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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
This is a great little read! I’ve really enjoyed it as light, escapist romance with a (dual timeline) historical interest too. It was partly based on the true story of Tyneham village in Dorset which was taken over by the British army during WW2. I had no idea nine British villages were recommissioned so it was also very interesting & educational. I could pick holes here and there but I won’t because it’s great story telling & it’s a debut novel too. A very absorbing story which I found hard very to put down from the very first page. I look forward to reading more by Lorna Cook.
I would give this book ten stars if I could. I read it within two days and just could not put it down… A real page turner… Heart-wrenching and just fabulous. I can usually guess the ending of most books, but not this one.
This book actually has two titles. I read ‘The Forgotten Wife’, but it is also called ‘The Forgotten Village’ which makes much more sense, as that was what the book was written about. There are two stories being told, one in the present, and one during WWII. They are tied together by one person, but that does not become apparent until much later in the book. At the beginning, I must admit, I felt as if I were reading a romance novel, but there is so much more to the story. The village in the story was a real place. It was a pretty common occurrence for villages and estate houses to be requisitioned for military use during the war. This particular village sat on the coast in Dorset, which made it an excellent training ground for the D-Day landing. Then entire village was vacated most likely to keep the training a secret. I was pleasantly surprised by a plot twist that really made the story so much more interesting.
Loved this book. Beautiful story which was wonderfully written. Xx
I love this book. I read it in a matter of hours as I was so engrossed that I could not put it down. This dual timeline story is highly captivating and intriguing but very easy to follow. I would definitely recommend it and am looking forward to read another book from this author.
When I first started this book I thought this is a 1 maybe 2 star book max, but despite this book being absolutely not my kind of thing I actually liked it. Most of the characters are awful, Melissa in particular is a drip, and yet somehow it didn’t ruin my enjoyment. I think the 1943 sections saved it to be honest because the rest was just self insert fanfic.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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:
Complicated
Warning: Lots of descriptions of physical and mental abuse. This is a pretty violent book in places, especially for what some readers may pick up thinking it's a romance. There are in fact two romance stories, but the flashback story (and isn't there ALWAYS a flashback story these days? Sigh) is of a brutal man's treatment of his wife. I was okay with the resolution of the story, but the author withheld a salient fact. I assume it was a way to ensure a happy ending, but it felt a bit contrived to me.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced