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Christmas Hope For The Steel Girls by Michelle Rawlins

Nov11

True Diamonds

Christmas Hope For The Steel Girls by Michelle Rawlins is a marvellous historical novel about community. It is the second book in the Steel Girls series but can be read as a stand-alone. I would recommend reading book one first.

It was a pure delight to rejoin the steel girls as Christmas 1939 approaches. They are a feisty group of women with hearts of pure gold. They are filling the labour gap as the men have gone to war. Sheffield’s steel industry was of vital importance to the war effort.

This is a book about community. Needs are identified and they are met as everyone pulls together. “What they didn’t have in money, they had in kindness.” Kindness, along with hope and love can inspire others to keep going and to help where it is needed. The love leaps from the pages.

We witness life on the home front and how difficult it is at times to keep going. With their men away at war, women needed to lift each other up as there was the constant fear of receiving bad news.

The bulldog spirit was alive. “He [Hitler] might be able to destroy bricks and mortar, but he really had an enormous challenge… attempting to extinguish the ingrained and determined British bulldog spirit of sticking together and carrying on.” Britain keeps calm, carries on and fuels its people with tea. In times of worry, anguish or celebration, people put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea.

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The Return by Anita Frank

Nov10

A Silent Love

The Return by Anita Frank is a marvellous historical novel that enthralled me from the start.

The story alternates between 1939 and 1945, through the voices of the two main characters. The action is mainly set in the Berkshire countryside.

Farming is a hard way of life. We witness the strength of characters who have to adapt and change as war approaches and as it subsequently ends.

Women of strength and character keep the home front going as they pull together to feed the nation.

As with many small communities, there is a lord of the manor. We witness the arrogance of some of the privileged as they leave destruction behind. They are in complete contrast to the characters who do not have worldly goods but have huge hearts.

Anita Frank has cleverly constructed her novel. As it opens, we hear a character running from something. We hear the hints and try to guess the reason before it is later revealed. I failed to correctly guess, again!

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The Christmas Escape by Sarah Morgan

Oct28

Friends And Family

The Christmas Escape by Sarah Morgan is a most delightful contemporary festive offering about family and friends.

The story is set in snow-covered Lapland in the two weeks leading up to Christmas. Delicious descriptions of the landscape, log cabins, Christmas trees and sleigh rides all come alive under the masterful pen of Sarah Morgan. The reader is in for a real treat.

We learn about what home is. “Home wasn’t the honey-coloured bricks… home was people. Home was feeling wanted and loved.” We may be in a house with family members but still feel lonely. We need to know we are loved.

Our upbringing has far-reaching effects into our adult lives. We are all a product of our pasts. We must not dwell there but learn the lessons of the past. “Stop chewing on what-if and deal with what is.”

Parents influence their children’s well-being. We see love lavished on a young child giving her stability and confidence. In contrast we see adults who still cannot shake off the influence of parents who seemingly didn’t care. Their emotional well-being has been damaged in childhood and affects their relationships ever since as they continually wait for rejection.

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All For You by Louise Jensen

Oct28

Absolutely Gripping

All For You by Louise Jensen is an absolutely gripping compulsive contemporary psychological thriller. I could not put it down and greedily devoured it.

The story surrounds one family and some friends. It seems like everyone is hiding a guilty secret – but is it the same one?

Within the family one of the teenage boys is ill. Living with a ticking health condition puts a strain on all the relationships.

The other brother is consumed with guilt from various sources including his part in a teenage prank that had far reaching results. We witness that for every choice we make, we must accept the consequences.

Loss affects a whole family. “I’m sorry I’m alive.” Some things are just impossible to ever leave behind.

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