Nineteen Steps: The Sunday Times bestselling debut novel inspired by the true events of her family’s history, from global star Millie Bobby Brown

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Full of heartbreak and hope, and overflowing with vibrant characters you'll root hard for, Nineteen Steps will plunge you into the 1940s East End and will stay in your heart for a long time to come.

At the beginning of the Blitz, the bombing of London by the German military, in 1940, the government requisitioned the nearly completed station to be used as an overnight shelter during the ongoing air raids.

The history Brown shares in her novel, with the help of McGurl, gives readers a lens into the stories her grandmother would tell, providing us with a small slice of a Millie Bobby Brown we rarely get to see. So let me just say I have never cried reading a book before this one, and I also will never be reading another war book again. She said that a lot of the criticism came down to “jealousy”, “ageism” and “sexism” – “I can’t think of one man who has had this level of criticism,” she added. So thank goodness Brown’s Nanny Ruth, who was a survivor of the crush, told her granddaughter what she remembered.

Many elements of the book, including places the actress went with her grandmother, appear in the novel. The station was vast, with 5,000 bunks, a theater and library, a doctor’s quarters, a makeshift café, and additional space in the tunnels. Reading this book I was very excited however the writing is very elementary and basic whilst dealing with difficult and emotional topics. The air raids are constant, and the people of the neighborhood have become used to rushing underground every time they hear that familiar siren.

Even the closest family can't escape the devastation of war, and as the secrets and truth about that fateful night become clear, they threaten to tear Nellie – and those dearest to her – apart.

My inner history-loving teenage geek clapped her hands in ecstasy at the thought of a historical novel penned by Enola Holmes, and she wasn't disappointed! This book kept me interested throughout and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole story, plot twists and hard to predict ending. Although the arrival of Ray, a handsome American airman stationed nearby, causes Nellie to question everything she thought she knew about her future.This book made me think of my grandparents and great grandparents, who sadly had to go through so many wars and who probably felt similar feelings as described in this book. Writing Nineteen Steps has been a really special project for me,” Brown confirmed on Instagram when she first announced the book. Nineteen Steps centers on Nellie Morris, an 18-year-old girl living with her parents and siblings in East London during the war. I don't know how to rate this, so I will forget whose name is on the cover and rate it based on the story. Decades later, the tragedy was finally acknowledged, and in 2013, on the 70th anniversary, a memorial service was held for the victims at St John on Bethnal Green church.