Shipyard Girls author Nancy Revell wins praise for new Widow's Choice book and meets Sunderland fans

Shipyard Girls author Nancy Revell has been back in Sunderland meeting fans as she released her first book in two years.

Five star reviews have started to pour in for the latest offering from Sunday Times bestselling author Nancy Revell, author of hugely popular The Shipyard Girls series, a fictional series based on the real life women who kept Wearside's shipyards afloat during the war.

The Widow’s Choice, which is the first book in Nancy’s new series, a spin-off of The Shipyard Girls series, has been lauded by reviewers and bloggers across the country. 

And Nancy, whose real name is Amanda Revell-Walton, was back in Sunderland to meet fans and sign copies of the new book, released this month, at Waterstones at The Bridges.

Nancy said: “I’m over the moon the book has been so well received – not just by reviewers, but I’ve also had some wonderful feedback from my readers, many of whom have read the book within just a few days of it being published! That really is the ultimate compliment as a writer.” 

The well-known and popular Bookish Jottings Blog posted:  “Nancy Revell has got another surefire bestseller on her hands with The Widow’s Choice.

"Written straight from the heart, this dramatic, emotional and captivating saga is a spellbinding tale that will have readers reaching for their tissues … a brilliantly evoked and wonderfully rendered world… With a strong, relatable and inspirational heroine and plenty of warmth, pathos, wit and charm."

Nancy, whose own family worked in the then town's shipyards, added: "I’ve also been messaged by readers on social media to tell me just how much they love the new book which is fantastic to hear – and also a relief! Especially as the last book in the Shipyard Girls series was published almost two years ago."

The first book in the Cuthford Manor series sees Sunderland shipyard worker, Angie Boulter, leave her hometown at the end of WW2 and move to Cuthford Manor in the fictional village of Cuthford in County Durham with her husband Quentin, her four young siblings, and her old neighbour, Mrs Kwiatkowski. 

Nancy took inspiration for the Cuthford Manor series after reading how many of the country’s manor houses and stately homes – including several in the North East – struggled to survive after WW2, as many were left is states of disrepair after being requisitioned by the government.

Speaking about her inspiration for the book, the author said: "Shortly after I finished writing the Shipyard Girls series, I got chatting to an elderly gentleman in a hospital cafeteria. His wife was in the same ward as my mum and he started telling me about the village he came from in County Durham and about the lovely manor house called Coxhoe Hall which sadly was no longer there.  

"Like many, Coxhoe Hall had been requisitioned during the war and used as a prisoner-of-war camp for Germans and Italians. By 1956 it had fallen into such disrepair it had to be demolished. Other manor houses were forsaken because their owners simply could not afford the upkeep.  

"I just kept thinking of the end of The Shipyard Girls series which sees Angie marrying Quentin and thinking about how her life was going to be the polar opposite of the one she was leaving behind.  

"She was going from being a welder in a Sunderland shipyard to suddenly being the Lady of the Manor. From town to country. From being working class to suddenly being thrust into the world of the upper classes. Angie’s story just had to be told."

Nancy, who was born and brought up in Sunderland, and returned to her hometown for six years to write The Shipyard Girls series, adds: "It’s been such a joy to hear these past few days since publication that my readers have taken to the new series with as much love as they did The Shipyard Girls."

*The Widow’s Choice has been chosen to be part of Asda’s Tickled Pink campaign, where a percentage of the sale of each book goes to breast cancer charities, and can also be bought in most other supermarkets, WH Smiths, and Amazon. Waterstones Sunderland are also selling signed copies.