Product Description Product Description 1952 in West London. A time of coffee bars and jukeboxes, Teddy boys and gang fights. As Christmas approaches, sixteen-year-old Beth Brixham has so much to look forward to. No more school, her first job, her first boyfriend. Instead, her world is thrown into darkness and chaos as the Great Smog descends over London, leaving in its wake a trail of death and disruption and changing Beth's life forever. When family tragedy strikes during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, Beth finds herself shunned by her father. Faced with eviction, she must battle against the prejudices, laws and social bigotry post World War II in an effort to prevent her baby sister being taken into care, but she hadn't gambled on the price she has to pay when offered a radical solution. Every Step of the Way was shortlisted for the 2004 Harry Bowling Prize for a London novel. Kit Domino conveys the setting of early 1950s London with such intensity, I was almost coughing along with the characters as they endured the effects of the Great Smog. There are plot twists which I didn't see coming and the characters are wonderfully drawn. In today's world, where women have made such huge strides toward independence and equality, it's good to be reminded of the struggles our sisters once faced. My heart squeezed for Beth who fought so hard to gain her independence, even as she battled the harsh realities and social expectations women faced in 1950s