Streatham
Family life begins in wartime London, close to Vanessa’s grandparents in Merton Park.
London
South Africa
Cambridgeshire
Cornwall
A novel by Linda S. Morris
It All Started
in 1942
Inspired by real events
From wartime London to the shores of Cornwall, follow Vanessa through love, loss and the unexpected turns of a life.
Scroll to the storyAcross the pagesLondonSouth AfricaCambridgeshireCornwall
Inside the novel
One life, many beginnings.
Vanessa’s life was fine until men stepped into it. From childhood adventures in South Africa to marriage and motherhood in England, love shapes the woman she becomes.
Explore Vanessa’s journeyVanessa’s journey
Places she calls home.
South Africa
Work takes the family overseas, giving Vanessa another childhood home.
Cambridgeshire
Farm life brings new responsibilities, village friendships and time at the Women’s Institute.
Cornwall
A cottage to restore and a circle of women friends open a new chapter.
The opening chapter
London, 1942.
Vanessa’s father works as a fireman. Her mother, a trained milliner, leaves London for a nursing home in Epsom. Their daughter’s first journey takes her back towards the city.
Explore the openingFrom the cover
The photographic archive.
View the gallery
About the author
Linda S. Morris
Linda attended Raynes Park Girls’ School, Ivy Coleman’s School of Dancing and Pitman’s College in Wimbledon. She worked primarily in London.
Meet the authorWhat makes a place feel like home?
Compare the people, routines and places that matter to Vanessa in Streatham, South Africa and Cornwall. Which stay with her when she moves?
How does work shape Vanessa’s independence?
Think about her training, her first wages and her time on the farm. Where does she find the greatest freedom to make her own decisions?
What changes with friendship?
Consider the village friendships in Cambridgeshire and the women Vanessa meets in Cornwall. What can she share with them that is harder to share with family?