The English Girl (Mitchell)-BoT-Historical Fiction-Available Now

This book had easily one of the most thrilling openings I have ever read.

I think maybe because it is one of the first times that at least part of the historical events in the book took place in a time that I actually remember. The fall of the Berlin Wall is etched in my mind for many reasons.

One, the 80s were a pivotal time for me, and the fall of the Wall was a pinnacle of Western achievement and diplomacy. I have clear memories of Reagan’s impassioned speech, and of watching the coverage when it actually came down. The euphoria from the people of Berlin was palpable even through the television screen.

Secondly, I had visited Berlin with my parents only 5 years earlier, and we had taken a tour from West Berlin to East. Even as a young teen, I recognized the difference in the two cities. It was noticeable in everything from the architecture to the faces of the people.

So (back to the book) the opening involving Tiffany in West Berlin in November 1989 was something instantly relatable to me.

What was interesting, however, was that after that introduction, the reader is catapulted back to England in October 1946. And it takes a very long time to get around to what the two time periods have in common.

That’s no complaint because the storyline set in 1946 was absolutely fascinating. I’ve never made a secret of how much I enjoy learning new things from historical fiction, and this one certainly fits the bill.

I think the author did a phenomenal job of covering how English townspeople would have felt having a POW camp in their midst. There were sympathizers, people who were angry, and people who just wanted to move on. Every perspective that I could think of was covered by a townsperson in some way.

There was a lot going on in this town as well. For example, the person in charge of the camp was obviously suffering after-affects of the war. His wife had other interests. A young man who had been unable to fight realized the depths people would go to so that he remained safe. A woman struggles with her feelings about a prisoner in the camp.

I don’t want to say too much, but it all made for compelling reading. I never felt like the story jolted too much around and each plot thread seemed to take place accordingly and in the flow of the story.

I was especially taken by Fran. She is central to many other threads. There was something about her that I just liked. I could see myself making the same decisions she did and having the same thoughts and feelings. I also liked Martin for these same reasons.

I thought one scene set around Christmas time was especially poignant and illustrated the human side of war that is so often forgotten. Germans and townspeople alike were in a new world and were able to see each other for the humanity (at least most of them did).

In the course of this, the author also makes some stark points with perspectives that are thought-provoking (What makes a soldier? Were all Germans bad? Can individuals be held accountable for a whole country?). There was a lot of depth here, but it was never preachy or overdone.

Honestly, this was just a good solid story, with many threads, that gave the reader insight to the people in a small town in England in 1946/47. And it was very well done.

Oh, and we don’t get back to Tiffany until the end. Have the tissues ready. There’s a lot that happens in the end to wrap everything up, including a “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” reference to an earlier event that was subtle and touching.

A thoroughly satisfying and excellent story.

Author Bio:

Sarah grew up in Norfolk and studied law at Cambridge University which led to a career as a barrister, working mainly in the field of human rights. After nearly twenty years she was tempted off-track by a creative writing course at the Open University and fell in love with making up stories instead of constructing arguments. Three years later she completed, with distinction, an MA in Creative Writing – Prose Fiction at the UEA.

Now she lives in Norfolk again, this time with her husband and three almost-grown-up children, where she combines writing with some legal work – and thanking her enormous number of lucky stars.