A review by judyward
Good Evening, Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes by Mollie Panter-Downes

4.0

Books about World War II are usually about soldiers, battles, campaigns, politics, or political leaders. These short stories by Mollie Panter-Downes focus on the war's effect on life in England viewed through the lives of ordinary British citizens--primarily women. The stories highlight the camaraderie that was forged during the air-raids which gave many lonely people a sense of community, the rationing and food shortages, and the difficulties associated with evacuations for both the host families and the evacuees. Mollie Panter-Downes was the New Yorker's London correspondent and she wrote these short stories during the war. The strength of Panter-Downes' writing is that she is able to evoke World War II--the fear, the bravery, the anxiety, and the overwhelming desire to keep life as normal as possible--without any actual descriptions of combat.