The Dover Café at War - Ginny Bell
About the book
Dover, 1939
At the heart of Market Square lies Castle's Café, run by the formidable Nellie Castle and her six children.
Since the scandalous birth of her son ten years before, Marianne, Nellie's eldest daughter, has preferred to stay in the kitchen, hidden away from the scrutiny of the town gossips. Overcome with shame, she has never revealed the identity of Donny's father - not even to her own mother.
But with World War II just around the corner, soon Marianne's past catches up with her. And suddenly the lives of the Castle family become a lot more complicated.
Will the secrets from her past destroy their future?
About the author
Ginny Bell went to school in Dover, never realising at the time what a fascinating and crucial role the town played in World War Two. She is a freelance editor who lives in London with her three children. The Dover Café at War is her first novel.
Discover more about the book and author
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Read an article by Ginny Bell here.
Read this review of The Dover Café at War.
Our Librarian’s Review
Reviewed by Louise
Heart-warming is the right description for the story, but whereas this could be used pejoratively, it is not done so here. This is a realistic portrayal of a family’s life in Dover at the outbreak of World War II, the story arch working with real events that are humanised with a cast of characters I genuinely cared about. You also believe in them as people, although Robert is a thorough rotter, and Jasper is just wonderful! None of the other characters, especially Nellie and her family, are perfect; they are given enough flaws/character traits to allow them to develop through the book, and the series that follows.