Books by Alrene Hughes

A heartbroken young widow joins the police force during World War Two in Manchester.

These characters speak from the heart - the pain and excitement of leaving, the struggle to find work and raise a family and always the longing for home that never goes away. A Cork man drawn into the gangs of 19th century Manchester finds an unlikely escape from his criminal life. A navvy, 'Sure, didn't we build England for them,' is moved by tragedy to make something of himself. A young woman arrives in England expecting the excitement she's read about in magazines, but her matchmaker cousin has other ideas . . . Those who crossed the sea carried not only their dreams of a better life, but the strength and good humour to adapt and survive. These fifteen stories portray with precision and honesty the experience of Irish immigrants-focusing on moments of passion, stark reality, and that eternal conflict between where they belong and where they live.

Belfast, 1939, and Martha's daughters are beginning to make their way in the world.Irene, the eldest, is on the lookout for a new job and romance. She is torn between Sean O'Hara - wanted by the police for something he didn't do - and RAF radio engineer Sandy, serving in India.Pat is sensitive and thoughtful, and dreams of life beyond the Ulster Linen Works. When she is introduced to a dashing tenor, the possibility of a new life seems ever more real . . .Peggy, hot-headed and glamorous, loves her job in Mr Goldstein's music shop on Royal Avenue, where she catches the eye of a Humphrey Bogart lookalike, but he isn't all he appears . . .Sheila, the youngest, wants to stay on at school, but her family desperately need another wage. Above all, she longs to be treated like a grown up.Although they lead very different lives, the sisters share a passion for singing and when they are asked to join a new troupe of entertainers, Martha fears this will put them in temptation's way. Can she hold her family together and keep her girls safe, even when the bombs begin to fall?The Golden Sisters, the fabulous sequel to Martha's Girls, is out now!