Soho, London, 1958. Three women. One boarding house. A secret that could shatter everything.
One wet afternoon in 1954, after a whirlwind romance, Edie Fletcher married Frank Budd in a South London registry office. With a spool of blue ribbon tied around her bouquet, she promised to love, honour, and obey him - for better, or worse.
Two years later, Edie arrives alone at 73 Dove Street, a West London boarding house run by the formidable Phyllis Collier- exhausted, nervous, carrying nothing but a cardboard suitcase. Phyllis' other lodger, Tommie, keeps herself to herself. But when Tommie discovers a secret from Edie and Frank's marriage, she's faced with a choice. Will she turn the other way? Or help set Edie free?
Soho, London, 1958. Three women. One boarding house. A secret that could shatter everything.
One wet afternoon in 1954, after a whirlwind romance, Edie Fletcher married Frank Budd in a South London registry office. With a spool of blue ribbon tied around her bouquet, she promised to love, honour, and obey him - for better, or worse.
Two years later, Edie arrives alone at 73 Dove Street, a West London boarding house run by the formidable Phyllis Collier- exhausted, nervous, carrying nothing but a cardboard suitcase. Phyllis' other lodger, Tommie, keeps herself to herself. But when Tommie discovers a secret from Edie and Frank's marriage, she's faced with a choice. Will she turn the other way? Or help set Edie free?
Julie Owen Moylan was born in Cardiff and has worked in a variety of jobs, from trainee hairdresser and chip shop attendant at sixteen to business management consultant and college lecturer in her thirties. She then returned to education to complete her Master's degree in Film before going on to complete a further Master's degree in Creative Writing. Julie is an alumna of the Faber Academy's Writing a Novel course. She lives in Cardiff with her husband and two cats. Her debut, That Green Eyed Girl, received widespread critical acclaim. Something Blue is her second novel. Julie can be found on Twitter- @JulieOwenMoylan
Touching, entertaining, hopeful. A vivid sense of time, place,
people's attitudes and fragilities
*Sunday Times*
Psychologically astute and emotionally absorbing, this is a
heartfelt read
*Daily Mail*
73 Dove Street is a pacy and evocative account of the struggles
facing women of that era
*Herald*
Gripping . . . Julie Owen Moylan vividly recreates drab, grey
postwar London and her characters are convincing to the end
*The Times, 'Best New Historical Fiction for July 2023*
From the Rivoli Ballroom to the seedy nightlife of Soho, the
characters leap off the page in this compelling mystery
*Woman & Home*
An incredibly vivid rendering of post-war London and the
complicated lives of three woman whose fates intersect at a
boarding house as they seek to take control of their own destinies.
This was an engrossing read; emotional, immersive and utterly
absorbing
*Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of
Ariadne*
A corker. It's the story of three working class women in 1950's
London. It's so evocative, you can *smell* the gas fires, the lard,
the perfume, the talc, the gin. It's bleakly honest about women's
lot at the time (not so very long ago) and the tale is deftly
woven. I loved how the strands came together, very satisfying
*Kate Sawyer, author of The Stranding*
A wonderfully evocative, immersive novel that brings 50s London to
life, from the smog and the nightlife to attitudes towards women.
Julie Owen Moylan excels in creating female characters who the
reader cares about. As the friendship between these three unlikely
women grows, so does their hope for a better future. It's a vivid,
absorbing and ultimately uplifting read
*Sunday Express*
A vivid and propulsive story of three women and three dangerous
secrets, 73 Dove Street so brillaintly and evocatively captures
Soho in the 50s that I really feel I was there
*Sophie Irwin, bestseslling author of The Lady's Guide to
Fortune Hunting*
I loved it even more than Julie's debut That Green Eyed Girl. Soho
in the 50s is brilliantly done, as are the female characters. Brava
Julie!
*Georgina Moore, author of The Garnett Girls*
Powerful, poignant and so beautifully drawn - every single scene
comes alive
*Frances Quinn, author of The Smallest Man*
Once again, Julie Owen Moylan has created a mid century world that
feels completely real and vivid. I've loved walking the damp
postwar London streets with Edie and Tommie, chain-smoking in gin
bars and watching these women grow. Julie has such a knack for
setting up a story, creating a mystery that pulls you right in. A
hugely enjoyable book.
*Jodie Chapman, author of Another Life*
Set in my end of 1950s London, the sense of time and place is
beautifully evocative, the ghost of the war, and the sense of
societal change about to come. It's about pride and shame and love
and loss and ultimately hope
*Laura Shepherd-Robinson, author of Blood & Sugar*
Stark choices and dangerous secrets disrupt the lives of three
damaged but resilient working-class women in this compelling
emotional drama
*Mail on Sunday*
From the Rivoli Ballroom to the seedy nightlife of Soho, the
characters leap off the page in this compelling mystery
*Woman & Home*
Brilliant! Totally immersed in postwar London. I loved every page
of this wonderful novel. A mystery that keeps you guessing,
difficult women and that seductive 1950s atmosphere - all my
favourite things!
*Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City*
Another fabulous read by the brilliant Julie Owen Moylan. A
gripping and touching feminist read about three women in one London
boarding house in 1958. Julie writes about mid-20th century women
like no-one else!
*Laura Price, author of Single Bald Female*
I loved That Green Eyed Girl by Julie Owen Moylan so had high hopes
for 73 Dove Street and it did not disappoint. This beautiful
postwar story of three working class women is so evocative and
moving. Adored it.
*Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious
Things*
A beautiful story of friendship and new beginnings
*Best*
Another absolute cracker from Julie Owen Moylan. The compelling and
vividly-evoked story of three brave and complex women in 1950s
London.
*Anna Mazzola, author of The Clockwork Girl*
Hugely atmospheric, this haunting and thought-provoking read
explores the lives of three women whose tales become entwined
through a single address. Set in 1958 London, brought to life by
immersive, detailed descriptions, it looks at women's roles in a
changing society. It's a really tough read at times but written
with such heart. A fascinating, bold read. Bravo Julie bravo!
*Liz Hyder, author of The Gifts*
A brilliant evocation of the seedy side of post-war London, wrapped
around a story of the power of female friendship, this is the very
best kind of escapism
*Bookseller, 'Editor's Choice'*
Gripping and atmospheric, this novel will worm its way into your
heart
*Red*
I adored it. It's gripping (I stayed up until 1am on a school night
to finish it), moving and so wonderfully evocative of post-war
London. Julie's firmly an auto-buy author for me now, and I can't
wait to read what she writes next
*Emma Hughes, author of No Such Thing As Perfect*
Brimming with 1950s detail and atmosphere, pacy and evocative,
authentic and well-drawn. An enjoyable read
*Independent*
Superb
*Sun*
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