* THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER *

Young Mary Newton, born into a large Irish family in a small semi-hotel in Watford, often got into trouble. When she wasn't giggling incessantly during Holy Communion or eating Chappie dog food on a dare, she was accidentally setting fire to the local school. Mary was a magnet for trouble. And, unlike her brothers, she always got caught... Britain in the 1970s was a world where R White's lemonade was drunk in secret, curry came in a Vesta-marked box, and Beanz meant Heinz. In Mary's family, money was sparse. Clothes were hand-me-downs, holidays were a church outing to Hastings, and meals consisted of variations on potatoes. But these were also good times that revolved around the formidable presence of Theresa, Mary's mother.

When tragedy unexpectedly upends this world, a new chapter in Mary's life opens. Amidst the sparkle and fog of Harrods-style glamour, Mary, the Queen of Shops, is born...

Pages: 288, Dimensions: 12.7x12.7cm