Day: August 2, 2021

I had high hopes for this book, as it seemed that it would be a unique perspective on WWII on an Irish woman in London. While that is partially true, the larger story is much more than that.

In fact, and to be perfectly honest, the war actually serves as a minuscule backdrop to Rose’s story. It’s there only to provide a couple of plot points and not much else.

That doesn’t mean that the story itself is bad (it’s not). But if you’re looking for heroics in the face of war, or detailed scenes about London in wartime, this is not the place to find them.

I felt like this story was more of a lyrical retelling of a young girl’s journey – one that takes her from her small town in Ireland to places she never dreamed she would visit. If looked at through this lens, the book is highly successful.

I liked how the author used Polly and Rose as the differing opinions on their small town, and I especially liked the message that opportunity finds us when we least expect it. I can’t say more about Polly and Rose’s outcomes without giving the plot away, but it did follow in an orderly telling. The story is very linear.

There were parts of it that reminded me of one of my favorite movies, The Quiet Man. Sure, it might be mostly because of the setting, but I think it’s more that the story seemed like it could be retold in an Irish Pub. There was a quality that just made it float along easily, moving from one part to the next.

I liked the characters. I thought that Rose was enjoyable, and the author really hit on how a young girl might have felt leaving home and going to a big city. I also liked Bridgy – she was a hoot, and Agnes was also interesting. I didn’t get much of a feel for the third sister. (I actually had to go back into the book to even remember her name – she didn’t figure highly in the story).

Where the story faltered for me was in the details. I never felt like I got a good enough answer for why Alice was the way she was. Raffi just seemed like an impertinent brat. David was a mystery. None of it seemed to jibe together very well. I particularly did not like the resolution for Alice and Raffi. It was contrived and answered no questions.

There were also places where the writing became tedious. I got very tired of reading “darling girl” or “dear child.” It was repetitive and frankly annoying. And don’t get me started on the scenes set in Brooklyn. I thought those were the most manipulative of all.

In fact, upon reflection, it kind of felt like this was Forrest Gump for the Irish nanny population. Rose is buffeted from one “event” to the next and just happens to be there for whatever occurs.

But I did like the messages of hope and resilience, as well as following the path that God may have laid out for you, even if you can’t figure out why that is the case. Rose certainly grew up (as did Polly). It was a sweet story.

Author Bio:

Sandy Taylor grew up on a council estate near Brighton. There were no books in the house, so Sandy’s love of the written word was nurtured in the little local library. Leaving school at fifteen, Sandy worked in a series of factories before landing a job at Butlins in Minehead. This career change led her to becoming a singer, a stand up comic and eventually a playwright and novelist.