Firstly I wish to thank KIM NASH of BOOKOUTURE for the opportunity to be part of this BLOG TOUR because this is some seriously brilliant writing. Just loved it!
When We Danced at the End of the Pier (Brighton Girls Trilogy Book 1)
UK
US
Publisher: Bookouture (31st March 2017)
Brighton 1930: Maureen O’Connell is a carefree girl, but her family is on the brink of tragedy, war is looming and life will never be the same again.
Jack and Nelson have always been dear friends to Maureen. Despite their different backgrounds, they’ve seen each other through thick and thin.
As Maureen blossoms from a little girl into a young woman, the candle she’s always held for Jack burns bright. But just as she’s found love, war wrenches them apart. The man she cherishes with all her heart is leaving.
When the bombs start to fall, Maureen and her family find themselves living in the most dangerous of times. With Jack no longer by her side and Nelson at war, Maureen has never felt more alone. Can she look to a brighter future? And will she find the true happiness she’s dreamt of?
An utterly gripping and heart-wrenching story about the enduring power of love, hope and friendship during the darkest of days. Perfect for fans of Pam Jenoff, Nadine Dorries and Diney Costeloe.
HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS AND REVIEW
Well this really is one of those books that will stay with you. How beautifully written it is. Maureen is only a child but she has had to get a much older head on those little shoulders, to make sure that not only she and her little six year old sister Brenda are safe but also her dada. Eight year old Maureen knew that dada wasn’t like other people because sometimes he was very sad and he made wrong choices and he didn’t go to work but she knew he loved them and mum. Mum went to work cleaning for rich ladies where they lived in Brighton although her dada was from Ireland. As little as she was there were times when she felt embarrassed because of the way her Dada behaved, especially when people laughed at him, but she was like the little mother that tried to protect both Dada and Brenda from a cruel world.
This story begins in 1930 and spans through to the end of the 2nd World War in 1945. It felt like Maureen’s life had been so much longer than this, so much tragedy for one still so young.
Sandy Taylor has gathered up the essence of perfection in this book. She captured the innocence of these two little girls, with the questions they asked and the logic they use to work out an answer out even if it was wrong. The punctuation is spot on or should I say lack of it at times, because it really does bring these children to life. It makes you read how children talk, sometimes in long gushes of words and others with such care each word needs its own space. It even feels like she has had the era bottled up and literally poured it out onto these pages. to give it genuine authenticity.
Maureen had her own life plan and had no intension of going along with what life threw at her. She knew the boy she would marry and which friends would always be in her life. One thing was for sure the peoples lives she touched would never be the same, even mine.
HERE IS A LITTLE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sandy Taylor grew up on a council estate near Brighton. There were no books in the house, so Sandy’s love of the written word was nurtured in the little local library. Leaving school at fifteen, Sandy worked in a series of factories before landing a job at Butlins in Minehead. This career change led her to becoming a singer, a stand up comic and eventually a playwright and novelist.
https://www.facebook.com/SandyTaylorAuthor
https://twitter.com/SandyTaylorAuth
BOOKS FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 
This does sound absolutely captivating – I want to know about Maureen’s life and those choices although I have a feeling this book may well make my eyes leak.
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It will break your heart but Sandy Taylor’s writing is pure magic for any reader. Really do read this book. It will remain one of my favourites for years and years I am sure
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