime it takes courage to follow your heart.

Manchester, 1939.

Everyone hated the heat and the deafening noise, but for Gracie the worst thing was the smell of chemicals that turned her stomach every morning when she arrived at the Rosenberg Raincoats factory.

Gracie is a girl on the factory floor. Jacob is the boss's charismatic nephew. When they fall in love, it seems as if the whole world is against them – especially Charlie Nuttall, who also works at the factory and has always wanted Gracie for himself.

But worse is to come when Jacob disappears and Gracie is devastated, vowing to find him. Can she solve the mystery of his whereabouts? Gracie will need all her strength and courage to find a happy ending.

Ratings and reviews

A terrific wartime saga - this one has lots of reading in it! Since the death of her father, it's only ever been Gracie and her mam; like most other families they struggle but manage to get by. Gracie works at Rosenberg Raincoats as a machinist and, for the most part, enjoys her work and the camaraderie there. When she falls in love with the boss's nephew, it causes all sorts of friction in her life. When Jacob does a vanishing act, it almost destroys Gracie - how can she continue not knowing where her sweetheart is? Set in Manchester at the very beginning of WWII, this is a beautiful and enigmatic tale with it's basis in truth. The story is skilfully woven into real events and is all the more exciting for it. The characters are well-rounded and the writing is carefully structured, turning this novel into a very attractive read. There are a lot of ups and downs along the way and the conclusion is very satisfying indeed. With it's fair share of sadness and happiness, it's a very accurate reflection - in my opinion, not that I was around to know - of domestic life in Britain during that period. I loved Gracie; she was a flawed character and all the better for it. I could easily place myself in her position, and really enjoyed everything about this book. Full credit to Alrene Hughes for her skills in writing and creating this one, and I'm absolutely delighted to have another of hers in my tbr list. Absolutely a full five stars!

It was wonderful

The Girl in the Pink Raincoat

About the author

Alrene Hughes grew up in Belfast and has lived in Manchester for most of her adult life. She worked for British Telecom and the BBC before training as an English teacher. After teaching for twenty years, she retired and now writes full-time.