Annie Murray Books in Order

Where to Start with Annie Murray

For readers new to Annie Murray’s rich, emotional historical sagas, navigating her extensive bibliography of over twenty books can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, her work is highly organized around specific historical settings and family trees. If you are looking for the absolute best places to begin, we recommend starting with one of these two entry points:

• Option 1: The Chocolate Girls Series (Cadbury's Factory Sagas) - This is Murray's most famous and beloved series. Starting with Chocolate Girls (2003), it offers the perfect mix of wartime camaraderie, romantic drama, and meticulous social history centered around the iconic Cadbury's factory in Bournville during World War II.
• Option 2: Birmingham Rose (Debut & Classic Saga) - If you want to experience the book that launched her career and set the benchmark for Birmingham historical fiction, start with her 1995 bestseller Birmingham Rose. It is a gritty, heartwarming look at life in pre-war slums.

The Chocolate Girls Series (Bournville Sagas)

The Chocolate Girls books are a sweep of family sagas focusing on the women who worked at the Bournville Cadbury factory. While the books can be read independently, they are best enjoyed in publication order as they follow generational arcs, passing the torch from the original trio of friends to their daughters and descendants:

1. Chocolate Girls (2003)
2. The Bells of Bournville Green (2008)
3. Secrets of the Chocolate Girls (2022)
4. Wartime for the Chocolate Girls (2023)
5. Homecoming for the Chocolate Girls (2024)

The series begins during the dark days of World War II, tracking the lives, loves, and struggles of three young women—Edie, Ruby, and Janet—who find solidarity on the factory floor, and continues through the post-war era and into the mid-20th century as their families grow.

The War Babies Trilogy

Though originally categorized by some retailers as standalone books, these three novels form a continuous narrative tracing the lives of women in Birmingham during and after the Second World War. To understand the complete character arcs and family legacy, they should be read in order:

1. War Babies (2015)
2. Now The War Is Over (2016)
3. The Doorstep Child (2017)

This trilogy starts with Rachel Booker navigating the blitz in Birmingham, moves into the rebuilding efforts of the late 1940s and 1950s, and finishes with the story of Evie, a girl growing up in the changing social landscape of the 1960s and 1970s as slums are cleared for new developments.

The Birmingham Books

Murray's early books are often grouped together as the Birmingham Series. While they are connected by their vivid portrayal of the city's twentieth-century history, they function largely as standalone stories:

• Birmingham Rose (1995) – Follows Rose Lucas navigating pre-WWII slums and the hardships of the era.
• Birmingham Friends (1996) – Also published under the title Kate and Olivia, focusing on the complex bond between two female friends in the 1940s and 1950s.
• Birmingham Blitz (1998) – Follows young Genie Watkins trying to survive the bombing raids of 1939.

The Three Friends Trilogy (Hopscotch Summer Series)

This interconnected trilogy follows a close-knit group of friends navigating the transitions of the mid-20th century in Britain:

1. A Hopscotch Summer (2009)
2. Soldier Girl (2010)
3. All the Days of Our Lives (2011)

Set against the backdrop of changing post-war Britain, this trilogy is highly recommended for readers who enjoy deep character development and stories that explore lifelong friendships through times of peace and conflict.

The Jewellery Quarter / Sisters of Gold Series

Focused on Birmingham's famous historic Jewellery Quarter, this duology explores the craftsmanship, rivalry, and romance within the local trade:

1. Sisters of Gold (2018) – Follows sisters Margaret and Annie as they escape a family scandal to live with their goldsmith uncle.
2. The Silversmith's Daughter (2019) – Picks up in 1915 during WWI, focusing on Margaret's daughter Daisy, a talented silversmith caught in a family rivalry.

The Children of Birmingham Series

One of Murray's newer series, this collection moves back in time to Victorian-era Birmingham, showcasing the lives of working-class children in various trades:

1. The Pearl Button Girl (2018) – Focuses on Victorian factory worker Ada Fletcher.
2. Dora's Dream (2026) – Follows a young maid striving to build a life as a washerwoman and writer in 1858.
3. Nobody's Daughter (2026) – Set in 1864, following a young woman who runs away to join the theatre.

The Narrowboat Girl Duology

This unique duology takes readers away from the city streets and onto the canal network of England:

1. The Narrowboat Girl (2001) – Maryann Nelson escapes a difficult life in Birmingham for a new start on the narrowboat Esther Jane.
2. Water Gypsies (2004) – Picks up during World War II (1942) as Maryann and her husband navigate canal life during wartime.

Standalone Novels

If you prefer a self-contained story without committing to a series, Annie Murray has written numerous excellent standalone novels that capture various eras of British history:

• Orphan Of Angel Street (1999)
• Poppy Day (2000)
• Miss Purdy's Class (2005)
• Family of Women (2006)
• Where Earth Meets Sky (2007)
• My Daughter, My Mother (2012)
• Papa Georgio (2012)
• The Women of Lilac Street (2013)
• Meet Me Under the Clock (2014)
• Mother and Child (2019)
• Girls In Tin Hats (2020)
• Black Country Orphan (2021)

Writing as Abi Oliver

For a change of pace, readers can check out the books Murray has written under her pen name, Abi Oliver. These novels represent a shift in style, focusing on character-driven, heartwarming contemporary and mid-century stories in village settings:

• A New Map of Love (2017) – Follows a recently widowed antiques dealer in the 1960s.
• Letter from a Tea Garden (2022) – Tells the story of an English woman invited back to the Indian tea gardens of her childhood.