Ellie and Bonny have big ambitions and dream of being household names on the stage. After both going through wildly differing experiences of both evacuation and World War II itself, they meet in the post-war era and immediately bond. As they struggle to live out their dreams and find singing, dancing and acting work, their friendship is at times tested but their bond remains strong. Will either girl reach her ambitions in the precarious world of entertainment? Although the book is titled 'Ellie', we learn a great deal about Bonny both before and after she comes into Ellie's life. The girls are very different entities, with Bonny being incredibly spoilt by her ...  Read the complete review

I love all of Lesley Pearse's books, so after reading her book 'Ellie' it came to no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although most of her books are based on roughly the same idea of a tragic story of a girls life, the story of 'Ellie' still filled me with emotions and surprised me as each page was turned. From the very start of the book, I immediately felt attached to the main character Ellie, a young, naïve girl brought up through the hardship of her families poverty and the 2nd world war. You see Ellie grow up into a mature and strong woman as she survives each of the tragedies thrown at her. I felt inspired by the determination Lesley Pearse gave ...  Read the complete review