My usual genre of books is psychological/ crime thrillers . Whenever I feel like a break from them I enjoy historical fiction / saga stories. So this book caught my eye and I am so happy that I read it. A brilliant story that I enjoyed so much.

This is the first Anna King book I have read. I really enjoy wartime novels with their strong female characters. This is a story of family, love, loss and uncertainty.

This book was well written with 3 main characters - Grace, Violet and Poppy. I enjoyed all three of the characters who all cope very differently with their circumstances. The solidarity experienced during the war is very apparent in this novel.

Another book I loved reading. Very good. The characters are interesting and the writing is great. Will probably read it again at some point.

This is the first Anna King book I have read. I really enjoy wartime novels with their strong female characters. This is a story of family, love, loss and uncertainty.

This book was well written with 3 main characters - Grace, Violet and Poppy. I enjoyed all three of the characters who all cope very differently with their circumstances. The solidarity experienced during the war is very apparent in this novel.

A lovely wartime family saga. I enjoyed this and will read more by Anna King.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fur Coat, No Knickers is a bittersweet story of Donnelly family during a dreadful time of WWII.

Shortly after Irishman Patrick Donnelly arrives into England, he finds his way into a card game house where he wins an ownership of an old and antique house. Years and hard work later, an old house becomes a grand mansion. Angie, sassy and hot-tempered lassy wins Patrick's heart, and they live a happy life together in the family home, bearing two sons, Sam and Danny. After Patrick's death, Angie remains living in the house with Danny and Sam's family: wife Hetty and their daughters Grace, Violet and Polly.

Angie, a matriarch of Donnelly's family, could never imagine the horrors WWII will bring on her family. After Sam and Hetty's death, she strives to keep her family safe and together. But it's a fulltime job to keep up with her granddaughters. Polly is the youngest grandchild, suffers a trauma after her parents' death. Violet, sassy, beautiful but wild heartbreaker. And finally Grace, sweet, goodhearted and dedicated young girl. However keeping her eyes on the girls, Angie missed an opportunity the save her youngest son from a seduction of a scheming Beryl Lovesett.

A gripping wartime novel, with strong female characters that takes place in London during the time of WWII. It is full of courage, hope, and heartbreak. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who is interested in WWII history.

I will occasionally read this genre for a bit of light relief if I have time but cannot say that this one particularly gripped me. I will recommend this to my Mum however who reads these titles avidly.

This is a great book,I couldn't put it down,three generations of women in 1930s,a must read.

Overall this was a nice read and I enjoyed the wartime era. The book revolves around the Donnelly family and their lives, loves and struggles though wartime and beyond. Although I enjoyed some of the book, at times it felt like we skipped chunks of time of skimmed over events. I understand the British stiff upper lip mentality and this came across but it did feel a bit disjointed in places. When we met Beryl I thought she was the "fur coat, no knickers" part and was ready for some big story lines based around her. It felt like she was in the background when I expected her to come in and cause pure misery for the family whereas she seemed to just be a mild annoyance and even the abandonment of her child was downplayed. Overall it was a nice story, pretty sad for the majority of the story (but it was war time!) and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this era or light drama/romance novels. Thank you for letting me read it and I will look out for more books by this author in the future.

Reasonable story of a family coping during the war. It doesn't have much to make it any different from the other war stories I have read but okay.

This is a story about the Donnelly family who lived in the East End in 'Paddy's Castle' which is a three story house at the end of the street and was won in a card game and re-built by her Grandfather. The background to their story is the blitz and how it affects their lives and that of their neighbours.
Graces fiancé Stanley joins up but in the background is Nobby Clark who helps the family in their darkest moments and there are several in this story. They are a big boisterous east end family that suffer horrendous losses and try to pick themselves up time and time again. Then there are others who look to take advantage of the family especially their good-willed and innocent uncle.
This was a great story. Anna has captured the hardship and stoic resonance of the east end and the people that lived in it. I really enjoyed this story. There were a few surprises which only helped my enjoyment of it. Looking forward to Anna's next book.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I love World War II historical fiction and this book was exactly that. I loved the Donnelly family, the neighbourhood and really enjoyed this book

I really enjoyed this book. Excellent storyline and great main characters. I would recommend this book.

As we all know, I love a bit of World War II historical fiction so this was right up my alley.  The novel is based around the Donnelly family and their friends as they find themselves in London for the duration of World War II.  They face tragedy, love and loss as they find themselves in a new world that involves bombings, blackouts and rationing.  The story centres on Grace, Violet and Polly, three sisters who are each trying to find their way in the world at a time of great uncertainty.

I really do love novels based during this time period.  In the face of adversity, the characters are brought together in a way that hasn't happened since.  There isn't anyone that hasn't suffered the loss of a loved one as the men of the population are shipped off to war.  However the women left behind pull together to keep the country running, and to keep each other going despite their personal battles and grief.  Grace, Violet and Polly are three very different women, which is very apparent in the novel.  Grace fights to be strong and keep her family together; Violet is fiercely independent and in the new world finds herself conflicted between gaining more independence and the draw of her family. Polly is the frightened youngest Donnelly who is struggling to hold it together when faced with terrifying evenings in bomb shelters, as the Germans rain down on London with truly horrific results.

The fear and solidarity of those times in the late 1930s and early 1940s really comes across in this novel.  These women fight for themselves and for their family as they struggle to survive.  This is a story of tragedy, heroism, love, loss and family.  Go and grab yourself a copy of this novel!

Thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for providing me a copy of this lovely novel!  My review is all mine, voluntarily given.

I thought this would be a typical tale set in World War Two but I enjoyed it more than I anticipated. The main character is likeable and believable and there are enough twists to make it just that little bit out of the ordinary. A good read!