Day: October 13, 2020

Three words.

Have. Tissues. Ready.  

I knew from this author’s previous books, A View Across the Rooftops and When We Were Brave, that I was in for an emotional and heartfelt story, and I was not disappointed. Ms. Kelman has a particular talent for creating characters and situations that are so real, a reader can imagine being a part of the story. She is probably my favorite historical fiction author.

I really liked the way she set up the main characters, all young women with very different backgrounds. It took awhile to figure out what the connection would be and how they would all relate to each other.

First was Lizzie, from the Highlands, with a deep personal secret she was determined to atone for. Then we met Diana, from Birmingham, whose father is still suffering from Shell Shock from WWI. Last was Julia in London, whose husband is called up, leaving her alone with two young children.

Lizzie and Diana are joining up in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, while Julia finds herself promoted to being a steno in Churchill’s War Rooms. Each woman takes her own path to help the cause, and the ways they all get there are both engaging and informative.

I especially liked Julia’s job. Her proximity to Churchill and interactions in the War Rooms were very realistic. I got chills reading some passages, knowing how accurate they were (we visited the museum of his War Rooms when we were in England a few years ago). Well done to the author for that.

And then the Blitz occurs.

Again, this is where the author’s talent for creating authentic scenes shines. The terror and uncertainty of the residents of London is palpable, and I truly felt like I could smell the smoke and see the rubble of the bombed-out buildings. Very few authors can evoke such vivid scenes.

Of course, with it being war time, you know that there is going to be heartache and loss. The author does a fantastic job of building the tension, tracking each of the three ladies as they learn their jobs, meet new people and form relationships that may or may not be fruitful.

You just know that one (or more) of them is going to suffer a tragedy of some sort. I kept waiting for the shoe to drop. And even though I expected it, I wasn’t prepared for it when it actually happened (and no, I’m not going to tell you what happens or who it happens to).

But this is where you will definitely need those tissues I mentioned at the beginning. The emotion that pours from the pages is absolutely heart-wrenching.

I did like how the author highlighted the strength of women and the important parts that they played in the war effort. There were a few times it verged on preachy, but then it became more restrained and palpable. To be sure, there were a lot of unsung heroines over the course of the war (the details on the barrage balloons were especially educational).

There was a small subplot about Julia’s mother-in-law that popped up late in the story and for the most part didn’t go anywhere. I would have liked to have seen that fleshed out, especially in light of Julia’s job.

Ultimately, this is a story about how friendships forged in fire are quick but resilient, and family doesn’t have to mean blood relations. I loved every minute of this book, even though it left me a sniffling mess by the end. I highly recommend picking this one up.

Author Bio:

Suzanne Kelman is an Amazon International Bestselling author in America, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Her WW2 historical fiction books “A View Across the Rooftops” and “When We Were Brave,” together have sold over 150,000 copies and are published by Bookouture – an imprint for Hachette U.K. Her third WW2 Book, Under A Sky on Fire, publishes October 13th, 2020. Kelman’s books have also been translated into five languages.

She is also the author of the bestselling book, “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club”, published by Lake Union, which is the first book in the Southlea Bay series. Other books in the series include, “Rejected Writers Take the Stage” and “The Rejected Writers’ Christmas Wedding”.

Kelman is an award-winning writer/screenwriter whose accolades include the Best Comedy Feature Screenplay Award from the L.A. International Film Festival, the Gold Award from the California Film Awards, and the Van Gogh Award from the Amsterdam Film Festival.

In 2015 her script, Held, was recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures and was shortlisted to the top ten in the Academy Of Motion Pictures Nichols Fellowship competition. As well as a screenwriter and a published author, Suzanne is also a playwright, and her award-winning comedy play, “Over My Dead Body”, had its World Premiere at Outcast Theatre in Washington, Fall 2019.

Born in the United Kingdom, Suzanne now resides in Washington State. Please sign up for her newsletter to stay in touch – https://www.suzannekelmanauthor.com