It’s 1943. Nell Reilly is ready to fight with everything she has for a better future. Brought up in London’s tough East End, she is fiercely determined to keep the promise she made to her little sister Jo to build a new life for them one day. Until a chance meeting changes everything… Absorbed in […]
Felicity’s War by Jean Fullerton
It’s 1941. While London is battered by air raids, Felicity ‘Fliss’ Carmichael has troubles of her own. Still reeling from catching her fiancé cheating, she flees to her childhood home at St. Winifred’s Rectory, reuniting with her sister Prue and Hester Katz, a Jewish doctor sheltering there. Though heartbroken, Fliss finds purpose again as a […]
A Stepney Girl’s Secret by Jean Fullerton
East London, in 1940: Prue Carmichael never dreamed that she’d end up working at a railway yard. But when her reverend father is called up to Stepney, she and her family are uprooted from their country home for a new life in the turbulent city. Determined to help with the war effort, Prue signs up […]
A Child of the East End by Jean Fullerton
Life in Cockney London was tough in the post-war years. The government’s broken promises had led to a chronic housing shortage, rampant crime and families living in squalor. But one thing prevailed: the unbeatable spirit of the East End, a tight-knit community who pulled through the dark times with humour and heart. Drawing on both […]
Writing yourself into history: top tips for memoirs
Have you considered writing a book about yourself? A memoir, autobiography, or family history, or even just a private record for your relatives or friends? Jean Fullerton, East Ender and bestselling author, has her own autobiography coming out and learned some useful tips which she’s passing on here. Before I start, can I warn you […]
Books for history lovers – summer reading 2022
It’s time for Historia’s summer reading suggestions. We asked 12 historical writers to each recommend two books for history lovers, fiction or non-fiction, which stood out for them recently. Whether you’re going overseas for the first time this decade or relaxing at home, we hope you enjoy our picks! Jean Fullerton My first must-read is The […]
A Ration Book Victory by Jean Fullerton
Queenie Brogan wasn’t always an East End matriarch. Many years ago, before she married Fergus, she was Philomena Dooley, a daughter of Irish Travellers, planning to wed her childhood sweetheart, Patrick Mahone. But when tragedy struck and Patrick’s narrow-minded sister, Nora, intervened, the lovers were torn apart. Fate can be cruel, and when Queenie arrives […]
A Ration Book Daughter by Jean Fullerton
Cathy was a happy, blushing bride when Britain went to war with Germany three years ago. But her youthful dreams were crushed by her violent husband Stanley’s involvement with the fascist blackshirts, and even when he’s conscripted to fight she knows it’s only a brief respite. Divorce is not an option. Cathy, a true Brogan […]