Reviews

Bombs on Aunt Dainty by Judith Kerr

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questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I thought I'd read this when I was younger but no part of it was familiar to me so I must have only read When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. It's set in London during the Blitz, after Anna and her family escaped from Berlin and then from Paris. It's an absorbing wartime story but it's also a coming of age narrative as Anna struggles to decide what she wants to do with her life. Kerr highlights how unfair the treatment of German refugees was, how helpless the family felt and the strain put on Anna's relationship with her parents. There are a few parts where it's very obviously autobiographical because it's quite mundane and not plotted like a completely fictional narrative would be. There's also an inappropriate romance towards the end which I wasn't expecting. However I'm glad I read it and I'll read the final book in the trilogy soon.

Content Warnings

emmagray13's review

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informative lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

_askthebookbug's review

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4.0

// Bombs on Aunt Dainty by Judith Kerr

Couple of months ago I read Kerr's When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, an autobiographical account of the writer's family who had to flee from Berlin during the Nazi rule. This story was narrated by a girl named Anna (who is Kerr herself) who was just nine at the time of the war. Part of the reason why that book was so endearing was because of Anna's innocence. I loved every bit of it. The second in the trilogy is Bombs on Aunt Dainty. Anna is a budding teenager who now lives in London with her family. The war is now full fledged, bombs being dropped everywhere, poverty an acute concern. This book was understandably very different from the first one, narrated through the eyes of a growing up Anna.

Anna and her family are struggling to survive in London on meagre wages. With Max studying at Cambridge on a scholarship and Anna joining secretarial classes, the family somehow gets by every day. Soon, Max is interned and Anna finds a job to support herself. London is now a mass of crumbled buildings what with the air raids happening regularly. Many families move to the country side and children are sent to live with others to be safe. Anna too finds herself living with acquaintances when the bombings become too much. But amidst all the chaos, Anna discovers her talent for art. She falls in love , experiences the joy of watching her art come to life and cherishes her family. There are many near death scares that the family had to face but luckily, they all survive the war. Bombs on Aunt Dainty is a compelling read about the horrors of having to live around such destruction. This story was a bit of a drag, often feeling like I was reading the same situation time and again. But it still makes for a good one time read.

Can't wait to read the last part of the trilogy! :)

sashabaglai's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

it's a good read. Just for these crazy times

victoriayates's review against another edition

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5.0

A brilliant sequel, completely different to 'when hitler stole pink rabbit', a more mature take on the grief and fear of WWII through the experiences of an adolescent girl and then young woman. And the callous dumping of Anna by her art teacher was just painful to read, a universally recognisable description of embarrassment and heartbreak!

sab_1961's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved reading this second in the series by the author who wrote Mog the cat books. About the author’s life as a refugee in England this time during the Second World War.