AN UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL
Mrs Porter Calling by AJ Pearce (£16.99, HB, Picador)
Emmy Lake is back in the popular wartime series. In charge of a column at People’s Friend magazine, she’s proud of the part it plays in the war effort. But then entitled socialite Mrs Porter takes over the magazine and wants to fill it with features about her aristocratic friends. Emmy’s loath to watch all they worked so hard for being destroyed. Heartbreaking yet feel-good, we loved it.
✢ See p179 for our chat with AJ Pearce.
PAST MEETS PRESENT
Windmill Hill by Lucy Atkins (£16.99, HB, Quercus)
Astrid was once a leading actress with a film-star husband. Now in her 80s, she lives a frugal life with