Writing came into the picture soon after, an activity that added further stability to Kitty Neale’s life. She started out slow. At the insistence of a friend, Kitty started attending a regular gathering of writers. Kitty Neale comes from a working-class family. She grew up in South London. Her parents worked in the local factories. Kitty spent a lot of time on the streets around Battersea. In the meantime, his ex wife Pearl Button has divorced him and remarried, determined to protect her son from knowing who his real father is. Seventeen-year-old Constance has had a privileged upbringing in Clapham but her parents have always been cold and distant, never showing her love. Craving affection, Constance falls into the arms of Albie Jones, the cook’s grandson. But one fateful encounter leaves her ashamed and pregnant, and she is soon shunned from the family home. Heartbroken and threatened by scandal, Constance is forced to wed Albie and moves to Battersea, where she suffers unforgiving stares and cruel whispers from the neighbours. Trapped in a bitter and loveless marriage without a penny to her name, Constance has no choice but to stay and surrender. Will she ever find freedom – or happiness – again? Seventeen-year-old Constance has had a privileged upbringing in Clapham, with staff to attend to her every need. But her parents have always been cold and distant, never showing her love.

From the get go I couldn't put down this book, the beginning has a dark and forboding feel to it that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Kitty Neale's writing style is fast paced and keeps the reader interested. Craving affection, Constance falls into the arms of Albie Jones, the cook’s grandson. But one fateful encounter leaves her ashamed and pregnant, and she is soon shunned from the family home. The Family Secret is a one can't put downable read, and boyo boy there's a lot along the way to surface as you read. When Celia's husband leaves her and Thomas announces he is to marry Amy, she is more determined than ever to split them up.Celia needs an ally, so she writes to her elder son, Jeremy, asking him to come home.

Full Series List in Order

I have only read one Kitty Neale book before this one and I want to say it was a blog tour that brought her to my attention, I forgot how much I enjoyed it and will be adding more of hers to my wishlist. Set in Battersea, South London, 1956 we head to a small community with different social standings. For example Amy Millar comes from a working class family, scrimping by, her dad in a low paid job with his post war injury, her mum working double jobs but they are loved and happy. Amy's boyfriend Thomas Frost comes from a different type of family, his dad owns his own business, his mother Celia is a keeping up with the Joneses and feels Amy is far too common for her precious son, her marriage is not an overly happy one. We have wee characters in between, old Winnie next door, Amy's mum looks out for, even missing out on stuff to ensure Winnie does not. Mabel, Amy's mums friend and town busybody who reveals in dramas and gets herself in hot water sometimes. It is quite the small community but the dramas are huge and a plenty. When their marriage is upended, Jennifer must go on a journey with a young woman she just met to discover a truth that might be too much for either of them to bear.

But it turned out that her mother died when she was born. As an adult, Jennifer has tried to fill the void in her heart. She married Marcos because she was convinced he would finally make her happy.Many of the author’s books are set in South London, in locations with which Kitty is intimately familiar. She writes a lot about dysfunctional families and tragedies.

We watch Pearl's growth as a young innocent girl into a grown woman, and her fight to gain a life that she could previously only dream about. Heartbroken and threatened by scandal, Constance is forced to wed Albie and moves to Battersea, where she suffers unforgiving stares and cruel whispers from the neighbours. Trapped in a bitter and loveless marriage without a penny to her name, Constance has no choice but to stay and surrender. Will she ever find freedom – or happiness – again? Most modern authors would have used such affirmation as a reason to immediately make their mark in publishing. However, even though her writing talents were so clear to everyone who knew her, it would be years before Kitty Neale sat down to write fiction.Plain, but with a beautiful, caring nature, Constance Burton Blake is the main focus of attention throughout the book; an only child, born to Henrietta, a cold-hearted woman and a heavy drinker, and her Father Charles, who is often absent and carries a full-on condescending attitude. I didn't much care for either of them. I liked Ethel, the Burton Blake's long-standing cook, who has her own secret and regrets; I loved how she cared for Constance and I was hoping that the past could be laid to rest. Can people forgive and bridges re-built? A rich young girl – Constance – is devoid of love from both her parents. Her self-esteem is extremely low and her ability to judge people correctly is distorted due to never receiving any true affection. This causes her to be attracted to a seemingly sensible lad and soon she is outcast when the unthinkable occurs! Readers feel sympathy for young Constance and the story is so engaging that one desperately wills to advise her as they read along. However, as the story continues, Constance learns valuable lessons and as they say some lessons can only be learnt through experience.

It wasn’t until she met Jim, her second and final husband, that Kitty Neale achieved a sense of stability in her life. By the time they got married, Kitty’s children had grown up and started lives of their own, so Kitty was free to indulge in her passions. Pearl will now have to take over Nora’s care and plans to take her to Winchester. However, when Bessie’s will is read, she has left the shop and premises to Pearl, yet with a proviso. Pearl not only has to take over Nora’s care, she must do it in Battersea, moving into the shop and premises and living there for the rest of Nora’s natural life. Then, and only then, can she sell up. Abandoned on the cold stone steps of an orphanage, only a few hours old and clutching the object which was to give her name, Pearl Button had a hard start to life. Bessie has taken on Nora Dobbs, a young woman and she asks Pearl to take over her care when dies. Pearl, thinking that Bessie will recover from her illness and live for many more years, agrees, but less than a week later, Bessie passes away. A gritty tale of family and a love that holds no bounds, from the best-selling author of Nobody’s Girl and A Father’s RevengeThe author married her first husband in 1966. Their son and daughter were born soon after. Then came the divorce, followed by a number of years during which Kitty struggled to survive as a single mother. But then she learned that she was adopted and she finally understood the true nature of her plight. Jenny would have loved nothing better than to find her real family and to finally understand where she came from. Even as a child, Kitty had an incredible imagination. She was always telling her friends and family stories some of which were quite horrific; though, to her family, they were more of a source of amusement than a cause for concern.