Expected to make an advantageous marriage, Lady Margaret Montagu Scott rebels shortly before her betrothal is announced and flees, throwing herself into charitable work and befriending a group of similarly-minded, independent women.

"The second daughter of the Queens' close friend, the Scottish Duke of Buccleuch, Lady Margaret Montagu Scott is expected to make an advantageous marriage. But Margaret is an impulsive and outspoken girl in a repressive society where women are, quite literally, caged in corsets and required to conform. When Lady Margaret's parents arrange a society marriage for her, she tries to reconcile herself to the match. But shortly before her betrothal is announced,...

"A young girl imagines a grand future for herself, far from the drab British suburbs. Two friends, once inseparable, find their connection gradually slipping away. Three women discuss how life in the big city makes them feel seen or invisible. In a series of interconnected vignettes, It s Not What You Thought It Would Be explores the circuitous paths lives can take and the changes in perspective gained along the way."-- cover page 4.

"From the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir comes a new World War II-set story of four women on the home front competing for a spot hosting a BBC wartime cookery program and a chance to better their lives. Two years into World War II, Britain is feeling her losses; the Nazis have won battles, the Blitz has destroyed cities, and U-boats have cut off the supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio...