Full of nostalgia and set against a backdrop of the Festival of Britain and the aftermath of the Second World War, The Children Left Behind is a gritty, emotional, heartwarming and uplifting saga.

1940, Liverpool

When Alice Lacey was seven, she and her two best friends, Bob and Matty, watched the sky set on fire. Ten years later, the three remain friends, and Bob is now Alice’s sweetheart. He would marry her tomorrow, but Alice has ambitions to better herself; she finally leaves her factory job to work as an architect’s secretary, dreaming of a brighter future and of playing some small part in rebuilding Liverpool.

But will the hope last? The war has ripped families apart, and many children are left with nowhere to go but the orphanage. When tragedy strikes and Alice’s mother struggles to cope, Alice is horrified to see her brothers and sister facing the same fate. And, to make matters worse, both Bob and Matty seem to be harbouring secrets . . .

The Children Left Behind is the second book by Eliza Morton in the Liverpool Orphans trilogy, following The Orphans from Liverpool Lane.

A gripping blend of romance, heartfelt emotions and post-war intrigue . . . a deliciously nostalgic saga for summer nights. * The Star *

Eliza Morton was born in Liverpool and worked as an actress. She is known for playing Madeline Basset in Jeeves and Wooster and Lucinda in the Liverpool sitcom, Watching. As well as TV, she has also worked in theatre and film. She trained at Guildhall School of Drama and as a writer, with The Royal Court Young Writers’ Group. She is an award-winning short-story writer and has also written drama for TV, film and theatre. In her formative years at convent school, she spent her weekends playing the piano accordion in Northern Working Men’s Clubs. She lives with her husband - the actor Peter Davison - in Middlesex. She is author of A Liverpool Girl and A Last Dance in Liverpool under the name Elizabeth Morton.