A Store at War: Joanna Toye

It's 1941 and as the air raid sirens blare, Lily Collins is starting work in Midlands department store Marlow's. She learns the ropes from her sophisticated boss Miss Frobisher alongside shy fellow junior Gladys. But her friendship with young salesman Jim draws her into a swirl of secrets. And with the war progressing to crisis point, Cedric Marlow and his staff must battle nightly bombings and the absence of loved ones to keep going.

A Store at War weaves together a strong sense of community with a vivid evocation of a time when every man, woman and child was doing their bit.