Annie Murray Books In Order

Publication Order of Birmingham Books

Publication Order of Chocolate Girls Books

Publication Order of Hopscotch Summer Books

Publication Order of Narrowboat Girl Books

Publication Order of Sisters of Gold Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Anthologies

Annie Murray is a Bestselling Sagas fiction author who has become one of the biggest giants in the genre.

The author was born in Wallingford, Berkshire as an only child. She spent the early years of her childhood living above an antique shop and many of her experiences now find expression in her works.

Annie wrote her first novel aged only seven when she found a typewriter in the downstairs storeroom. Her father served as a soldier in Italy and North Africa during the Second World War and as such has many stories to tell.

Her father also loved traveling and This meant that they spent a lot of time journeying in the family’s caravan. However, Annie went to boarding school whenever they were in the United Kingdom.

She would later on go to Oxford University where she studied English Literature. After graduating from college she trained as a journalist and then worked in Birmingham with a charity.

After winning a competition sponsored by “This Morning” by Granada TV and “SHE” magazine, she went on to publish her debut novel “Birmingham Rose” in 1995.

Murray got her first introduction to storytelling from her father who used to read to her at bedtime. She still remembers how he would read to her the likes of “Treasure Island” and “Robinson Crusoe,” and she would always be afraid of the tap tapping of Black Dog.

Her father was also very good at making up his own stories that he would often read to her and her siblings when they were traveling. She also read a lot of the Enid Blyton adventures as a kid and tried to pen stories on all manner of notebooks and book pads.

As such, storytelling is something that was ingrained in Annie Murray from a very young age. Given such a background, she always desired to become an author. Ever since she could hold a pen, it seemed like just the most logical pursuit to have.

Still, she held all manner of jobs over the years that have included being a nurse, charity communications person, student and mother of four kids. Even though Murray has been quite busy, she kept writing throughout all this time.

But it would be when she moved to Birmingham that she really got into her groove. She fell in love with the social history, its architecture and its people that most of her works are now set in.

While she sets most of her works in Birmingham, Annie Murray is known for conducting a lot of research before writing.

She usually gets her inspiration from meeting all manner of people and listening to their stories. She has used old photographs and maps that bring to life the old city of Birmingham and how it has changed over the years.

When she first started out, she had no internet and hence personal accounts and history works were very valuable in her research. Ever since the advent of the internet, her work has become easier as she has a lot more resources though this makes this more complicated.

Annie also works with other writers bouncing ideas off of each other. She has been a member of several writer groups over the years. She is currently a member of an Oxford based group that has monthly meetings.

They usually take turns presenting their writings to a workshop format. This means they are all involved in each other’s work and can get thoughts and feedback on what to improve and what to magnify.

Another big source of inspiration is her husband who is very helpful as a first reader of her novels. Even though he was born in London rather than Birmingham, he lived during World War II and hence can remember a lot of things she does not remember since she was born later.

Annie Murray’s novel “Chocolate Girls” tells the story of three different women employed at the Bourneville based Cadbury factory. The lead in the novel is Edie, a woman that marries young to get away from what has been so far been a very unhappy home life.

But things only get worse as she is widowed as a 19 year old. When the child from the marriage dies soon after his father she has to face the war as a lonely grieving widow. One night at the heart of the Blitz, she finds a baby abandoned and takes it into her care.

On the other hand is Ruby, a woman that settles with a man named Frank since she does not want to be left all alone when everyone is getting hitched. Lastly, is the kind-hearted Janet that is known to be very susceptible to male charm who gets burned badly having an affair with a married man.

Things get interesting when Edie’s heart gets stolen by the child David as she raises him in very difficult times but gives him all the love he deserves.
When the child is old enough to want to embrace his own identity, he leads Edie his adopted mother through heartache and struggle and ultimately to the love she never imagined she would ever have.

“The Bells of Bournville” by Annie Murray tells the story of Greta, a pretty seventeen year old girl who has always had a terrible home life.

She has never had a father and loathes her mother’s latest boyfriend which makes living at home difficult. She is always happiest when she is at work at the Birmingham based Cadbury plant. It is here that she gets to interact with her friends and flirt with young men.

Life completely changes when Marleen, her vixen sister who had gone missing, turns up in 1962 in the middle of a freezing winter.

Greta believes the only way to get out of her bad predicament is to get married. She gets married to Trevor, her old classmate only to realize that marriage is not the ticket to happiness and freedom that she initially believed.

It is not long before she finds herself homeless and pregnant out on the streets. Fortunately, she is taken in by Anatoli Gruschov and Edie who are old friends to her mother.

In Greta and Anatoli she finds a father and mother she never had. Edie is a woman that loves mothering other people and this just compounded by missing David her son. But the security and love in her new haven is then shattered by an appalling tragedy.