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The Telegram by Debbie Rix

Oct17

Beautiful & Heart-wrenching

The Telegram by Debbie Rix is a beautiful historical story set over three main time periods – World War I, World War II and 1959. It is a novel that will haunt the reader long after the last page is read.

The novel is about the life of Charles Carmichael, his family, friends and those that he interacts with. All the action is seen through the alternating voices of the lead character, his wife and daughter. We see how one man interacts with those he meets and how these interactions influence events.

Sometimes in life there is a defining moment on which everything else that happens, hangs on. Subsequent actions ride on a moment in time. Charles Carmichael has experienced such an event. The reader is aware that something momentous has happened but we do not know what – although I had my suspicions which proved to be correct. When we do find out what has happened, suddenly the life of Charles Carmichael makes sense. We understand why he acted the way that he did, and why he chose to lead his life as he did.

Charles Carmichael is a complex character but one that I instinctively liked. He is a gentle soul who wants to do no harm. He is a man who loves deeply but cannot always show it. I think his true nature really shines through in the scene on Christmas Eve 1943 with his daughter. He is tender hearted, fiercely protective and moved to act.

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The Secret Diary by Anna Stuart

Oct3

Tell It To The Worms

The Secret Diary by Anna Stuart is a powerful dual timeline novel that I loved.

The book is set in present day and 1945 after the war has ended. The time periods are linked by a family and an old diary.

We see the devastation that loss causes. World War II ripped families apart but in present day, a dreadful accident sees a young widow and her young sons try to make sense of a senseless loss. Everyone processes loss differently. We ‘hear’ the raw pain as a young widow exclaims “Why did you leave me? … I can’t forgive you this because you aren’t … here to forgive.” She feels alone but she has family who walk beside her. “You don’t have to do this alone. I’m here for you.” The reader ‘feels’ the warmth and love of the extended family.

During World War II a friendship and camaraderie were formed amongst four young women who operated the ack ack guns. Their friendship would last a lifetime. They were bound together by love, and a secret that they would keep forever.

War changed the roles of women. “For her ‘freedom’ had been the war years.” As the men were away women stepped into their shoes. This created problems in the post war period as returning men and the older generation wanted to put the women back in their traditional boxes. “You can’t just pack the past away with your gas mask and your ration book and ‘go back to normal’ because normal is different too.” It is perfectly stated by a character, “Society wanted to slot us … back into our kitchen-shaped holes, but we’d grown and we weren’t going to shrink ourselves to fit back inside.” Society expected women to return to their old roles. “I’m not ‘a girl like me’ anymore – I’m a totally different girl. And I really like her!” The war changed lives in all sorts of ways.

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The Orphan List by Ann Bennett

Oct1

Heart-Breaking

The Orphan List by Ann Bennett is a powerful and heart-wrenching dual timeline novel that totally consumed me. It is the first book in The World War II Orphanage series which promises to be fabulous.

The novel is set in Italy in 2005 and in Germany during World War II. An old lady of ninety in 2005 bridges the gap between the two time periods as she was a young nurse during the second world war. We witness the Nazis rise to power. We see the indoctrination of the German people. To speak out was to sign your own death certificate – but there were those brave souls who did what they could to help, and who felt guilty if they failed. This guilt would last a lifetime. “Praying for some way to heal the past.”

Lebensborn was the brainchild of Heinrich Himmler. It was designed to re-populate Germany via SS officers and young German women, but the baby, if perfect, would be whisked away from the mother and adopted by ‘good’ SS families. Those babies who were less than perfect met a dreadful fate. The girls were told, “It’s an honor to be chosen. To do your duty for the Fatherland and for the Fuhrer.” Many totally believed this lie. It was an evil practice with many doctors believing, “the ovaries of fertile Aryan women are so precious, they should be the property of the state.” How ridiculous!

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The Boy In The Attic by Imogen Matthews

Sep29

Unsung Heroes

The Boy In The Attic by Imogen Matthews is a powerful dual timeline novel that I read in just one sitting. It is a fictional tale but has its roots in fact.

The action is set in present day in both Britain and Holland, alternating with war-torn Holland in 1945. We hear voices in the past and present that are linked by genes.

Holland in 1945 was a precarious place to be. It was still occupied by the Nazis who were determined to continue their reign of terror even though they were clearly losing the war at this point.

We hear of the brave members of the resistance who hide and move those as needed.

Resistance members needed to blend in and also disrupt the Nazi war machine. A brave female resistance fighter finds herself socializing with the Nazis. It is a dangerous position to be in as she listens for secrets. She could also be accused of fraternizing with the enemy.

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