Half a million.
Evacuated.
On their own. Without their parents.
Can you even imagine?
Current day, Oxford, England. Young American scholar Kendra Van Zant, eager to pursue her vision of a perfect life, interviews Isabel McFarland just when the elderly woman is ready to give up secrets about the war that she has kept for decades...beginning with who she really is. What Kendra receives from Isabel is both a gift and a burden--one that will test her convictions and her heart.
1940s, England. As Hitler wages an unprecedented war against London’s civilian population, hundreds of thousands of children are evacuated to foster homes in the rural countryside. But even as fifteen-year-old Emmy Downtree and her much younger sister Julia find refuge in a charming Cotswold cottage, Emmy’s burning ambition to return to the city and apprentice with a fashion designer pits her against Julia’s profound need for her sister’s presence. Acting at cross purposes just as the Luftwaffe rains down its terrible destruction, the sisters are cruelly separated, and their lives are transformed…
The story begins as we meet Kendra Van Zant, at the beginning of her interview with a reclusive survivor of World War II. 93-year-old Isabel MacFarland has a secret and is ready to tell her story about her life during and after the war. The novel takes place in Present day, Oxford, England and 1942, England.
Isabel tells about two sisters, fifteen-year-old Emmy Downtree and her younger sister, Julia. Who live with their single mother in the city of London on the brink of the second World War. One day, unthinkable news arrives. All of the children of London are to be evacuated to temporary foster homes in the countryside until the war is over. Emmy protests, but has no choice. She has to go, if not for her own protection, at least to make sure her sister Julia is in good hands. The sisters are taken in by an elderly woman who owns a delightful cottage in a village called Stow-on-the-Wold. They are welcomed into her home, which she has affectionately named Thistle House. Though they are well cared for, Emmy is not happy about her lot in life. With her stubborn and independent personality, Emmy decides to take things into her own hands. One night she leaves Thistle House in the middle of the night, and sneaks back to the city in the early morning hours, without permission. Things don’t go as planned and something devastating happens.
The story is anything but simple. Before the famous Blitz, almost one million children were evacuated to the country in England, into homes of people they do not know. With tags around their necks and belongings, they leave their homes, and journey by train.
I have three kids.
I couldn’t imagine putting them on a train and sending them away.
On purpose.
Secrets of a Charmed Life was such an enjoyable read. Not only were the characters well developed and the historical setting fascinating, but the storyline is filled with unexpected plot twists that will keep you turning pages. As with the other books I’ve read by Susan Meissner, I highly recommend this new novel.
Take Care
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