The Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson

The USA Today bestselling author of The Gown returns with another enthralling and royal-adjacent historical novel—as the lives of three very different residents of London’s historic Blue Lion hotel converge in a potentially explosive climax on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation.

It is Coronation Year, 1953, and a new queen is about to be crowned. The people of London are in a mood to celebrate, none more so than the residents of the Blue Lion hotel.

Edie Howard, owner and operator of the floundering Blue Lion, has found the miracle she needs: on Coronation Day, Queen Elizabeth in her gold coach will pass by the hotel’s front door, allowing Edie to charge a fortune for rooms and, barring disaster, save her beloved home from financial ruin. Edie’s luck might just be turning, all thanks to a young queen about her own age.

Stella Donati, a young Italian photographer and Holocaust survivor, has come to live at the Blue Lion while she takes up a coveted position at Picture Weekly magazine. London in celebration mode feels like a different world to her. As she learns the ins and outs of her new profession, Stella discovers a purpose and direction that honor her past and bring hope for her future.

James Geddes, a war hero and gifted artist, has struggled to make his mark in a world that disdains his Indian ancestry. At the Blue Lion, though, he is made to feel welcome and worthy. Yet even as his friendship with Edie deepens, he begins to suspect that something is badly amiss at his new home.

When anonymous threats focused on Coronation Day, the Blue Lion, and even the queen herself disrupt their mood of happy optimism, Edie and her friends must race to uncover the truth, save their home, and expose those who seek to erase the joy and promise of Coronation Year.

Kindle, 400 pages

Expected publication April 4, 2023

by William Morrow & Company

3/5 stars

Jennifer Robson is an auto read author for me. Her love of all things royal and England is evident in her social media accounts and her writing. She is actually the first author that I attended an author event for.

In her latest novel, The Coronation Year, Robson takes us on a journey through the six months leading up to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Through the eyes of three individuals scarred by the war, we witness their struggles and triumphs as they make their way towards this historic event.

Edie, the owner of the Blue Lion Hotel on the coronation route, faces one trial after another as she prepares for the big day. Stella, a photographer who survived the war in Italy, is in England for a fresh start after losing most of her family in various camps. And James, a Scottish painter with Indian roots, must navigate not only the aftermath of the war, but also racial tensions.

As the new monarchy becomes official, the coronation year is a story of hope for the future, despite the trials and tribulations that these characters face. And of course, there is a touch of romance to round things out nicely.

My thanks to William Morrow (via Netgalley) for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

Review: Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson

To survive the Holocaust, a young Jewish woman must pose as a Christian farmer’s wife in this unforgettable novel from USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Robson—a story of terror, hope, love, and sacrifice, inspired by true events, that vividly evokes the most perilous days of World War II.

It is the autumn of 1943, and life is becoming increasingly perilous for Italian Jews like the Mazin family. With Nazi Germany now occupying most of her beloved homeland, and the threat of imprisonment and deportation growing ever more certain, Antonina Mazin has but one hope to survive—to leave Venice and her beloved parents and hide in the countryside with a man she has only just met.

Nico Gerardi was studying for the priesthood until circumstances forced him to leave the seminary to run his family’s farm. A moral and just man, he could not stand by when the fascists and Nazis began taking innocent lives. Rather than risk a perilous escape across the mountains, Nina will pose as his new bride. And to keep her safe and protect secrets of his own, Nico and Nina must convince prying eyes they are happily married and in love.

But farm life is not easy for a cultured city girl who dreams of becoming a doctor like her father, and Nico’s provincial neighbors are wary of this soft and educated woman they do not know. Even worse, their distrust is shared by a local Nazi official with a vendetta against Nico. The more he learns of Nina, the more his suspicions grow—and with them his determination to exact revenge.

As Nina and Nico come to know each other, their feelings deepen, transforming their relationship into much more than a charade. Yet both fear that every passing day brings them closer to being torn apart . . ..

Paperback, 384 pages

Published January 5th 2021 

by William Morrow Paperbacks

4.5/5 stars

Jennifer Robson is one author that I have managed to read everything as released.  She was also the first author event I attended back when her debut, Somewhere in France, was released in 2013.  While I have enjoyed all her books I find they get better with each new one.  

One of the things this pandemic has done is made virtual author events easily accessible with zoom and video chats on both Facebook and Instagram.  Jennifer Robson has shared the initial inspiration for this book and I encourage readers to check out her website at https://jennifer-robson.com/ where you can follow the links to see pics and videos that add so much to this story.

Our Darkest Night is a well researched WW2 story taking place in Italy.  Getting a different perspective reinforced the brutality the Nazis wheeled. Even with the distance from Germany Jewish people suffered, were abused and boarded trains to destinations unknown.  The first part of the book showed the strong family bond and what life was like in this village.  As it progressed the darkness of the war was shown and at times hard to read.  I definitely felt a wide range of emotions reading this book.

Again Robson has written a story of hope, strength, family and endurance.  A book that I will recommend.

This book was part of my 2021 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge.

Review: Review: The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson

From the internationally bestselling author of Somewhere in France comes an enthralling historical novel about one of the most famous wedding dresses of the twentieth century—Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown—and the fascinating women who made it.

 “Millions will welcome this joyous event as a flash of color on the long road we have to travel.”—Sir Winston Churchill on the news of Princess Elizabeth’s forthcoming wedding 

London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation’s recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown.

Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her old life in Britain, come to possess the priceless embroideries that so closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding almost seventy years before? And what was her Nan’s connection to the celebrated textile artist and Holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin?

With The Gown, Jennifer Robson takes us inside the workrooms where one of the most famous wedding gowns in history was created. Balancing behind-the-scenes details with a sweeping portrait of a society left reeling by the calamitous costs of victory, she introduces readers to three unforgettable heroines, their points of view alternating and intersecting throughout its pages, whose lives are woven together by the pain of survival, the bonds of friendship, and the redemptive power of love.

Paperback, 400 pages

Expected publication: December 31st 2018

 by William Morrow Paperbacks

****

The Gown is Jennifer Robson's new book which releases the end of this month. A dual time period that is current day and one taking place a few years after the 2nd world war ended. I loved that setting, it’s not a setting I see much of and reading about the struggles after the war was interesting.

The 70th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip was perfect timing for the release of this book.  With the media hype, tv specials and more enhancing my reading experience.  I loved the past storyline, it’s 1947 with England still recovering from the war, yes life goes on, it isn’t easy for most and harder still for others - Miriam and Ann are new friends with the Norman Hartnell binding them together. I enjoyed reading about the process of their work there, the secrecy of the making and how it’s done.

As usual, it’s the past story that really captivates me, not that I didn’t like the present day one here, I just think it’s the history nerd in me that draws me to learning new things from the past. Present day Heather is set in uncovering secrets her grandmother had. With her travels around London, it has reinforced my desire to travel and see the area for myself.

Definitely a book I recommend not just for the unique storylines but a writing style that kept me entertained.  Thanks to Harper Collins Canada for an ARC provided at a recent English Tea with the author.

Giveaway: Signed ARC of The Gown by Jennifer Robson

Last month I had the awesome opportunity to share High Tea in Toronto with the talented Jennifer Robson where I received an ARC of her new book The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding.

Courtesy of Harper Collins Canada I have an ARC to give to one of my lucky readers.  I am saving my copy for a holiday in 2 weeks time.  If you haven't read any Jennifer Robson books, you are missing out.

Scroll down to bottom of this post for entry details. 

From the internationally bestselling author of Somewhere in France comes an enthralling historical novel about one of the most famous wedding dresses of the twentieth century—Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown—and the fascinating women who made it.

“Millions will welcome this joyous event as a flash of color on the long road we have to travel.”—Sir Winston Churchill on the news of Princess Elizabeth’s forthcoming wedding.

 London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation’s recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown.

Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her old life in Britain, come to possess the priceless embroideries that so closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding almost seventy years before? And what was her Nan’s connection to the celebrated textile artist and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin?

With The Gown, Jennifer Robson takes us inside the workrooms where one of the most famous wedding gowns in history was created. Balancing behind-the-scenes details with a sweeping portrait of a society left reeling by the calamitous costs of victory, she introduces readers to three unforgettable heroines, their points of view alternating and intersecting throughout its pages, whose lives are woven together by the pain of survival, the bonds of friendship, and the redemptive power of love.

 Paperback, 400 pages 

Expected publication: December 31st 2018 

by William Morrow Paperbacks

Open to those in Canada/USA/Europe. Must respond within 48 hours of receiving my email (remember I am going on vacation).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review & Giveaway: Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War By Hazel Gaynor, Beatriz Williams, Jennifer Robson, Jessica Brockmole, Kate Kerrigan, Evangeline Holland, Lauren Willig, Marci Jefferson, and Heather Webb

Top voices in historical fiction deliver an unforgettable collection of short stories set in the aftermath of World War I—featuring bestselling authors such as Hazel Gaynor, Jennifer Robson, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig and edited by Heather Webb.

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month... November 11, 1918.

After four long, dark years of fighting, the Great War ends at last, and the world is forever changed. For soldiers, loved ones, and survivors the years ahead stretch with new promise, even as their hearts are marked by all those who have been lost. As families come back together, lovers reunite, and strangers take solace in each other, everyone has a story to tell.

In this moving anthology, nine authors share stories of love, strength, and renewal as hope takes root in a fall of poppies.

Publication Date: March 1, 2016 

William Morrow Paperback &

eBook; 368 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/Anthology  

****

The theme of Fall of Poppies is the end of World War I.

  Penned by 9 different authors, seven of which I am familiar with, this collection of short stories pulls at the heart strings and reminds the reader that even if the war is over mentally and physically it lives on.

"Not even the end of the war means the war is over.    It will never be over for some of us."

I will admit to being new to the short stories genre, my fear has always been that the stories will be light and fluffy, lacking depth and the ability to connect with the characters in such a short time.  The stories here averaged less than an hour to read each, so really how can the writer provide the reading experience that I enjoy?   As I am slowly learning it can be done and it was done quite nicely here.

This book is a collection of stories of love, hope and survival.  Told from the both the male and female pov's it wasn't hard to connect and feel compassion.  I won't go into details about what each of the stories were about, but will say that they were all different.  From a young mother in Belgium who lived through the horrors of war, she survived caring for others and learned to trust again. Another mother seeking revenge on Germany when her son is missing and presumed dead. There are pilots. an English midwife fighting to save to life of a newborn and more.

I had my favorites here, Jennifer Robson's "All for the Love of You" because of the connection to her last novel and I love her writing style.  Her's was an interest subject, the making of face masks for those disfigured.  She was able to not just explain the process but threw in a good love story to boot.

Jessica Brockmole's "Something Worth Landing For" also hit the mark for me.  An unlikely union, but watching the relationship evolve through letter writing reminding me so much of why her book Letters from Skye was one of my 'best of 2015'.  Her writing style is flawless, witty and a treat to read.

The stories here are varied, each stand alone's but focus on Armistice, bringing that time to life with different struggles, misunderstandings, relationships and romance.  Definitely one that I recommend and one that has me adding new authors to my tbr pile.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

About the Authors

Jessica Brockmole is the author of the internationally bestselling Letters from Skye, an epistolary love story spanning an ocean and two wars. Named one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2013, Letters From Skye has been published in seventeen countries.

Hazel Gaynor is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home and A Memory of Violets. She writes regularly for the national press, magazines and websites in Ireland and the UK.

Evangeline Holland is the founder and editor of Edwardian Promenade, the number one blog for lovers of World War I, the Gilded Age, and Belle Époque France with nearly forty thousand unique viewers a month. In addition, she blogs at Modern Belles of History. Her fiction includes An Ideal Duchess and its sequel, crafted in the tradition of Edith Warton.

Marci Jefferson is the author of Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart, which Publisher’s Weekly called “intoxicating.” Her second novel, The Enchantress of Paris, will release in Spring 2015 from Thomas Dunne Books.

Kate Kerrigan is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ellis Island trilogy. In addition she has written for the Irish Tatler, a Dublin-based newspaper, as well as The Irish Mail and a RTE radio show, Sunday Miscellany.

Jennifer Robson is the USA Today and international bestselling author of Somewhere in France and After the War is Over. She holds a doctorate in Modern History from the University of Oxford, where she was a Commonwealth Scholar and SSHRC Doctoral Fellow. Jennifer lives in Toronto with her husband and young children.

Heather Webb is an author, freelance editor, and blogger at award-winning writing sites WriterUnboxed.com and RomanceUniversity.org. Heather is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and she may also be found teaching craftbased courses at a local college.

Beatriz Williams is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of The Secret Life of Violet Grant and A Hundred Summers. A graduate of Stanford University with an MBA from Columbia, Beatriz spent several years in New York and London hiding her early attempts at fiction, first on company laptops as a corporate and communications strategy consultant, and then as an at-home producer of small persons. She now lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore, where she divides her time between writing and laundry. William Morrow will publish her forthcoming hardcover, A Certain Age, in the summer of 2016.

Lauren Willig is the New York Times bestselling author of eleven works of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages, awarded the RITA, Booksellers Best and Golden Leaf awards, and chosen for the American Library Association’s annual list of the best genre fiction. She lives in New York City, where she now writes full time.

Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, March 1 Review at Let Them Read Books 

Thursday, March 3 Review at Just One More Chapter

Saturday, March 5 Review at 100 Pages a Day 

Monday, March 7 Review at Bookish 

                                Review at CelticLady's Reviews 

Tuesday, March 8 Review at Ageless Pages Reviews 

Friday, March 11 Review at Creating Herstory

Giveaway

To win one of three copies of Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War please enter the giveaway via the GLEAM form below.

Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on March 11th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US residents only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

  Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and The Great War

Review: Moonlight Over Paris by Jennifer Robson

An aristocratic young woman leaves the sheltered world of London to find adventure, passion, and independence in 1920s Paris in this mesmerizing story from the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of Somewhere in France and After the War is Over.

Spring, 1924 Recovering from a broken wartime engagement and a serious illness that left her near death, Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr vows that for once she will live life on her own terms. Breaking free from the stifling social constraints of the aristocratic society in which she was raised, she travels to France to stay with her free spirited aunt. For one year, she will simply be Miss Parr. She will explore the picturesque streets of Paris, meet people who know nothing of her past—and pursue her dream of becoming an artist. A few years after the Great War’s end, the City of Light is a bohemian paradise teeming with actors, painters, writers, and a lively coterie of American expatriates who welcome Helena into their romantic and exciting circle. Among them is Sam Howard, an irascible and infuriatingly honest correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. Dangerously attractive and deeply scarred by the horror and carnage of the war, Sam is unlike any man she has ever encountered. He calls her Ellie, sees her as no one has before, and offers her a glimpse of a future that is both irresistible and impossible. As Paris rises phoenix-like from the ashes of the Great War, so too does Helena. Though she’s shed her old self, she’s still uncertain of what she will become and where she belongs. But is she strong enough to completely let go of the past and follow her heart, no matter where it leads her?

Artfully capturing the Lost Generation and their enchanting city, Moonlight Over Paris is the spellbinding story of one young woman’s journey to find herself, and claim the life—and love—she truly wants.

Paperback: 352 pages

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (January 19, 2016)

****

Purchase Links

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

I have enjoyed both of Jennifer Robson's previous books, After the War is Over and Somewhere in France.  Though some of the same characters are connected in all 3 books each of them definitely works fine on their own.  But if you haven't read them, I highly recommend.

The synopsis above does a great job of describing what this book is about and in a way I lack words to add to that.  I liked Helena, she was determined to have a life for herself after all that she has gone through in the past few years.  I liked her drive, seeing her emerge out of a mold that her parents had her in to strive for something better and most importantly to do something she wanted to do for herself.  She took risks at the same time as staying true to herself.

 The war has been over for a number of years and Paris is in full swing again. The authors writing style is one I like, she knows the time period here, between the social classes in England to life in Paris I was captivated.  I loved the guess appearances of famous individuals in Paris and Helena rubbing shoulders with them.

Fans of Downton Abbey and those who like the roaring 20's should give Robson's books a try.

I had the pleasure of meeting the author last fall, it was wonderful to listen to her talk about getting her books published and to learn more about her, it was a privilege.

Jennifer Robson is the USA Today and #1 Toronto Globe & Mail bestselling author of Somewhere in France. She holds a doctorate in British economic and social history from Saint Antony’s College, University of Oxford, where she was a Commonwealth Scholar and an SSHRC Doctoral Fellow. She lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and young children.

Find out more about Jennifer at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.




Thank you to TLC Tours for allowing me to be part of this tour, check out more stops on this tour.

Tour schedule:

Tuesday, January 19th: BookNAround

Tuesday, January 19th: Lesa’s Book Critiques

Wednesday, January 20th: Kritters Ramblings

Thursday, January 21st: 5 Minutes For Books

Friday, January 22nd: Reading Reality

Monday, January 25th: From L.A. to LA

Wednesday, January 27th: The many thoughts of a reader

Thursday, January 28th: Thoughts On This ‘n That

Friday, January 29th: A Splendidly Messy Life

Monday, February 1st: M. Denise Costello

Tuesday, February 2nd: Just One More Chapter

Wednesday, February 3rd: A Chick Who Reads

Thursday, February 4th: View from the Birdhouse

Monday, February 8th: Diary of an Eccentric

Wednesday, February 10th: Dwell in Possibility

Friday, February 12th: Luxury Reading

Waiting on Wednesday: Fall of Poppies - Stories of Love and the Great War

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill  at  Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.   

 This week I am waiting for:

Paperback, 356 pages

Expected publication: March 1st 2016 by William Morrow Paperbacks 

Top voices in historical fiction deliver an intensely moving collection of short stories about loss, longing, and hope in the aftermath of World War I—featuring bestselling authors such as Hazel Gaynor, Jennifer Robson, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig and edited by Heather Webb.

A squadron commander searches for meaning in the tattered photo of a girl he’s never met…

A Belgian rebel hides from the world, only to find herself nursing the enemy…

A young airman marries a stranger to save her honor—and prays to survive long enough to love her…

The peace treaty signed on November 11, 1918, may herald the end of the Great War but for its survivors, the smoke is only beginning to clear. Picking up the pieces of shattered lives will take courage, resilience, and trust.

Within crumbled city walls and scarred souls, war’s echoes linger. But when the fighting ceases, renewal begins…and hope takes root in a fall of poppies.

What are you waiting for?

Waiting on Wednesday: Moonlight over Paris by Jennifer Robson

 Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill  at  Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.   

 

 This week I am waiting for:

  352 pages

Expected publication: January 19th 2016 by William Morrow Paperbacks

 
USA Today and internationally bestselling author Jennifer Robson takes readers to 1920s Paris in an enthralling new historical novel that tells the riveting story of an English lady who trades in her staid aristocratic life for the mesmerizing salons and the heady world of the Lost Generation.

It’s the spring of 1924, and Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr has just arrived in France. On the mend after a near-fatal illness, she is ready to embrace the restless, heady allure of the City of Lights. Her parents have given her one year to live with her eccentric aunt in Paris and Helena means to make the most of her time. She’s quickly drawn into the world of the Lost Generation and its circle of American expatriates, and with their encouragement, she finds the courage to pursue her dream of becoming an artist.

One of those expats is Sam Howard, a journalist working for the Chicago Tribune. Irascible, plain-spoken, and scarred by his experiences during the war, Sam is simply the most fascinating man she has ever met. He’s also entirely unsuitable.

As Paris is born anew, rising phoenix-like from the ashes of the Great War, Helena realizes that she, too, is changing. The good girl she once was, so dutiful and obedient, so aware of her place in the world, is gone forever. Yet now that she has shed her old self, who will she become, and where, and with whom, does she belong…?

What are you waiting for?

After the War is Over by Jennifer Robson

The USA Today and #1 Globe & Mail bestselling author of SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE returns with her sweeping second novel. 

For fans of Downton Abbey. England, 1919 In the months following the Armistice, Charlotte Brown leaves behind her wartime work as a nurse and returns to her life as a social worker in Liverpool. There she sets about helping her fellow citizens better themselves, though the world is still reeling from the devastation and loss of the Great War. 

In her journey she is guided by friends old and new, among them the other women at her boarding house, her colleagues at work, and a radical young newspaper editor who may have romantic designs on her. But even as she tries to look ahead, one man continues to pull her back into her past: Edward, now the Earl of Cumberland, the brother of Charlotte's dearest friend. She hasn't seen him in years and is shocked to discover him utterly changed. Once charming and infuriatingly arrogant, he is now broken by all he has seen. Still Charlotte sees the specter of the captivating man she knew, and knows he could offer her a world far different from the one she's worked so hard to build for herself.

As the country seethes with unrest, and post-war euphoria flattens into bitter disappointment, Charlotte fears that the only way to keep her independent life of purpose may be to turn her back on the only man she has ever loved.

Paperback, 384 pages

Published December 30th 2014 by HarperCollinsCanada

personal library via Audible:  narrator - Lucy Rayner,  10 hours, 28minutes

****

This is the sequel to Somewhere in France but it is not necessary to have read it before this one.  I opted for the audio version here and the story lent itself very nicely to this format.  Lucy Rayner is the reader and she did a great job - it was a pleasure to listen to.

The war is over but for some life continues where it left off but for the majority, its a struggle both physical and mentally.  Charlotte spent 4 years as a nurse and now dedicates her life to help those in need.  I liked Charlotte she had conviction, she had the drive to help the less fortunate, usually putting others before herself. 

Jennifer Robson has a nice writing style, pulling me into this story with details of post war England, which shows her vast knowledge of this time period.  Written with emotion brought out feelings of compassion and empathy.

This isn't a fast paced book but rather a reflection of England, proving that no matter your social class the war affected everyone.