A review by vg2
Good Evening, Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes by Mollie Panter-Downes

4.0

An astute collection of stories that are, in turn, melancholy, hopeful, sad and sometimes humorous - Mollie Panter-Downes has a gift for teasing out the depths of emotion and capturing it in a few short pages. Focusing primarily on the women left behind during the Second World War, and presented in chronological order, not only is each story wonderful in its own right, but the changing tone and reactions of characters reflects how the on-going conflict has impacted life. There are a couple of real highlights - the title story, which considers what happens to a mistress when her partner leaves for war and she is the unrecognised unknown, and ‘Year of Decision’, about a man who feels guilt about being left behind, yet slowly discovers that his guilt is entirely self-centred, are particular favourites, but all the stories are superb in their own right.