Set against backgrounds of the British coast and London, and ranging from the 1920s to the present day, here are ten stories from the pen of the incomparable Catherine Cookson.

In these compelling tales we discover once again the magical storytelling ability that has made Catherine Cookson one of the world’s most popular writers. A husband is forced to re-examine his family relationships; life behind the scenes in a department store is revealed; friendship blossoms in the London Underground during the Blitz. And in an ambitious set of three stories, Cookson traces the changes she has witnessed during her life in the way we view marriage and pregnancy.