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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Oh gosh this book is the perfect fit if you're looking for a serene, nostalgic, summery historical fiction. Gorgeous and heartbreaking and hopeful. Really connected with it on a personal level in various ways but I think the writing, characters, and storyline were fabulous.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a beautifully written, historical novel about a family who made the excruciatingly difficult decision to send Bea, their 11 year old daughter, to an American family, they had never met, to keep her safe during WWII. She eventually comes to dearly love her new family and embrace her new life. Then the war ends and she has to go back. Love and loss, forgiveness and belonging, are some of the themes that stood out to me, throughout the story.
I highly recommend this inspirational book. -Debbie F.
I highly recommend this inspirational book. -Debbie F.
This book fell short for me. There were not enough bread crumbs for me to be invested as the story skipped forward. I was also not fond of the author’s style when using dialogue (imbedded with italics).
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
This is a fictional account of one young girl and her experience with Operation Pied Piper which began in 1940. Her story is beautifully written with lovely characters. The perspective shifts each chapter as we see events and their impact through a different character’s eyes. This book is sad, warming and uplifting all at once.
When WWII comes to Britain, Millie and Reginald Thompson decide to send their only offspring, eleven-year-old Beatrix to safety in America. Beatrix travels across the ocean and stays for five years in Boston with the Gregory family (Ethan, Nancy and their two sons, William and Geard) as bombs fall in London during the Blitz. She comes to affectionately call her host parents Mr. and Mrs. G., and in turn they come to think of her as the daughter they never had. William and Gerald are like oil and water together, but both of them come to think of Beatrix as sister and compete for her friendship. Every summer the family heads north to a family home on an island just off the coast of Maine and live idyllic days in the sunshine. Meanwhile, in Beatrix’s absence, her parents are dealing with the terrors of war and miss their daughter terribly. They can’t help but be jealous of the Gregory’s who are enjoying her company. Letters cannot fill their empty lives. Eventually it safe for Beatrix to return home and her mother sends for her. Unfortunately, she has missed her daughter’s adolescence and early teenage years and their relationship is therefore strained. Beatrix is haunted by both the guilt of emotional distance from her mother and the loss of the family she left in America.
When WWII comes to Britain, Millie and Reginald Thompson decide to send their only offspring, eleven-year-old Beatrix to safety in America. Beatrix travels across the ocean and stays for five years in Boston with the Gregory family (Ethan, Nancy and their two sons, William and Geard) as bombs fall in London during the Blitz. She comes to affectionately call her host parents Mr. and Mrs. G., and in turn they come to think of her as the daughter they never had. William and Gerald are like oil and water together, but both of them come to think of Beatrix as sister and compete for her friendship. Every summer the family heads north to a family home on an island just off the coast of Maine and live idyllic days in the sunshine. Meanwhile, in Beatrix’s absence, her parents are dealing with the terrors of war and miss their daughter terribly. They can’t help but be jealous of the Gregory’s who are enjoying her company. Letters cannot fill their empty lives. Eventually it safe for Beatrix to return home and her mother sends for her. Unfortunately, she has missed her daughter’s adolescence and early teenage years and their relationship is therefore strained. Beatrix is haunted by both the guilt of emotional distance from her mother and the loss of the family she left in America.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loved this one. Tender, heartbreaking, redemptive.
I love character-driven novels, short chapters, and multiple perspectives - and this had all of that.
I love character-driven novels, short chapters, and multiple perspectives - and this had all of that.