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The first fascinating part of Joanna Toye's delightful trilogy about life in Ambridge. Covering the years 1951-1967, Family Ties introduces the main characters: Dan, Doris, Phil, Christine, Jack and Peggy and their children, Walter Gabriel, the Fairbrothers and Tom Forrest. The early years are action-packed: Phil's courtship and marriage to Grace and her tragic death; his subsequent marriage to Jill and the birth of their children; Jack's drinking problem and later, the birth of Jennifer's illegitimate baby.

>For over 50 years, Britain's most popular radio drama has captured the imagination of listeners throughout the country. Ambridge and its residents have been constant companions to millions throughout the highs and lows of five successive decades. Covering the years 1968 to 1986, Joanna Toye's novel follows the fortunes of Dan and Doris's grandchildren, as they search for happiness and love in the changing world of the 70s and early 80s. Jennifer's struggles as an unmarried mother look to be over....

Spring 1944. As the Allied forces push on towards longed-for victory, Lily Collins yearns to join up and do her bit. But where does her duty lie? Her best friend, Gladys, faces having her first baby alone, with her new husband back with the navy. And their friend, Beryl, is run off her feet building her bridal-hire business amid the bomb damage. So while wedding bells are ringing for others at Marlows Department Store, where Lily works, will they be heard for Lily herself - or does fate have another twist in store?

It’s 1942 and as shortages of staff – and goods – begin to bite, young Lily Collins is thrilled to step up to sales junior in her job at Marlow’s department store. But bombs are still falling and Lily and fellow shop girls Gladys and Beryl need a stiff upper lip to wave boyfriends, husbands and brothers goodbye, especially with a baby on the way and grim news on the wireless. When Jim, who works with Lily at the store, seems restless, things are bad enough, but nothing can prepare Lily for the secrets that come tumbling out when her favourite brother comes home on leave....

Carrie Anderson’s business selling books at her local train station is thriving and, with her beloved Mike returned from war, everything feels as though it is falling into place. That is, until Mike is sent to Washington as a liaison between Britain and America. When her twin brother, Johnnie, a fighter pilot, is injured, and her bookstall falls on hard times, Carrie misses the sage advice and comfort of Mike more than ever.

Summer 1945. After victory in Europe, best friends Lily, Gladys and Beryl are looking to the future. But even with this happy news, their lives are far from simple. Despite Lily’s joyful summer wedding, she has doubts over what her heart wants now. As she adjusts to her role as young wife, could this signal the end of her position at Marlows? The return of Gladys’s husband, Bill, raises questions of their family life, as he struggles to find work after the navy, and for Beryl, big changes at her bridal shop are afoot.

When World War II breaks out, Carrie Anderson sets up a bookstall at her local train station in the hope of providing a sense of escapism for travellers, troops and evacuees. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and armed with a colourful array of Penguin paperbacks, Carrie’s business soon booms. And when she gifts a book to a dashing officer, an act of kindness becomes the beginning of Carrie’s very own love story. But as war rages on, and Mike is posted abroad, Carrie’s world is turned upside-down.

It’s 1941, and young Lily Collins is starting work in Midlands department store Marlow’s, whose gleaming facade has fascinated her since childhood. As the air raid sirens blare, Lily learns the ropes from her sophisticated boss, Miss Frobisher, alongside shy fellow junior Gladys. But her burgeoning friendship with young salesman Jim draws her into a swirl of secrets within the store. And with the war progressing to crisis point, Cedric Marlow and his staff must battle nightly bombings and the absence of loved ones to keep going.

For Lily Collins and her fellow shop girls at Marlow’s Department Store, another Christmas with ration books, shortages of goods and staff - not to mention a store coping with war damage - will be a real challenge. But the girls rally round and put their worries aside to make this, the hardest wartime Christmas yet, one that their families and their town will never forget.

Summer 1942. Despite grim reports on the wireless and rationing hitting hard, Lily Collins and her fellow shop girls from Marlow’s department store are determined to put out the bunting for a family party. But Beryl’s husband, Les, returns from North Africa a changed man, and Gladys worries for her own fiancé’s safety. The store is losing staff to the war effort, and Lily’s young man, Jim, is torn over where his duty lies. Then comes the knock on the door that everyone dreads. Lily’s family, always the heart of her world, is rocked to the core.

Joanna Toye joins Robin Morgan in the Audible Studios for an exclusive interview. Joanna Toye was a writer on the BBC Radio 4's The Archers for 35 years. She joins Robin Morgan in the Audible Studios to discuss The Death of Grace Archer, an audio collection featuring archive editions of the world's longest-running soap opera.