Uploaded May 2016 | Updated September 2026, 12 minutes ago
Buy this breath-taking novel of love and honour in extraordinary circumstances now.
amzn.to/1qHZLLN
'Beautifully written, funny, gut-wrenching and above all, honest' Daily Mail
'A powerful, emotional read, which skilfully balances heartwarming romance with dark, gritty wartime truths' The List
'His best book to date' Esquire
When war is declared, Mary North leaves finishing school unfinished, goes straight to the War Office, and signs up.
Tom Shaw decides to give it a miss - until his flatmate Alistair unexpectedly enlists, and the conflict can no longer be avoided.
Young, bright and brave, Mary is certain she'd be a marvellous spy. When she is - bewilderingly - made a teacher; she instead finds herself defying prejudice to protect the children her country would rather forget.
Tom, meanwhile finds that he will do anything for Mary.
And when Mary and Alistair meet, it is love, as well as war, that will test them in ways they could not have imagined, entangling three lives in violence and passion, friendship and deception, inexorably shaping their hopes and dreams.
In a powerful combination of both humour and heartbreak, this dazzling novel weaves little-known history and a perfect love story through the vast sweep of the Second World War - daring us to understand that, against the great theatre of world events, it is the intimate losses, the small battles, the daily human triumphs, that change us most.
Sceptre Books is an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton, a major publisher within Hachette UK, one of the UK’s biggest publishing groups. We publish a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books. Subscribe to our channel to discover more inspiring videos of our award-winning books and authors: bit.ly/ZxCFcv
Visit our website at bit.ly/ZxBY2Z
Follow us on Twitter at bit.ly/1zf2yym
Find us on Facebook at on.fb.me/1rHy6CQ
Buy this breath-taking novel of love and honour in extraordinary circumstances now.
amzn.to/1qHZLLN
'Beautifully written, funny, gut-wrenching and above all, honest' Daily Mail
'A powerful, emotional read, which skilfully balances heartwarming romance with dark, gritty wartime truths' The List
'His best book to date' Esquire
When war is declared, Mary North leaves finishing school unfinished, goes straight to the War Office, and signs up.
Tom Shaw decides to give it a miss - until his flatmate Alistair unexpectedly enlists, and the conflict can no longer be avoided.
Young, bright and brave, Mary is certain she'd be a marvellous spy. When she is - bewilderingly - made a teacher; she instead finds herself defying prejudice to protect the children her country would rather forget.
Tom, meanwhile finds that he will do anything for Mary.
And when Mary and Alistair meet, it is love, as well as war, that will test them in ways they could not have imagined, entangling three lives in violence and passion, friendship and deception, inexorably shaping their hopes and dreams.
In a powerful combination of both humour and heartbreak, this dazzling novel weaves little-known history and a perfect love story through the vast sweep of the Second World War - daring us to understand that, against the great theatre of world events, it is the intimate losses, the small battles, the daily human triumphs, that change us most.
Sceptre Books is an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton, a major publisher within Hachette UK, one of the UK’s biggest publishing groups. We publish a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books. Subscribe to our channel to discover more inspiring videos of our award-winning books and authors: bit.ly/ZxCFcv
Visit our website at bit.ly/ZxBY2Z
Follow us on Twitter at bit.ly/1zf2yym
Find us on Facebook at on.fb.me/1rHy6CQ
