«A Welcome in the Valley» by Grace Thompson

A delightful post-war saga set in a charming Welsh town
The little Welsh village of Hen Carw Parc – the old deer park – seems to be an island of rural tranquility. But the inhabitants are a lively and varied community – and none more so than Nelly Luke, the cheerful Cockney widow who for many years has made the ramshackle cottage on the village outskirts her cosy, if unconventional, home.

Although her eccentric lifestyle is the despair of her social-climbing daughter Evie, Nelly’s warmth and wisdom win her many friends. There’s Fay, the young newly-wed whose marriage is haunted by the all-too-substantial ghost of her first love, lost in the war; Amy, the glamorous shopkeeper whose private life is colourful indeed; and her dignified sister Prue, whose family cupboard contains more than a few skeletons.

Against the mounting excitement of the Coronation summer, Nelly steers her friends and family through storm and sunshine alike…

Painting a lively yet realistic picture of village life in post-war Wales, this is a heartwarming story of ordinary people and their far-from-ordinary lives. A Welcome in the Valley is the first book in Grace Thompson’s Valley sagas, and is sure to engross readers of Maureen Reynolds and Rosie Clarke.
The Valley Sagas A Welcome in the ValleyValley AffairsThe Changing ValleyValley in Bloom