Publisher: Penguin Books
Release Date: February 28, 2017
Format: Paperback
Pages: 312
Source: Publisher
Genre: Historical Fiction
Review Date: April 3, 2017
Rating: 3 bookmarks
Synopsis: England, 1939: Julia Compton has a beautifully well-ordered life. Once a promising pianist, she now has a handsome husband, a young son she adores, and a housekeeper who takes care of her comfortable home. Then, on the eve of war, a film crew arrives in her coastal town. She falls in love.
The consequences are devastating. Penniless, denied access to her son, and completely unequipped to fend for herself, she finds herself adrift in wartime London with her lover, documentary filmmaker Dougie Birdsall. While Dougie seeks truth wherever he can find it, Julia finds herself lost. As the German invasion looms and bombs rain down on the city, she faces a choice: succumb to her fate, or fight to forge a new identity in the heat of war.
*FTC Disclaimer: The book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: February 28, 2017
Format: Paperback
Pages: 312
Source: Publisher
Genre: Historical Fiction
Review Date: April 3, 2017
Rating: 3 bookmarks
Synopsis: England, 1939: Julia Compton has a beautifully well-ordered life. Once a promising pianist, she now has a handsome husband, a young son she adores, and a housekeeper who takes care of her comfortable home. Then, on the eve of war, a film crew arrives in her coastal town. She falls in love.
The consequences are devastating. Penniless, denied access to her son, and completely unequipped to fend for herself, she finds herself adrift in wartime London with her lover, documentary filmmaker Dougie Birdsall. While Dougie seeks truth wherever he can find it, Julia finds herself lost. As the German invasion looms and bombs rain down on the city, she faces a choice: succumb to her fate, or fight to forge a new identity in the heat of war.
*FTC Disclaimer: The book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Julia is a woman that is living a comfortable life in England at the start of World War II. She is married to Richard, and together they have a son, Peter. Although she lives a privileged life, Julia is lonely: Peter is away at boarding school for much of the time, and she has to wipe the looking glass to really see how attractive Richard still is to her.
Some excitement enters Julia’s life by way of a film crew sent to their town to showcase the normal goings-on of a people at the start of the war. Dougie is the director of the group, and Julia is instantly smitten. Soon, they are having a torrid love affair that lasts even after Dougie and his crew move off to another town, and Julia manages to keep each part of her life separate and contained. That is, until Richard becomes suspicious and starts hunting for evidence of adultery, of which he finds in the form of love letters between Dougie and Julia. Massive arguments ensue, and Julia finds herself thrown out and penniless, at which time she moves in with Dougie, but only after HIS wife and children leave for Canada. The rest of the story is about Julia and Dougie and their trials and tribulations, and the relationship’s ultimate demise.
Some excitement enters Julia’s life by way of a film crew sent to their town to showcase the normal goings-on of a people at the start of the war. Dougie is the director of the group, and Julia is instantly smitten. Soon, they are having a torrid love affair that lasts even after Dougie and his crew move off to another town, and Julia manages to keep each part of her life separate and contained. That is, until Richard becomes suspicious and starts hunting for evidence of adultery, of which he finds in the form of love letters between Dougie and Julia. Massive arguments ensue, and Julia finds herself thrown out and penniless, at which time she moves in with Dougie, but only after HIS wife and children leave for Canada. The rest of the story is about Julia and Dougie and their trials and tribulations, and the relationship’s ultimate demise.
The story line, for me, was a unique one in that I had never experienced a tale set in the viewpoint of a privileged woman in WWII England. Most novels told during this time period (in my experience) are about direct front lines action, but this proves that the effects of war were felt in numerous ways, from the working class to the privileged. It was also unique in that the tales of the film crews are not often talked about. Everyone knows that films of the era exist, but what about the thoughts, feelings and viewpoints of the people who were actually documenting life through the camera?
However, although this is my favorite genre of fiction by far, I had a very hard time getting into this book. First of all, British language is prevalent in the book. Granted, this is the setting for the book, but the wording was such that, being from the United States, I couldn’t even glean what was being said. There were also a lot of technical terms that were used when the film crew was talking, that I had not a clue of what was happening. There were a lot of characters, so many that it was quite hard to keep track of who was who. I also felt like I couldn’t really ‘connect’ with the characters. I just didn’t really care how the book was going to turn out.
With that being said, I feel that if a reader is interested, you could really learn a great deal about the technical aspects of filming during WWII, and life in general in war torn England. Dougie also just goes to show that philanderers are deplorable, no matter what time they existed.
However, although this is my favorite genre of fiction by far, I had a very hard time getting into this book. First of all, British language is prevalent in the book. Granted, this is the setting for the book, but the wording was such that, being from the United States, I couldn’t even glean what was being said. There were also a lot of technical terms that were used when the film crew was talking, that I had not a clue of what was happening. There were a lot of characters, so many that it was quite hard to keep track of who was who. I also felt like I couldn’t really ‘connect’ with the characters. I just didn’t really care how the book was going to turn out.
With that being said, I feel that if a reader is interested, you could really learn a great deal about the technical aspects of filming during WWII, and life in general in war torn England. Dougie also just goes to show that philanderers are deplorable, no matter what time they existed.
Get the Kindle version here: 
About Reviewer Rachel:
Small town girl. Obsessive reader by day. Nurse by night. Living the dream.
