Kisses and Ha’Pennies
By Beryl Kingston
The war to end all wars is over. . .
Anna Pelucci is on the threshold of womanhood. Beautiful, innocent, spoiled by her doting Italian father, she flits from party to glamorous party in search of a handsome husband. Dashing Eric Barnes, with his thin, cruel mouth and cold grey eyes, fits the bill – but will he play the game?
Deep in the slums of south London, where jubilant Londoners celebrate the defeat of Kaiser Bill, young Mary Chapman faces a daily struggle for survival. Undaunted by her grim surroundings, she is eager to join the battle against poverty and disease. No girlish frivolities for Mary.
When fate flings these very different girls together with a stunning revelation about Mary’s past, shock gives way to liking. As Anna discovers what lies behind Eric’s suave façade, and Mary is thrown into the turmoil of first love, each learns the value of a true friend – a friend ready to share the bad times as well as the good . . .
KISSES AND HA’PENNIES: an enchanting, nostalgic novel whose two charming, vulnerable but determined heroines will touch every reader’s heart.
Beryl Kingston was born in Tooting in 1931 and was evacuated during the war. She studied at King’s College London, qualified as a teacher and headed an English department. She was been a published author since 1980 and is a self-confessed ‘political animal’, taking part in street demonstrations and protests. She was also a beauty queen in 1947!
