Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner charmed me.
One girl chases her dreams. The other girl chases her
sister. When the war tears them apart, each must learn to live with the guilt
of her actions on that fateful day - the day the Luftwaffe began bombing London
in WWII.
Meissner delves deep into the psyche of two sisters who are
evacuated from London to the Cotwolds. It’s fascinating to think about all the
children who lived for up to five years with foster families during the war.
Many of them lost their parents. Many returned to their parents after the war
as strangers. And other children were taken to America for the duration of the
war.
This story gives beautiful and terrible details about the
London bombing, and most critically, how difficult it was to find loved ones
during the war. Some records were destroyed in bombings. Telephone service was
rare. Today we merely call the person we need to find, or Google them or text
or email. Back then, if the single paper record was burned in a fire, the
record was lost for good, along with the details of that person’s whereabouts. Or sometimes one person would leave word with another person about where they were going. If the one person they told happened to die in a bombing, so did the information. People seemed to disappear during the war, and in many cases it took years for
people to reconnect. Entire streets were bombed out, causing many to become
homeless overnight. Every person sought refuge where they could find it, but
with no address, people were difficult to track.
The story winds its way amidst the
years of the war, the twenty years following the war, and present day. The
ripple effect of a single decision plays out in heartbreaking fashion as we
follow characters whose fates are bound to one another, even while cruelly
separated.
I hope you’ll give this book a
try. The emotional ride is worth every minute you spend curled up, bent over
this treasure.
This book sounds fascinating. So much to learn about the time period & circumstances.
ReplyDeleteMy in-laws were children in Liverpool and experienced evacuation and coming home twice to a destroyed home. I'd like to understand what they went through, although I'm sure it may be a difficult read. Thanks for sharing this book.
ReplyDeleteSusan Meissner is one of my favorite authors so I'll definitely want to read this. Thank you, Jennifer!
ReplyDeleteSounds fascinating. I'm a fan of Susan Meissner anyway so I look forward to reading this book.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds Charming! It's going on my TBR list :)
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