Mersey View

At the age of 45, Lucy Henshaw has finally left home. Her decision to go has been reached neither lightly nor suddenly, since her marriage has been broken for some eighteen years. However, as the mother of twin sons and a daughter, Lucy has felt it her duty to stay as a couple in the family house she was born in near Bolton, giving her children the security she knows they need. Now that her family is grown, content in the knowledge that she loves them, Lucy decides she is free to leave. She secretly purchases a beautiful house overlooking the Mersey, near Liverpool, and there she plans to start afresh. Within hours, she has met some characters: her new neighbour Moira, who is disabled and dying, and sees Lucy as the ideal new companion for her husband, Richard; Shirley Bishop, built like a battleship and a cleaner extraordinaire, towing her several-inches-shorter husband as a handy gardener behind her; and Dr David Vincent, who is grieving for the loss of his young son. It is soon apparent that Lucy need have no anxieties about being lonely. It is these new friends, too, who come to Lucy’s rescue when her husband Alan, falls ill. Always a wastrel and fraudster who has tried to control her, his illness only seems to offer him another opportunity to complicate Lucy's life all over again. Mersey View is a compelling and gritty novel set in Liverpool, and is a wonderful story, rich with warmth and humour, by a much-loved storyteller at the height of her powers.

In her nostalgic and heart-warming new saga, Sunday Times bestselling author Lyn Andrews evokes the ups and downs of life in the back streets of 1930s Liverpool Liverpool, World War II. Monica Eustace and Joan McDonald met as next-door-neighbours living in Mersey View in Liverpool. Their friendship is a close as ever, though they're married now, and sharing Monica's grand house on the other side of the city. But war clouds are gathering, casting a shadow over the happy future they dream of with their young husbands . . . Meanwhile, in London, Joan's half-sister Bella is overwhelmed with the glitz and glamour of the city while she's training as a singer - but will she forget her friends back home? As war descends on Merseyside, can the women make their back street dreams reality, or will the close-knit families be torn apart? PRAISE FOR SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR LYN ANDREWS: 'An outstanding storyteller' Woman's Weekly 'Gutsy . . . A vivid picture of a hard-up, hard-working community . . . Will keep the pages turning' Daily Express 'A compelling read' Woman's Own 'She has a realism that is almost palpable' Liverpool Echo 'The Catherine Cookson of Liverpool' Northern Echo

In her nostalgic and heart-warming saga, Sunday Times bestselling author Lyn Andrews evokes the ups and downs of life in the back streets of 1930s Liverpool 'An outstanding storyteller' Woman's Weekly Liverpool, 1935. Monica and Joan Copperfield are firm friends. Monica dreams of a better life as a hairdresser - though her parents are suspicious of such a glamorous profession. Joan has her eye on a job at Crawford's biscuit factory, with cheap chocolate biscuits as an irresistible perk. When Monica catches the eye of her boss's son, she's flattered. But could he ever be serious about a back-street girl? Meanwhile Glaswegian Jim is keen on Joan - but she's grown up around a bad marriage, and is suspicious of romance. Yet Jim's kindness and sense of humour are hard to resist . . . Shocking secrets, lifelong friendships and the unbreakable spirit of a working-class community facing war are woven irresistibly together in Lyn Andrews' evocative novel. Readers are loving The Girls From Mersey View 'What a delightful story' ***** 'I loved the characters and the setting. This is a story of hope and friendship and I highly recommend' ***** 'What a delight this book was to read ... an inspirational story' ***** 'I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone' *****

Presents a selection of 30 gentle walks which map out ecological improvements, industrial archaeology, tourist attractions and geographical features of the River Mersey. This book is illustrated with photographs and is suitable both for family outings and for enthusiasts of local history and ecology.