Author: Celia Imrie Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 1526616386 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 369
Book Description
London, 1944. The air raid sirens are blaring, the bombers are hovering. England has been at war with Germany for four years, and there's no sign of peace coming. Dot Gallagher, newly arrived from Liverpool to offer her services as a nurse, hurries from her Red Cross hostel to the tube station to join the crowds of people taking shelter. A group of GIs have started dancing around a wind-up gramophone, and it doesn't take long for Dot to join them. As she jives along with one of the American soldiers, he tells her about Rainbow Corner, a social club in Piccadilly for US troops. There is always a demand for dance hostesses there, women who know how to jitterbug and rock'n'roll, to dance with the soldiers. Would Dot like to apply? As Dot discovers, Rainbow Corner is like no other place, an oasis in London where, once inside, the constraints of wartime Britain disappear. There is no rationing, all luxuries are available, including a constant stream of donuts, chewing gum and cola. There are restaurants and cafes, boxing matches and movies, and, much to Dot's delight, a huge dance hall. Rather like an Embassy, Rainbow Corner is essentially a plot of America in central London. It is there that Dot becomes firm friends with many of the other hostesses, and in particular with Lilly, who works for the Colonel. Meet Me at Rainbow Corner follows the lives of Dot, Lilly and their friends, as they dance the nights away, fall in and out of love, and navigate the horrors of war. Lilly goes on a secret mission with her Colonel to France, and Dot becomes pregnant and returns to Liverpool. When the war is over, they are re-united, having travelled by boat to the US with countless other war brides to meet their repatriated fiancés again. Along the way, they uncover a case of inside espionage and learn the true meaning of love. Praise for Meet Me At Rainbow Corner: 'Utterly charming and engrossing' - Joanna Lumley 'Hugely enjoyable and meticulously researched... A must for anyone who likes wartime novels with a difference' - Rosie Goodwin 'From the first to the last page, I was captivated by this brilliant novel, and simply didn't want it to end' - Jenny Ashcroft 'A beautiful book about friendship, romance and courage set against a background of war and peril. I loved it' - Sue Cleaver 'Thoroughly enjoyable! A meticulously researched and deeply evocative snapshot of the experiences of a group of feisty and determined women, who became GI Brides in World War 2' - Fiona Valpy
Author: David Ellery Publisher: Pen and Sword ISBN: 1399053086 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 243
Book Description
Probably the most famous, and certainly one of the best-loved ships in the world, the Cunard transatlantic liner RMS Queen Mary has now been preserved at Long Beach, California as a floating hotel and tourist attraction for more than fifty years, comfortably longer than her 31-year career as an ocean liner. Laid down in 1930, Queen Mary’s construction was severely delayed by the Great Depression. Eventually completed in 1936, the ship was an instant success, capturing the famous Blue Riband for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic later that year, and regaining it in 1938. During the Second World War she served as a troop ship, carrying a total of 810,730 troops and also setting the record for the most individuals carried in a single voyage – 16,683 – which stands to this day. By the time she ceased passenger service in 1967, superseded by the airliner as the preferred mode for international travel, Queen Mary had carried nearly three million people, from royalty, politicians and film stars to emigrants and cruise passengers. After her sale to the city of Long Beach she underwent a major conversion for her new life as a visitor attraction, a role she has continued ever since. During this time however, her story has been far from straightforward, with controversies over management, funding and even the structural integrity of the very ship itself. She now remains the only 1930s superliner left in the world. The original edition of RMS Queen Mary, the World’s Favourite Liner was published in 1994. This new and expanded edition has been completely revised and brought up to date to describe the ship’s last twenty-five years, and it incorporates a wealth of new photography. Lavishly produced and stunningly illustrated throughout with views of the ship under construction, at sea in her heyday and at rest in Long Beach, it will appeal to all ocean liner enthusiasts and those more general readers fascinated by the heyday of transatlantic travel.
Author: Hans Christian Andersen Publisher: Read Books Ltd ISBN: 1473365112 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 69
Book Description
This volume of the Golden Age of Illustration Series contains Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Red Shoes’. This classic fairy tale has been continuously in print in different editions since its first publication, with many, many, different artists illustrating the story over the years. This edition features a beautiful collection of the best of that art, taken from the likes of Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, Harry Clarke, Honor Appleton, Jennie Harbour, among others. This series of books celebrates the Golden Age of Illustration. During this period, the popularity, abundance and – most importantly – the unprecedented upsurge in the quality of illustrated works marked an astounding change in the way that publishers, artists and the general public came to view this hitherto insufficiently esteemed art form. The Golden Age of Illustration Series, has sourced the rare original editions of these books and reproduced the beautiful art work in order to build a unique collection of illustrated fairy tales. ‘The Red Shoes’ was first published in April of 1845, as part of Andersen’s New Fairy Tales: First Volume, Third Collection. Andersen explained the source of the story as being an incident he had witnessed as a small child. His father, he stated, had been sent a piece of red silk by a rich lady, who wanted the material converted into a pair of dancing slippers. Andersen’s father produced the slippers, but the rich woman was horrified at the result, and in reaction to her harsh criticism, he cut the shoes up in front of her.
Author: Chris Frame Publisher: Story (History Press) ISBN: 9780752450940 Category : Transportation Languages : en Pages : 128
Book Description
There has been no more beloved liner than the Queen Elizabeth 2. The last liner to be built on British soil, she was constructed by John Brown & Co., Clydebank (Scotland) and her keel was laid on July 5, 1965, marking the start of her illustrious career. Her maiden voyage left Southampton on May 2, 1969, bound for New York, and she has remained in service for the past 40 years. She had a spell as a military ship from 1982, when she was requisitioned to serve as a troop carrier during the Falklands War, and during her military career QE2 successfully sailed more than 14,900 miles. Post-war, she has had many refits, including a headline-grabbing total refurbishment in 1994 to turn her into a 21st-century luxury liner. In November 2008, QE2 retired to a new life in Dubai World, where she began her conversion to a floating hotel, and the last chapter of her exceptional life in service will close.
Author: William H. Miller
Author: Celia Imrie
Author: David Ellery
Author: Isabelle Saxon
Author: Isabelle SAXON (pseud. [i.e. Mrs. Sutherland.])
Author: Hans Christian Andersen
Author: Michael Beaumont
Author: Chris Frame
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