Tag Archive | Glynis Peters

The Orphan’s Mission by Glynis Peters

Of Love & War

The Orphan’s Mission by Glynis Peters is a compelling historical novel that consumed me from the start.

The action begins in London before moving briefly to the south coast and then over to mainline Europe during World War II. We follow a teenage orphan whose father was French, and mother was British. Now she has nowhere to call home. She answers the personal call to fight the Nazis from inside France.

We witness the bravery required to sail to Holland, walk several miles to a rendez vous point, and then be parachuted into France.

A small cell of resistance fighters occupies a French farm. They live in plain sight as a family unit – until they realise someone has betrayed them.

We see the wits, bravery and cunning needed to survive the most dangerous of times.

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The Orphan’s Last Goodbye by Glynis Peters

A New Cub In Canada

The Orphan’s Last Goodbye by Glynis Peters is a powerful historical novel that I loved. It is the fourth book in the Red Cross Orphans series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The year is 1947 and the war has been over for a couple of years but its’ effects are still being felt in lives. Nightmares of things that they cannot change, remain.

We witness that relationships formed in war cannot always stand the test of peace time. In contrast, other relationships strengthen due to shared experiences.

There are hearts of gold. “You always invested your heart into each child who stepped over the threshold.” Orphans of war were guaranteed a loving home in a big family house in the North East. These huge hearts continue as nothing is too much trouble despite personal hardship. In contrast, a heart is selfish, seeking out personal gain and not thinking of others.

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The Red Cross Orphans by Glynis Peters

Kind Hearts And Hands

The Red Cross Orphans by Glynis Peters is a marvellous historical novel set during World War II on the home front. I was completely consumed by the whole novel.

The reader follows the main character as she volunteers to be a Red Cross nurse. She journeys from Harwich to Birmingham up to Scotland and back down to County Durham. I loved that she did her training at the Q.E. in Birmingham as I am familiar with that hospital in my home town. None of the Red Cross postings are long term as the nurses go where they are most needed. I admired her bravery, sense of duty and strong stomach as there were some awful scenes during the Birmingham blitz.

There is a wonderful camaraderie between the three young recruits in Birmingham. Bonds formed are strong and friendships loyal.

There is a warmth within the novel as characters pull together to help the injured. Life is to be grabbed as there is no guarantee of tomorrow. This means that whilst there are still strong morals on the whole, there will always be those who play fast and free.

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The Orphan Thief by Glynis Peters

Rising From The Ashes

The Orphan Thief by Glynis Peters is a heart-wrenching historical tale that totally consumed me.

The novel is set in Coventry during the night of 14th November 1940 and onwards. The reader, along with the characters, watches helplessly on as the medieval city of Coventry is destroyed by German bombers. The smoldering wreck of the cathedral says it all.

Rising from the ashes are the remaining residents of Coventry. Though shocked, the bulldog spirit is alive. Survivors band together making new family units as they learn to live again.

The dead are not forgotten but remembered in hearts all over the city.

There is a wonderful community of love and care for the lost and the vulnerable. Most have good hearts but there are a few who take advantage and prey on the young.

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