An unexpectedly sweet and savory story that I really enjoyed.
As German bombs fall over 1940’s London, Reginald and Millie Thompson make the difficult decision to send their daughter to America, after finding her sitting on the living room floor, playing Solitaire with a gas mask covering her face. Up until that afternoon, they hadn’t realized that she had taken to doing this whenever she was home alone.
To keep Beatrix (Bea) safe, she would live with the Gregory family who split their time between Boston, and their private Island in Maine, until the end of the war in 1945.
Gerald and Nancy have two boys, William who was just a bit older, and Ethan who was just a bit younger, and the entire family would embrace her warmly, making her feel conflicted about which place feels more like HOME as the War rages on.
But, without a say in the matter, she will dutifully return to London, when the War does finally come to an end.
This lovely, poignant story, gives you a glimpse of Beatrix’s life from the viewpoints of everyone in both her London and American families, with all of their thoughts and conversations, relayed in the third person POV.
The passage of time is quietly marked ONLY in the lower right hand corner of pages, with the current year, printed in BOLD face type.
Time will jump forward, Post War, filling us in on the lives of the two families who SHARE Bea’s heart, through the year 1965, with an epilogue from 1977.
I was completely immersed in this story, always eager to return to it, whenever time allowed.
I found myself conflicted by a decision made toward the end of the book, but was happy with the ultimate outcome.
Though set during WW2, this impressive DEBUT, is much more fiction than history. No statistics are provided on how many families opened their homes to children from Europe or how many children crossed the Atlantic in search of refuge. We also didn’t learn how the families and children were matched.
So, if you tend to shy away from historical fiction-don’t let the genre stop you from picking this up! It is a strong, character driven story that can be enjoyed by EVERYONE who reads family sagas.
I admit, I may have missed out if Celadon hadn’t mailed a copy with an invitation to read it. The book was wrapped in plain brown paper, and twine, with an airmail stamp from 1942 on it. Along with the book, I received a recipe card for Mrs. G’s blueberry muffins.
Celadon always find a creative way to market a new author, and are very selective about the books they choose, publishing only twenty to twenty-five books each year, so when a book from them arrives it always feels like Christmas morning! I know I am in for a treat!
This book is scheduled for publication on March 21, 2023-highly recommended if it sounds like something you might also appreciate!
4.5 ⭐️
To keep Beatrix (Bea) safe, she would live with the Gregory family who split their time between Boston, and their private Island in Maine, until the end of the war in 1945.
Gerald and Nancy have two boys, William who was just a bit older, and Ethan who was just a bit younger, and the entire family would embrace her warmly, making her feel conflicted about which place feels more like HOME as the War rages on.
But, without a say in the matter, she will dutifully return to London, when the War does finally come to an end.
This lovely, poignant story, gives you a glimpse of Beatrix’s life from the viewpoints of everyone in both her London and American families, with all of their thoughts and conversations, relayed in the third person POV.
The passage of time is quietly marked ONLY in the lower right hand corner of pages, with the current year, printed in BOLD face type.
Time will jump forward, Post War, filling us in on the lives of the two families who SHARE Bea’s heart, through the year 1965, with an epilogue from 1977.
I was completely immersed in this story, always eager to return to it, whenever time allowed.
I found myself conflicted by a decision made toward the end of the book, but was happy with the ultimate outcome.
Though set during WW2, this impressive DEBUT, is much more fiction than history. No statistics are provided on how many families opened their homes to children from Europe or how many children crossed the Atlantic in search of refuge. We also didn’t learn how the families and children were matched.
So, if you tend to shy away from historical fiction-don’t let the genre stop you from picking this up! It is a strong, character driven story that can be enjoyed by EVERYONE who reads family sagas.
I admit, I may have missed out if Celadon hadn’t mailed a copy with an invitation to read it. The book was wrapped in plain brown paper, and twine, with an airmail stamp from 1942 on it. Along with the book, I received a recipe card for Mrs. G’s blueberry muffins.
Celadon always find a creative way to market a new author, and are very selective about the books they choose, publishing only twenty to twenty-five books each year, so when a book from them arrives it always feels like Christmas morning! I know I am in for a treat!
This book is scheduled for publication on March 21, 2023-highly recommended if it sounds like something you might also appreciate!
4.5 ⭐️