Product Description

Pretty seventeen-year-old Greta has never known a stable family life. With no father, and loathing her mother Ruby’s latest boyfriend, Greta finds life hard at home and is happiest at work with her friends at the Cadbury factory in Birmingham where she is popular with the boys.

Life takes a turn for the worse when her missing vixen of a sister Marleen turns up during the freezing winter of 1962. Greta soon decides that her only way out is marriage, but all too soon she discovers that life with her old class mate Trevor is not a ticket to freedom and happiness. She finds herself on the streets, pregnant and homeless…

She is taken in by her mother’s old friends, Edie and Anatoli Gruschov. In Anatoli, Greta finds the father she has never had. Kindly Edie loves to mother people and is desperately missing her son David and his family who have settled in Israel. But the love and security of this haven is soon shattered by appalling tragedy, which affects all the chocolate girls and their children and changes life forever…

Continuing the saga begun in Chocolate Girls, and set in 1960s Birmingham, this is a story of families whose lives are entwined, of belonging and loss… and of a young woman’s search for transforming love.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22404 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

About the Author

Annie Murray was born in Berkshire and read English at St John’s College, Oxford. Her first ‘Birmingham’ novel, Birmingham Rose, hit The Times bestseller list when it was published in 1995. She has subsequently written ten other successful novels, including, most recently, Where Earth Meets Sky. Annie Murray has four children and lives in Reading.

Customer Reviews

Another best seller for Annie Murray
This is Annie Murrya's latest book and it is wonderful. It's about Greta a young woman living in the '60's era. She is looking for more in life than what is expected of her, getting married, settling down and having babies. She tries to strike out and is at odds with her mum and sister but does get married and obviously to the wrong person. Greta's sister shows no loyalty to her and has an affair with her husband resulting Greta moving on which leads her into another life. I won't expand on this and spoil the story which Ms Murray weaves around the central character. Needless to say it is another great read from the Author and couldn't put it down till I finished reading it.

A wonderful read
I have read all of Annie Murray's books with 'Chocolate Girls' being my favourite until now. I live 5 minutes from Cadburys and i finally finished it as 'The Bells of Bournville Green' struck midnight. The book is quite an emotional rollercoaster with births and deaths a plenty.It continues with the lives of many characters from 'Chocolate Girls, but the focus shifts from Edie to Greta, the daughter of Ruby, Edie's friend in 'Chocolate Girls'.Greta knows there is more to life than filling chocolate boxes and is desperate to better herself and not become like her mother Ruby who seeks solace in the arms of unsuitable men. Although Greta's story is quite predictable it does not spoil the book and i was desperate to get to the end in search of the happy ending she craved. The depiction of Greta's marriage to boring 'Trevor' and her frustration at the limited opportunities for married women at the time are incredibly accurate and it was great to be entertained and discover social history at the same time. Inter woven with Greta's story we discover what happened to Edie's adopted son David who is still in Jerusalem, again with accurate details of events there. Annie Murray really does make the characters realistic with the main characters living normal lives and having faults yet still very likable. I loved David and Anatoli by the end of it all and i will admit to sobbing my heart out at certain parts. A very accurate, moving and entertaining read.

Very powerful book! Well worth anyones time and money!
This book is a true masterpiece, and one of the best Annie Murray books that I have read to date. This is the sequel to her award winning book 'Chocolate girls' and in my opinion this book is even better than the first one.

This book tells the story from the thinking of Greta, a young girl who ends up marrying a man she doesn't love simply to escape Ruby her mother. And it tells about the Life of David AKA Rudi or Doodi and his life with his Wife Gila, and Son Shimon.
This book combines the strong characters of Ruby, Janet and Edie from the first book, but we see them in a different light as life has changed them. Although they are still key characters in the book we are led through events in their childrens eyes.
This is a captivating book, that made me both laugh and cry my eyes out. It captured my heart, and left me wanting more! I can't help but hope that this book becomes part of a trilogy!