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The Girl From Normandy by Rachel Sweasey

Jun28

Powerful

The Girl From Normandy by Rachel Sweasey is a powerful dual timeline that enthralled me from the start.

The novel is set during World War II in France, and also in 1998 in Poole and France. We see the intertwining lives that have come down the ages.

Fleeing Nazi-occupied Paris, the lead character suffers an unthinkable tragedy. She is made of strong stuff and uses the pain to propel her into working for the Resistance. We see the bravery and daring that was needed as well as the ability to hide her true thoughts as smiles whilst listening to Nazi secrets.

The Resistance was vital to the war machine. Everyone had a unique role to play. Without the Resistance, there would have been no D-Day.

In present day a grandmother’s family do not realise all that she went through. She is the matriarch of the family. Her strength is built on her sadness.

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To Love A Beast by Karen Witemeyer

Jun21

A Rose By Any Other Name

To Love A Beast by Karen Witemeyer is a very charming Christian historical tale that I loved. It is the first book in Once Upon A Time In Texas series and I cannot wait for more.

This is a charming re-imagining of Beauty & The Beast set in Texas in the late nineteenth century. It is all very cleverly done with its setting, choice of names and even the colour of the fabric of the dresses all reminding the reader of the original tale.

This is more than just a fairy tale. This has the hand and heart of God permeating the whole book.

We see that God is faithful and keeps His promise to never leave us. He goes with us even when we do not see Him. “Just because you can’t see any evidence of His presence doesn’t mean that God isn’t with you.” We can trust God with our lives. “God has everything under control.” In the chaos of life, nothing surprises God.

There is the theme of true beauty. “Your face does not define you… Your actions do.” True beauty leads from the heart. A heart that is pure and good and kind is always attractive. We need to show others the heart of God by what we do. “The man lived his faith… and… influenced the lives around him.”

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In The Family Way by Laney Katz Becker

Jun19

Powerful & Heart-Breaking

In The Family Way by Laney Katz Becker is an absolutely heartbreaking novel that consumed me from the start.

The novel takes place in 1965-1966. It is a powerful book about women and their roles and rights in 1960’s America. It is horrifying to see that women were subservient to men. Everything in society was there to promote men and to down grade women.

Women were supposed to be compliant wives and mothers. It was a myth put about by men that women would be fulfilled looking after their husbands, children and the house. Whilst many did want to be wives and mothers, women are also so much more than their domestic roles.

The novel surrounds a group of women – two sisters, their friends and an unwed fifteen-year-old who helps the lead character, Lily, whilst awaiting to give birth in a home for unmarried girls that her mother had sent her to.

Each chapter alternates between the characters as we ‘hear’ of various lives and struggles.

Some women, plus the teen are incredibly ‘innocent’ in the ways of the world. They have been shielded when they really needed to have been educated in the basics of life.

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Shrapnel Boys by Jenny Pearson

Jun17

Moral Courage

Shrapnel Boys by Jenny Pearson is a powerful, children’s historical novel that entertained me from the start.

The action is set in London from 1939 and seen from the point of view of a young boy called Ronnie. It is told in the first person and therefore we get to know Ronnie intimately. He is extremely likable, always trying to do the right thing.

We follow Ronnie and his younger brother Mickey and best friend Lugs as they try to navigate life, family and war.

The war was a mixture of excitement and being scared after the Phony War of 1939. “Life in London didn’t change much in those first few weeks… War, it seemed, had forgotten to show up.” Once World War II begins in earnest, there is more than just bombs to navigate as an opportunist turns up, turning Mickey’s head.

We witness those who profit in war, thinking nothing of preying on the misery of others.

Jenny Pearson has shown the danger of the banned group The Blackshirts, whose ideology lined up with Hitler.

As we follow Lugs, we see his fears as a Jewish boy in London. His father is a pacifist but still conscripted into the war as a stretcher bearer. “It was courageous to march onto a battlefield with a gun in your hands, but treading the ground without one… was even braver.” As Ronnie declares “to me, Lug’s Dad was a hero.” The reader can only echo that statement.

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