Review: The Evacuee Christmas

The Evacuee Christmas by Katie King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twins Connie and Jessie live with their parents Barbara and Ted at Number 5 Jubilee Street in Bermondsey, South East London, and are quite a close knit family. With War looming, the family face a tough decision - do they stick together during the bombing, or do they split up for safety reasons. Ten year old Connie is determined to prove to her parents that she can look after her quieter brother Jessie.

They get shipped off to Harrogate in Yorkshire with their pregnant Aunt Peggy and are billeted with the local vicar Roger, his wife Mabel and their troublesome son Tommy. Enemies and friendships are made but the city children discover that life is a little different to that back on the streets of London, and the Yorkshire children decide that they don't like the newbies taking over their town. Will life ever settle down especially in the run up to Christmas?

I really liked this book, it was heart warming, and written in such a lovely way that I really felt like I was actually part of the story. If I had one criticism it would be that Christmas isn't mentioned until you've read 90% of the book, and then the festive part is right at the end, and felt a bit squeezed in. If you're expecting a true festive read, just be prepared that it isn't a start to finish Christmas tale, but nonetheless please don't let that put you off as it's really a lovely book.

View all my reviews

Comments

Review: The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson

The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson Published by Avon Books 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ New Mum Orla and Party girl Kate have been best friends forever and so with Orla adapting to motherhood, and Kate facing a messy divorce, they decide to have a girl’s weekend away in Lisbon. Kate has booked the perfect apartment, complete with hot tub and they kick the weekend off in style with champagne, a fancy dinner, and drinks at a trendy bar. Returning to the apartment that evening Orla feels a bit woozy and goes to bed but the next morning, she wakes up very groggy and is convinced that her drink was spiked and she tries to piece the night back together again. When she checks on her friend, Kate is not in the apartment, and hasn’t left a note – she has simply disappeared. As Orla frantically retraces their steps she makes a series of discoveries that may change her life forever. The main character in this book is Orla who is been married to Rob, together they have baby Marlow who they conceived with IV...

REVIEW: Confessions Of A Forty-Something F**ck Up by Alexandra Potter

Confessions Of A Forty-Something F**k Up by Alexandra Potter published by Pan Macmillan Nell Stevens’ life is a mess – moving back to London from LA after her business goes bust and her relationship fails she notices that many things have changed. Her friends are now all settled with children, and she is forced to rent a room in a house. Life just feels like it’s f**ked up!. When Nell gets a job writing obituaries, she first encounters Cricket, an eighty-something widow with challenges of her own, and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Together they begin to help each other heal their aching hearts, cope with the loss of the lives they had planned, and push each other into new adventures and unexpected joys. Because Nell is determined. Next year things are going to be very different. It's time to turn her life around. Initially I didn’t think I was going to like this book, as I mistakenly thought it was transcripts of a podcast, but how wrong was I? Th...

Diva written by Daisy Goodwin and published by Aria and Aries

Opera singer Maria Callas known as “ la divina” with her fabulous voice was born with note only a gift of singing, but also the drama and beauty needed to succeed on the worldwide operatic stages. Sadly, liked a bird in a gilded cage, Maria’s life is lonely, and although surrounded by people and her husband she feels isolated. When she meets the fabulously rich shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, her isolation melts away. For the first time in her life, she believes she's found a man who sees the woman rather than the legendary soprano. Desperately in love, Onassis introduces her to a life of unbelievable luxury, mixing with celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. And then, suddenly, it's over. The international press announce that Onassis will marry the most famous woman in the world, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, leaving Maria to pick up the pieces. This is a fictional account based on true events, think of The...

Book-Mad-Mum

Search This Blog