Tag Archive | Ellie Curzon

The Wartime Vet by Ellie Curzon

A Light Shining In The Darkness

The Wartime Vet by Ellie Curzon is a marvellous historical novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is the third book in A Village At War series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action is set in a village in the south east. Here, we meet a young female veterinarian who has fled urban bombed out Coventry. The year is 1942 and now the young vet is treating farm animals and not just cats and dogs.

The ruins of Coventry and that awful night in November 1941 still haunt the young vet. She is not alone with her fears. There is also a man from the ministry who is a decorated naval veteran of both wars, and he is haunted by the events of war. Both are struggling through PTSD, although little is known of that at the time.

In the countryside we meet land girls and a most delightful young female evacuee called Sarah. She has survived the Blitz in London. Ellie Curzon has perfectly captured her enthusiasm, zest for life, and determination to help with the war effort, despite her young age.

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The Ration Book Baby by Ellie Curzon

Sowing Seeds Of Hope

The Ration Book Baby by Ellie Curzon is a delightful historical novel to start a new series.

 The action is set during the early years of World War II, near an air base in the South East. We follow a young nurse and her family, as well as the English and Polish airmen and their families.

The RAF functions as a family. Any losses are keenly felt by both the men and the local village.

We see that even in war prejudices and injustice still exist as not everyone greets the Poles with kindness. Grief and loss have distorted a viewpoint – but that is no excuse for poor behaviour and choices. Without the help of the Poles, Britain may well have lost the battle for the skies.

Prejudices against unmarried mothers force a baby to be abandoned. Kind hearts take the baby in as the search for her mother begins. We see the village pull together to help the ration book baby. “A kind gift in the face of so much tragedy… The world wasn’t a hopeless and dark place.” Kindness sows’ seeds of hope.

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