More WWII Historical Fiction

Since my trip to London last year I've done a lot of reading (fiction and nonfiction) about what it was like to be British during World War II. I've read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Winston Churchill: Statesman of the Century, The King's Speech, The Very Thought of You, The Postmistress,

Kisses on a Postcard, Churchill Goes to War: Winston's Wartime Journeys and From Churchill's War Rooms: Letters of a Secretary, 1943-45. I've got several more on the "to read" shelf in this same subject area. 

Since I'm liking this stuff so much, The Report by Jessica Francis Kane was recommended to me and I borrowed it from a friend. It's based on an actual civilian tragedy in 1943 in the East End. One hundred and seventy-three people were killed while entering the tube station at Bethnal Green during an air raid when one woman tripped and members of the crowd were crushed against each other. The Report centers around the report written by a government official concerning the event, and the government's refusal to release that report for fear of what it would do to Londoners' morale. The book takes place both during March 1943 and 30 years later when a child affected by the tragedy is working on a documentary exposing the truth of the accident.

Though Kane's work is historical fiction, she drew heavily upon real primary sources to write the story. The characters are complicated and memorable, and show true, honest pictures of humanity. The story is a real one which makes it both wonderful and terrible to read. 

Side note: I've read the book and seen the movie of Ian McEwan's Atonement. I kept thinking back to the movie scenes in the tube station during the Blitz when I needed a visual.

London/World War II Reading

One of the books I read over last weekend was one I brought back with me from London, The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison. It's a fictional story centered around a little girl, Anna, who moves from London to Yorkshire during World War II to escape the bombing. Her mother remains behind in London working, while her father is a British soldier in Africa. Though she misses her parents terribly, Anna has a wonderful experience in a home-turned-school for London schoolchildren and becomes particularly close to her teachers.

From reading the back of the book I was hooked (see similar blog post on Kisses on a Postcard, and note that my recent read, The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie and Literary Society, contained the same situation of children separating from families during World War II). However, about a third of the way through, the book began exploring deep and complicated adult issues and moved away from Anna for a bit.

Overall, I just couldn't put this book down. As sad as it was (and perhaps it wasn't the best choice for a weekend spent celebrating my wedding anniversary with my husband due to all the broken marriages in the book), I enjoyed it thoroughly. Another good book from across the pond!

World War II Books

Recently I had the pleasure of reading a new book from a first-time author called Grayton Beach Affair, and then interviewed the author, James Harvey, an Atlanta area resident, for a story in Simply Buckhead Magazine. It's a love story set during World War II in the Florida Panhandle, Atlanta, Germany and France. I enjoyed reading the book, interviewing the author and now, seeing the story in print. It had quite a few of the things I like to read: a strong central female character, both internal and external conflicts, a sense of place and something I don't want to put down.

It was the perfect transition into the additional reading I've been doing. I've always been interested in reading about that time period, likely thanks to Anne Frank, and I've only grown more interested after visiting Churchill's War Rooms in London. I promise there will be no more Jane Austen posts for now; I'm going to move on to the theme of war and will be reading some fiction and nonfiction books from the World War II and Civil War eras over the next little while. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!