'1942 was going to be a very different type of year to its predecessor, she decided resolutely. Gone would be the feckless Evie, mooning over one faithless man after another, and in would come a bolder and more positive Evie '

As a new year begins and the world is at war, Evie Yeo is turning over a new leaf. Her nearest and dearest in the little Devon village of Lymbridge, the war effort for the boys on the front, and her class of infant pupils will be getting all of her attention this year and nothing will soften her resolve.

Though rations are slim, and work is hard with the men away, Evie knows she's lucky to have her friends and family around her - even if they don't always agree on each other's choices in fashion, hobbies or love. They have supported her through a broken heart more than once so she knows they'll stick together even when there are new suitors, new babies or new jobs to contend with.

But as the snow falls, Evie realises it might be harder than she thought to put the past behind her and find her happy ending. And when the trauma of war is felt even in the usually peaceful village, will Evie and those she cares about emerge unscathed?

Read by Emma Powell

(p) 2017 Soundings