From the author of The Last Garden in England and The Light Over London comes a “gripping tale by a writer at the top of her game” (Fiona Davis, author of The Chelsea Girls) following three friends who struggle to remain loyal as one of them is threatened with internment by the British government at the start of World War II. In August of 1939, as Britain watches the headlines in fear of another … Britain watches the headlines in fear of another devastating war with Germany, three childhood companions must choose between friendship and country. Erstwhile socialite Nora is determined to find her place in the Home Office’s Air Raid Precautions Department, matchmaker Hazel tries to mask two closely guarded secrets with irrepressible optimism, and German expat Marie worries that she and her family might face imprisonment in an internment camp if war is declared. When Germany invades Poland and tensions on the home front rise, Marie is labeled an enemy alien, and the three friends find themselves fighting together to keep her free at any cost.
Featuring Julia Kelly’s signature “intricate, tender, and convincing” (Publishers Weekly) prose, The Whispers of War is a moving and unforgettable tale of the power of friendship and womanhood in the midst of conflict.
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The Whispers of War by Julia Kelly is a wonderful, heartfelt historical fiction novel that has a little bit of everything: there is suspense, love, friendship, war, intrigue, mystery, history, and the tale of overcoming the obstacles thrown into one’s way. It is breathtaking.
This is a dual timeline story involving current day Samantha (the granddaughter of Marie Bohn and newly appointed executer of Marie’s will) and her quest to fulfill her late grandmother’s wishes and to also find out more about this woman that she loved, but grew apart from when she went away to college. The other aspect of the novel is in 3 parts, one for each of the three best friends that takes place mostly in England (and a little bit somewhere else which I will not give away) during WWII: Marie Bohn, Hazel Ricci, and Nora Walcott.
This is an amazing and intricate novel that takes the reader back to a time when fear and uncertainty pushed aside the importance of humanity, for some, and led to the interrogation, detainment, and housing/imprisonment of people that were citizens of England, but yet had the “unfortunate” aspect of being born in another country : Germany, Austria, Italy, and for Jewish citizens and refugees as well.
I knew that some of this occurred in the US after the bombing of Pearl Harbor (Japanese internment camps for example), but did not realize how widespread it was in England. It is heart wrenching to see how people’s lives and families were torn apart and sometimes permanently altered and damaged due to wrongful detainment just because of where they were born. This brings light to a less known aspect of the war and what humans are capable of when mass hysteria rears its ugly head.
I love how Ms Kelly was able to artfully weave the two story lines together to leave us with a tearful, sweet, heartwarming, satisfying, and memorable ending, all the while learning in the process.
I loved all four characters: current day Samantha, and Hazel, Nora, and Marie. All three girls had their own strengths and weaknesses that they brought to the table, but yet together they were stronger and better equipped to beat the odds. I loved their banter, love for each other, and chemistry. I loved how each had a chance to have a history, a voice, and to let their story be told in the novel.
I thank Ms Kelly for her thoughtful Author’s Note at the end. We do need to learn from history and in the process, break the cycle, and be all the better for it for the future.
Truly amazing read.
5/5 stars