#BlogTour: The Archers by Catherine Miller @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours #TheArchers #CatherineMiller #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the beloved radio show, Ambridge at War takes readers back to before it all began . . .

‘Intriguing, comforting and endearingly familiar’ Katie Fforde

It’s 1940 and war has broken out. It is midnight at the turn of the year, and Walter Gabriel speaks the same line that opened the very first radio episode –  ‘And a Happy New Year to you all!’ For Ambridge, a village in the heart of the English countryside, this year will bring change in ways no one was expecting.

From the Pargetters at Lower Loxley to the loving, hard-working Archer family at Brookfield Farm, the war will be hard for all of them. And the New Year brings the arrival of evacuees to Ambridge, shaking things up in the close-knit rural community.

As the villagers embrace wartime spirit, the families that listeners have known and loved for generations face an uphill battle to keep their secrets hidden. Especially as someone is intent on revealing those secrets to the whole village . . .

The Archers is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below or by visiting your local indie bookstore.

My Review:

I’d heard of The Archers but had never actually had a chance to listen to any of the episodes so I really enjoyed my first visit to the famous village.

I loved finding out more about the workings of the village and getting a glimpse inside the villagers lives. There is more than enough scandal and secrets to keep the reader entertained, which was great fun to watch unfold. The story starts in 1940 and follows the villagers as they deal with life during the war, rationing and evacuees arriving in the village. It was interesting to see how things changed for them and how they all handled everything.

The main story line of the poison pen letters was an interesting one which kept me guessing throughout the book. I think I suspected everyone at one point as they all seemed to have reasons to want to send them. I liked trying to solve the mystery alongside the villagers while trying to figure out why the person was doing it too.

This isn’t a fast paced story but it is a really absorbing one and I loved spending time in the village. The slow pace of the story gives the reader a chance to get to know thee characters intimately so that they start to feel like old friends. I felt quite sad to finish the story and leave them all behind.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Simon and Schuster for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Catherine Miller is the author of 18 novels under her own name and other pseudonyms. Born to an Irish family in London, her career took her from producing radio commercials to being a voiceover agent for various stellar actors.

Nowadays she writes all day at home in Surrey, occasionally lifting her head to raise her daughter and feed the dogs.