The Allotment Girls

The Allotment Girls is an inspiring and heartwarming novel of wartime hardship, friendship and fortitude from Kate Thompson, author of the Secrets of the Sewing Bee.During the Second World War, life in the iconic Bryant & May match factory is grimy and tough. Annie, Rose, Pearl and Millie carry on making matches for the British Army, with bombs raining down around them.Inspired by the Dig for Victory campaign, Annie persuades the owners to start Bryant & May allotment in the factory grounds. With plenty of sweat and toil, the girls eventually carve out a corner of the yard into a green plot full of life and colour. In the darkest of times, the girls find their allotment a tranquil, happy escape. Using pierced dustbin lids to sieve through the shrapnel and debris, they bring about a powerful change, not just in the factory, but their own lives. As the war rages on, the garden becomes a place of community, friendship – and deceit. As the garden thrives and grows, so do the girls' secrets . . .

Marvellous, full of gutsy characters I immediately empathized with [Secrets of the Singer Girls], The way Kate Thompson writes . . . made me feel that I was reading about old friends. I just had to keep the pages turning. I am sure that before long her readers will be clamouring for more [Secrets of the Singer Girls], An evocative tale of a time when women battled together to survive and do their bit in the most difficult of circumstances [Secrets of the Singer Girls], A riveting and wonderful read. [Secrets of the Singer Girls]

Kate Thompson is a journalist with twenty years' experience as a writer for the broadsheets and women's weekly magazines. She is now freelance, and as well as writing for newspapers, she's a seasoned ghostwriter. The Allotment Girls is her fourth novel, following The Wedding Girls, Secrets of the Sewing Bee and the Sunday Times bestseller Secrets of the Singer Girls.

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