The Runaway Sisters by Ann Bennett – Books On Tour (Review)

As anyone who has read this blog even in passing knows I read a lot, and historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. Many of the books often have “heartbreaking” or “unforgettable” in the taglines.

This is one of the first ones in recent memory where the story actually lives up to the “heartbreaking” part. Even though anything having to do with war is tough to read, this one was especially so.

I thought the entire set up, from present time to the past was well done. The way that Helen and Laura found “clues” to their mom’s past little by little felt natural, especially in light of what that past entailed.

I think Daisy is illustrative of many people who lived during WWII. Their experiences were so harsh that they don’t want to talk about it, and even hide it. My mom said her father was that way when he came back from the South Pacific; she knew that he had changed, but he never talked about the things that he had seen and done.

What makes Daisy’s situation unique, of course, is that she was a young girl and wasn’t actually “in” the war in the truest sense. However, she was a victim of it just the same. In some ways, her experiences were harsher than some others possibly were.

I have studied the program that sent children who were evacuated from the cities to farms for safety, but it honestly never occurred to me how that could be manipulated. The author did a fantastic job of relating the issues in a realistic way that really hit home.

In war, you can’t always rely on people to have the best interests of children in mind. That’s a sad realization.

Aside from the situation itself, Daisy had a very hard life (really, because of the situation as well). It seemed at one point that the hits just kept on coming. There were a few passages that were difficult to get through. I felt so bad for her.

But I thought the way that Helen and Laura bonded over discovering their mother’s past was heartfelt, and I particularly liked how learning about Daisy’s history shined light on their perceptions (especially Helen’s) of their relationship with Daisy. That was a great touch to include.

This book was extremely well-written. I learned a lot and it made me think. That’s all I can ask for in a historical fiction novel. Don’t miss this one.

Author Bio:

Ann Bennett was born in a small village in Northamptonshire and now lives in Surrey. Her first book, A Daughter’s Quest, originally published as Bamboo Heart, was inspired by her father’s experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway. The Planter’s Wife (originally published as Bamboo Island) a Daughter’s Promise and The Homecoming, (formerly Bamboo Road) are also about the war in South East Asia.

Ann is married with three grown up sons and works as a lawyer. For more details please visit www.bambooheart.co.uk