Reminiscent of Martha Hall Kelly’s Lilac Girls and Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, this entrancing story “is a poignant reminder that there is no limit to what women can do. A nostalgic, engrossing read” (Julia London, New York Times bestselling author). It’s easier for Cara Hargraves to bury herself in the past than to confront the present, which is why working for a gruff but brilliant … working for a gruff but brilliant antiques dealer is perfect. While clearing out an estate, she pries open an old tin that holds the relics of a lost relationship: an unfinished diary from World War II and a photo of a young woman in uniform. Captivated by the hauntingly beautiful diary, Cara begins her search for the author, never guessing that it might reveal her own family’s wartime secrets.
In 1941, nineteen-year-old Louise Keene feels trapped in her Cornish village, waiting for a wealthy suitor her mother has chosen for her to return from the war. But when Louise meets Flight Lieutenant Paul Bolton, a dashing RAF pilot stationed at a local base, everything changes. And changes again when Paul’s unit is deployed without warning.
Desperate for a larger life, Louise joins the women’s auxiliary branch of the British Army in the anti-aircraft gun unit as a gunner girl. As bombs fall on London, she and the other gunner girls show their bravery and resilience while performing their duties during deadly air raids. The only thing that gets Louise through those dark, bullet-filled nights is knowing that she and Paul will be together when the war is over. But when a bundle of her letters to him are returned unopened, she learns that wartime romance can have a much darker side.
“Sweeping, stirring, and heartrending in all the best ways, this tale of one of WWII’s courageous, colorful, and enigmatic Gunner Girls will take your breath away” (Kristin Harmel, bestselling author of The Room on Rue Amelie).
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This book is fiction but Julia Kelly did a great job in describing the emotions of a person having gone through a bad marriage and how hard it’s to recover and trust a new relation ship after the divorce is final. At the same time we get a glimpse of what live was like in a small English town back in 1941. The courage of the woman that joined the armed forces during World War II in various capacities not always appreciated by the menfolk’s that they had to work with. The romances that were on fast forward as a result of the war situation. The realization of the girls that knowing about the bombings and having trained for the job is very different from experiences it.
This book is a fast read with a very satisfying ending.
World War II has always been an era that has fascinated me. Once man’s hatred changed the course of history and changed everyone’s lives. The trajectory of the world was changed in a short span of time, everyone called to fight for their lives and for their freedom, becoming people they never thought they would ever be.
Louise is a nineteen year old girl from a small town outside of England, destined to marry a man she didn’t love, living the life her mother wanted her to live, and dreaming of living a life of personal freedom while the war raged on mere miles away. In a diary Louise writes about her dreams, her issues with her mother, and her experience being dragged to a dance with her cousin Kate. It is that fateful night that she meets Flight Lieutenant Paul Bolton and it is love at first sight.
The blossoming love gives Louise the courage she needs to finally take control of her life and live it on her terms. Louise joins the ATS or Auxiliary Territorial Service and becomes a gunner girl, apart of the Ack-Ack Girls, and serves her country in the war.
Years later Cara, a girl that works for an antique and curiosities house, discovers Louise’s diary and longs to find the unknown author and find the missing pieces to the antique puzzle.
The mystery that Cara is trying to reveal is paralleled with Louise’s journey throughout her life and journal, as well as Cara’s personal struggle of adjusting to life after a divorce, and unearthing a family mystery of her own.
The Lights Over London has a lot going on but it all intertwines and makes sense in the end. The characters are so realistic, I felt like Louise and Kate could’ve been branches in my own family tree. You feel sympathetic to their plights, with moments of sadness and anger, and though pretty predicable, you read on just to make sure that everything works out in the end.
For those that are clean readers, there are a few parts with some sexual content but it is mild and does not take away from the tale but goes along with the story.
I throughly enjoyed The Lights Over London and now want to learn more about the brave women of the ATS and the Ack-Ack Girls.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Gallery Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.