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lm_henderson's review against another edition
5.0
This is not a book I would necessarily have read had it not been chosen by our book club but I'm glad it was.It covers a huge chunk of what happened in the UK after the Second World War.The characters were interesting & I loved how their stories were interwoven plus how a great teacher can really make an impression on childrens lives.Loved it and thoroughly recommend it.
msvenner's review against another edition
4.0
This book astonished me with how it gripped me from early on. The prose is not particularly expert and I'm generally not interested in books that span one character's lifetime but Miss Carter's War compelled me to keep reading. I think I found this copy in a sale bin while collecting my summer reading but I am very glad I did. The book is set in England starting in the early 50s. Our protagonist is half French and half English and, while her wartime experiences as an English operative with the French residence in Vichy France colour her life, the book is more about the development of modern Briton through the eyes of an extraordinary though perfectly average woman. The book takes the reader through the years of post-war rations, the early anti-nuke demonstrations, the sexual promiscuity of the 60s, labour unrest, gay rights and the AIDS epidemic and more. It is an excellent learning tool for and commentary on Britain through the decades and, as my own father's family left London in the 50s to 'build a better life,' it left me wondering how he and his siblings would have fared through the social upheaval described in the book. He would have been the age of many of Miss Cater's students featured prominently in parts of the novel. I would really be curious to hear other people's reactions to this book to see if my response is more because of my personal connection to this period of British history or if the book is as compelling naps I think it is. That said, I didn't like the ending.
moneypenny51's review against another edition
4.0
The first half was 'nice' and quite cliched - my mother gave me the book, so I thought I ought to read it. However, I'm glad I stuck to it - the second half was lovely to read. Heartily recommend this.
komet2020's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Miss Carter's War piqued my interest several years ago because of its author, who is a noted British actress I've seen in a number of TV dramas. It's always interesting to see if a noted actor/actress also has the talent to be a skilled novelist with an engaging story to tell.
I began reading this novel soon after I bought it. But put it aside when I allowed myself to be lured away by another book. Let me hasten to add that this didn't reflect any lack of interest in reading Miss Carter's War. (I confess to at times being a greedy reader who has often wished that I could read more than one book at the same time.)
Anyway, I resumed reading this novel a few days ago and once I was past the first 2 chapters, I was fully invested in the lives of Marguerite Carter, her students, her fellow teacher and close friend Tony Stansfield (who spent most of his life hiding what was looked upon as a dark, personal secret in Britain for most of the 20th century), and several other characters who figured prominently in the novel.
The novel begins in the fall of 1948 when Marguerite Carter, a young woman in her early 20s and a recent graduate of Cambridge University, arrives at Dartford County Grammar School for Girls (a real school that Sheila Hancock had attended in her youth) to take up a position there as a teacher of English. The grammar school is very much a school steeped in traditional values in a world newly emerged from World War II, though teachers like Marguerite and Tony (who befriends her early in her teaching career), who were in various ways traumatized by their wartime experiences, see their roles as helping their students to fully realize their ambitions and dreams to help ensure better lives for them.
Marguerite, who had a British father and French mother, had grown up in France. Following the defeat of France in June 1940 by Nazi Germany, she had managed to escape to Britain, where she joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and, following successful completion of her training, had been parachuted into France, where she assisted the Resistance in fighting the Germans. What Marguerite experienced of the brutality of war whilst serving with SOE would linger in the periphery of her consciousness for the rest of her life. It was something she took great pains to suppress throughout what would be a 50 year teaching career in a Britain that would evolve and change in profound and sometimes startling ways that had --- as the novel shows -- weighty impacts on Marguerite's and Tony's lives, as well as the lives of the novel's minor characters
It was interesting for me, as someone who had briefly been a teacher in the West Indies during the late 1980s, to see that Marguerite was expected by the headmistress of the grammar school to teach her pupils to the best of her ability without benefit of prior teacher training. In the Britain of 1948, anyone embarking upon a teaching career was expected to learn teaching in the classroom by trial and error. That I could totally relate to because when I began teaching high school students, I had to learn by doing and consult with my fellow teachers about doing the job.
I LOVED THIS NOVEL, which touched my deepest emotions. I recommend Miss Carter's War to anyone who loves compelling human interest dramas.
I began reading this novel soon after I bought it. But put it aside when I allowed myself to be lured away by another book. Let me hasten to add that this didn't reflect any lack of interest in reading Miss Carter's War. (I confess to at times being a greedy reader who has often wished that I could read more than one book at the same time.)
Anyway, I resumed reading this novel a few days ago and once I was past the first 2 chapters, I was fully invested in the lives of Marguerite Carter, her students, her fellow teacher and close friend Tony Stansfield (who spent most of his life hiding what was looked upon as a dark, personal secret in Britain for most of the 20th century), and several other characters who figured prominently in the novel.
The novel begins in the fall of 1948 when Marguerite Carter, a young woman in her early 20s and a recent graduate of Cambridge University, arrives at Dartford County Grammar School for Girls (a real school that Sheila Hancock had attended in her youth) to take up a position there as a teacher of English. The grammar school is very much a school steeped in traditional values in a world newly emerged from World War II, though teachers like Marguerite and Tony (who befriends her early in her teaching career), who were in various ways traumatized by their wartime experiences, see their roles as helping their students to fully realize their ambitions and dreams to help ensure better lives for them.
Marguerite, who had a British father and French mother, had grown up in France. Following the defeat of France in June 1940 by Nazi Germany, she had managed to escape to Britain, where she joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and, following successful completion of her training, had been parachuted into France, where she assisted the Resistance in fighting the Germans. What Marguerite experienced of the brutality of war whilst serving with SOE would linger in the periphery of her consciousness for the rest of her life. It was something she took great pains to suppress throughout what would be a 50 year teaching career in a Britain that would evolve and change in profound and sometimes startling ways that had --- as the novel shows -- weighty impacts on Marguerite's and Tony's lives, as well as the lives of the novel's minor characters
It was interesting for me, as someone who had briefly been a teacher in the West Indies during the late 1980s, to see that Marguerite was expected by the headmistress of the grammar school to teach her pupils to the best of her ability without benefit of prior teacher training. In the Britain of 1948, anyone embarking upon a teaching career was expected to learn teaching in the classroom by trial and error. That I could totally relate to because when I began teaching high school students, I had to learn by doing and consult with my fellow teachers about doing the job.
I LOVED THIS NOVEL, which touched my deepest emotions. I recommend Miss Carter's War to anyone who loves compelling human interest dramas.
shahrun's review
3.0
Frustrating read. Authors writing style lacked the finesse and polish to take a great story idea and turn it into a great book. Some parts were so cringeworthy to read, others boring and the intermittent micro WWII flashbacks somewhat frustrating because I wanted more. I felt there could have been a book just based on the flashbacks (as they were so mysterious and intriguing) and then this could be the sequel of what happened after. The plot was also largely very predictable. Until the end. I loved the penultimate chapter (53) the best as that brought all the different element of the book together and made it all worth while reading it. This work is a good starting point for the author to progress and refine her writing style. Also the plot timescale spanned over some very interesting times and social changes. Nothing had massive depth, but it really brought home how dramatically life had changed over that period of 1940s to 2000s.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
3.0
Three and a half stars from me!
Miss Carter’s War was chosen for the Spring Richard and Judy book club this year and was a novel I was looking forward to being set in one of my favourite time periods, the Second World War. The story boasts a powerful, intelligent and independent female character, (hurrah!) Marguerite Carter who is something of a revolutionary. I really enjoyed that we saw her journey over a period of years from a young woman with a lot to learn about the world but with a strong desire to “do some good,” to a mature and much wiser older woman who still manages to achieve her dreams.
When we first meet Marguerite the war is over and she is about to begin a teaching job at a prestigious school for girls. However, throughout the novel we get flashbacks to times during the war which were particularly traumatising for her, working as part of the Specials Operations Executive in Vichy, France where she bore witness (and participated in) some incredibly harrowing events. Now a newly fledged teacher she is passionate about teaching her girls whilst still harbouring strong political notions that throw her into action if peace is in any way threatened or if she feels justice has not been served.
I loved the emotional connection Marguerite developed with her pupils and as life goes on, she descends almost like an Angel of Mercy if any of her girls are in trouble. There is a particularly poignant part of the story where one of her more gifted pupils becomes addicted to drugs and homeless. It is obvious how much love Marguerite has for the girl as she desperately tries to get her back on her feet again. In terms of her own relationships, poor Marguerite isn’t very lucky. First of all she falls for a fellow teacher but there is quite an important factor that prevents them from having a conventional er… “physical” relationship. Following this, she begins a relationship with a man called Jimmy who brings a lot of excitement to her life but has a dark little secret of his own. We as the reader find out quite early on that she has left her heart in France with a colleague from the SOE, Marcel. So will she ever manage to find love? Or will she be married to her precious teaching for life?
As a debut novel from Sheila Hancock, I did think this was a good read but it felt a little slow at points, particularly at the beginning. I absolutely loved the little snippets that we got of Marguerite’s job during the war and wished there were more of them or that they had been longer with more detail as that would have been intriguing to read about. Marguerite herself was a fascinating character and I loved that she was so independent and passionate, but occasionally it felt like I was reading about two different people regarding the flashbacks versus present time. I enjoyed the relationship/friendship that she managed to forge with Tony, the P.E. teacher but didn’t really believe or buy into the relationship with Jimmy all that much. Saying all this, the ending of the novel was really lovely and left me with a little warm feeling inside and I do believe Sheila Hancock has a real gift for writing fiction.
Please see my full review at my blog http://www.bibliobeth.com
Miss Carter’s War was chosen for the Spring Richard and Judy book club this year and was a novel I was looking forward to being set in one of my favourite time periods, the Second World War. The story boasts a powerful, intelligent and independent female character, (hurrah!) Marguerite Carter who is something of a revolutionary. I really enjoyed that we saw her journey over a period of years from a young woman with a lot to learn about the world but with a strong desire to “do some good,” to a mature and much wiser older woman who still manages to achieve her dreams.
When we first meet Marguerite the war is over and she is about to begin a teaching job at a prestigious school for girls. However, throughout the novel we get flashbacks to times during the war which were particularly traumatising for her, working as part of the Specials Operations Executive in Vichy, France where she bore witness (and participated in) some incredibly harrowing events. Now a newly fledged teacher she is passionate about teaching her girls whilst still harbouring strong political notions that throw her into action if peace is in any way threatened or if she feels justice has not been served.
I loved the emotional connection Marguerite developed with her pupils and as life goes on, she descends almost like an Angel of Mercy if any of her girls are in trouble. There is a particularly poignant part of the story where one of her more gifted pupils becomes addicted to drugs and homeless. It is obvious how much love Marguerite has for the girl as she desperately tries to get her back on her feet again. In terms of her own relationships, poor Marguerite isn’t very lucky. First of all she falls for a fellow teacher but there is quite an important factor that prevents them from having a conventional er… “physical” relationship. Following this, she begins a relationship with a man called Jimmy who brings a lot of excitement to her life but has a dark little secret of his own. We as the reader find out quite early on that she has left her heart in France with a colleague from the SOE, Marcel. So will she ever manage to find love? Or will she be married to her precious teaching for life?
As a debut novel from Sheila Hancock, I did think this was a good read but it felt a little slow at points, particularly at the beginning. I absolutely loved the little snippets that we got of Marguerite’s job during the war and wished there were more of them or that they had been longer with more detail as that would have been intriguing to read about. Marguerite herself was a fascinating character and I loved that she was so independent and passionate, but occasionally it felt like I was reading about two different people regarding the flashbacks versus present time. I enjoyed the relationship/friendship that she managed to forge with Tony, the P.E. teacher but didn’t really believe or buy into the relationship with Jimmy all that much. Saying all this, the ending of the novel was really lovely and left me with a little warm feeling inside and I do believe Sheila Hancock has a real gift for writing fiction.
Please see my full review at my blog http://www.bibliobeth.com
gravitypulledemmy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
amberlyswords's review against another edition
1.0
This book was dull. The paced of plot was too slow for my likeing and the writing was okay. The cover of book was okay and the charaters was bland and dull.
brookepalmer796's review
2.0
Lots of interesting issues to think over, but it didn't feel very cohesive. The flashbacks didn't really fit into the story and it skipped around a lot. I liked reading about how women had to deal with living after WWII.