This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Kate Appleton
For as long as Briony Valentine can remember she has been soft on Eddie, the boy next door. But their chance of romance is stifled when the Luftwaffe begin dropping bombs on the midlands. Eddie is called up to serve, as is Briony's father, tearing her world apart. As the telegrams arrive, all she can do is pray. Despite past disagreements, Briony's affluent grandparents open their doors to the three Valentine children, offering them the safety of Cornwall – far from the bombs and far from the only world they've ever known. Will the Valentine family ever unite, and will Briony ever see Eddie again?
Unsurprisingly with the centenary this year there has been a plethora of world war fiction – largely World War 1 but number 2 has jumped in on the act as well – and so my standards have risen in correlation and I require a bit more depth and perhaps even historical research for a book to stand out. Unfortunately Rosie Goodwin’s book doesn’t and although there’s nothing specifically bad about it there’s also nothing that jumps out and grabs my attention.
Briony is fine as our central protagonist she is dependable, beautiful and rallies to the demands of her family. When she is evacuated with her younger brother and sister to live with grandparents she never know they had in Cornwall she begins to learn more secrets about her family and grows up quickly within her new surroundings. Her best friend Ruth, is chubby and plain and eager to please, she doesn’t really develop much through the story but she does find happiness which is always nice to read for the underdog. My favourite character was Briony’s mother, Lois, who in the first few chapters was wonderfully vain and spoilt, indulging her own grief when her husband, Briony’s father, gets called up for service – chipped nails and lumpy mash brought a small smile to my face.
There’s a hint of interest in the historical sense that the author brings in terms of how society and life was like in the British countryside during the war with evacuation – and in 1939 the ‘Phoney War’ – but for fear of being repetitive it didn’t go deep enough or bring anything different to the table.Overall this is an easy read, it’s fine and enjoyable without demanding much of your attention. In a nutshell, it is rather beige.
6/10