The Heroes of Harrand and Blythe
Formats: E-Book, Paperback, Hardback
Ages: 16-18, 18+
Inside a busy 1970s department store, the future can be adjusted one small decision at a time.
Harrand & Blythe has stood at the centre of Redwick High Street for generations.
Customers come for shoes, televisions, hats and furniture. Staff stay for decades. The building hums with polish, routine, and the quiet confidence of a place that has always been there.
Arthur Jennings runs the shoe department. He believes most problems can be solved with patience, attention, and knowing when to remain silent.
When seventeen-year-old Simon arrives in 1970 for what he expects to be an ordinary apprenticeship interview, he finds himself drawn into Arthur’s orbit. Under Arthur’s careful guidance he begins to notice that Harrand & Blythe runs on more than routine.
Behind the shop floor, hidden beneath stockrooms and corridors, an unusual force is quietly at work.
As Simon grows older and the world beyond the store begins to change, he slowly discovers the responsibility Arthur has carried for years — and the cost of stepping in at exactly the right moment.
Warm, witty, and deeply humane, The Heroes of Harrand & Blythe is a novel about unnoticed kindness, inherited responsibility, and the invisible work that keeps the world turning.
Sometimes the smallest intervention can change everything.
Reviews
Loved this story! Harrand and Blythe captures a bygone age when you could get lost in a department store - wandering from shoes to televisions and ending up in wigs! It reminded me of Owen & Owens in Coventry and Debenhams in Nottingham, both sadly gone. Humour, deep mystery and, above all, the warmth of lives-lived shine through. Harrand and Blythe exists now in my head. It's a place I wish was real, populated by characters I would love to meet. It takes some skill for a story to have that effect. Highly recommended.
This is a quietly powerful and deeply nostalgic story that blends everyday life with a gentle touch of the supernatural. Set in the unlikely setting of a department store, it transforms an ordinary place into something almost magical. At its heart is the idea that every choice we make can alter the direction of our lives, and perhaps even the lives of others What makes the book so compelling is its emotional honesty. It doesn’t rely on dramatic twists, but instead draws you in with its comforting tone. There’s a strong sense of longing for simpler, less stressful times, and a reminder that life doesn’t have to be extraordinary to be meaningful I won’t say more and ruin the story but I really enjoyed this and look forward to more books from this new author !
