Archive | July 2022

Duty Calls At Goodwill House by Fenella J Miller

Jul28

Strangers Become Friends

Duty Calls At Goodwill House by Fenella J Miller is a marvellous historical novel and the third book in the Goodwill House series. It can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend reading the other books first.

The war is continuing in 1940 as we rejoin the residents of Goodwill House. It was a pure delight to catch up with familiar faces, both civilians and serving RAF members. The reader follows the action from the village to the base to the skies.

Whilst war looms large, every day life continues. There are adjustments to be made in the running of Goodwill House. The residents have never been aloof but friendly with those below stairs. We witness the mellowing of the matriarch as love permeates the residents. It is a delight to witness the teenage twins transform from rough east enders to beloved family members.

Tragedies still happen in everyday life that have nothing to do with the war. Illness strikes and cruelly cuts down young lives, leaving gaping holes.

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Welcome To Weaver Street by Chrissie Walsh

Jul27

Community Spirit

Welcome To Weaver Street by Chrissie Walsh is a marvellous historical novel set during World War I and beyond in Liverpool.

The reader follows a newly married couple from Ireland as they land on the Liverpool docks in 1916. They are going to start a new life in England following the Easter Uprising in Ireland.

Residents of Weaver Street are a tight knit community and the couple receive a mixed welcome as personal history with the Irish colour’s some responses.

The leading lady has a warm personality, friendly nature and a kind heart which helps her to be accepted. She also has a core of resilience when life is hard. She is very much a modern woman of her time with an entrepreneurial spirit as she seeks to rise out of her roots of poverty.

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Stay by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Jul26

Interlinked

Stay by Catherine Ryan Hyde is a powerful story set over the summer of 1969. It consumed me from the start and filled my heart with love.

The story is told from a fourteen year old boy’s point of view in the first person. We really feel that we ‘know’ him. He is kind and cares deeply about those around him. He is loyal with a huge capacity to love. He champions the underdog and he does not judge.

We witness the damage that others inflict on lives when they judge. If you have not walked a mile in the shoes of another, you cannot possibly know them and you have no right to ever judge them.

Choices we make today will impact tomorrow. Our choices have consequences for us and those around us. If we had chosen differently, life may well have been dramatically altered. We are all interconnected.

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Ottavia’s Story by Clara Franklin

Jul25

Safe In God’s Care

Ottavia’s Story by Clara Franklin is a powerful historical story based on the true stories of a group of women in a concentration camp during World War II. It is a tale that will consume you.

It was a time of great evil but even in the pit of hell, angels turned up in the most remarkable of places.

It seemed like God had forgotten His people but He walked alongside them, showing up at just the right time. His hand was on His children.

The reader witness’s bravery, love and care. It takes a great deal of courage to tread the roads that some trod.

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