Avenues and Alleyways by Kerry Price: A perfect read if you like Martina Cole, Jessie Keane, Kimberley Chambers this Is the first in the series and is a real East End gangland thriller.

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Dowell, Ben (17 April 2008). "Sky to air Cole novel adaptations". The Guardian . Retrieved 5 November 2015. In 2011 Cole founded her own record label, Hostage Music. The London-based band Alabama3 has signed up to the label. [12] Personal life [ edit ] Eileen, Briony's older sister, is mentally unstable after leaving Henry Dumas. She marries, but is unhappy. A pregnant Eileen moves home to Briony and has twin boys. Eileen dies, leaving the babies with Briony. The boys grow up to be two of the most hated and feared men in the East End. Everything they ever wanted they've taken, despite never wanting for anything. Liesel and her family in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief are poor but hardworking. They struggle with social injustices, access to knowledge and the pressures of work as in any other ‘Working Class’ novel. Despite this, The Book Thief is not predominantly considered a Working Class story, but one of war and The Holocaust.

Aiden O'Hara is the oldest, loves his mum but knows she attracts the wrong sort of guys so he has to watch over his family. I am going to admit this: I am in two minds over Betrayal. I enjoyed the story and kept listening to the audiobook, but at the same time, I can't help but think that I had read this story before...A four-part TV adaptation of Dangerous Lady was broadcast on ITV in 1995, and in 1998 ITV broadcast a four-part adaptation of The Jump. The Take was serialised on British television on Sky1 in June 2009, which starred Tom Hardy as Freddie. Sky1 has also commissioned an adaptation of The Graft, which has yet to go into production. [7] But that’s not the only Martina Cole book that has a stage adaptation. First was Two Women in 2010, then the production of The Graft in 2011. Both also had runs at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Finally, Martina Cole has also published a digital compendium about her life, passions, and her journey to becoming an author. This was an exclusive ebook containing the first chapters from her books and non-fiction components. However, it is unfortunately no longer available. stars. This is the first Martina Cole book I’ve read through a recommendation so not my usual style. Is this genre then not flawed in its essence, if not quite patronising, as if Working Class people, by various definitions, are not in most literature in some capacity already? Although authors like Martina Cole do explicitly explore issues of class, it seems more appropriate to read her novels for their skill and their plots than simply the class of her or her characters.

By definition, the ‘Working Class’ encompasses those who are at the whim of the system and those who own it – forced to sell their labour in exchange for food, shelter, and a part in society. BETRAYAL is the second book of Martina’s I have read (I read THE TAKE early last year) and I cannot wait to devour more of her titles. There’s something about the raw, grittiness of the worlds she creates that pulls you in and pops you right in the middle of it.

As with Cole’s previous books, the chapters are fairly short and the style and flow of writing is easy to follow but it’s really just the same old stories and characters.