Written by Jean FullertonI loved it! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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I would like to thank Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to join the blog tour for A Ration Book Childhood, and also Netgalley and the author, Jean Fullerton, for a free digital copy of this book to review.
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The blurb:
In the darkest days of the Blitz, family is more important than ever.
With her family struggling amidst the nightly bombing raids in London's East End, Ida Brogan is doing her very best to keep their spirits up.
The Blitz has hit the Brogans hard, and rationing is more challenging than ever, but they are doing all they can to help the war effort.
When Ida's oldest friend Ellen returns to town, sick and in dire need of help, it is to Ida that she turns.
But Ellen carries a secret, one that threatens not only Ida's marriage, but the entire foundation of the Brogan family.
Can Ida let go of the past and see a way to forgive her friend? And can she overcome her sadness to find a place in her heart for a little boy, one who will need a mother more than ever in these dark times?
WWII saga
Women's Fiction
My thoughts:
I absolutely fell in love with this saga when I read A Ration Book Christmas last year, and have been eagerly awaiting the next instalment ever since. This is another must-read story that I'd strongly recommend for readers who enjoy historical family stories. This saga speaks to me personally because I can see many parallels with my own family's wartime experiences. A Ration Book Childhood picks up the story of the Brogan family in October 1941. Stella has married Charlie and they have a son, Patrick. Charlie is in the army, now fighting in North Africa. The wonderfully stoic Ida helps Stella with childcare so that she can work the night shift in a factory canteen.
Queenie, Ida's mother-in-law, is still taking bets for Fat Tony, and her son, Jeremiah, is still scraping a living as a rag and bone man, and working nights with the heavy rescue. Jeremiah comes up with a business idea to earn a bit more cash but suffers a setback when Samson, his horse, killed.
Mattie and Cathy are married with their own babies, and Jo is desperate to marry Tommy, and has asked Ida to persuade Jeremiah to let them marry at Whitsun next year.
The youngest Brogan, Billy, overhears a disturbing conversation and starts to play up.
The main plot revolves around a friend from Ida's past appearing with an unwelcome surprise for Ida and her family. Despite her initial devastation at this revelation, Ida pulls herself together and adds another burden to her load.
A Ration Book Childhood is a really well written and researched story. I love the historical details which kept popping up, such as the siren suit, the bombing raids, the food rations, and the attack on Pearl Harbor. But the real story is about an East End family getting on with the ups and downs of day-to-day life during WWII. They have enough challenges to face without having to toddle off to the air raid shelter every night, the constant worry about being bombed out, queuing half the morning for food rations, and generally just scraping by all the time.
The Author's Note at the end of the book is also worth reading, talking about Fullerton's own family living in the East End of London and the system of evacuation of the children.
Queenie's court appearance brought to mind a story my aunt told me about her manager leaving lights on in a kiosk during a blackout. Having been in court twice for the same offence, the manager asked my aunt to say she'd left the lights on. She reluctantly agreed and had to attend Tower Bridge Magistrates' Court to face the music.
I found this to be a really engrossing read. I was already hanging by a thread after A Ration Book Christmas, wanting to know whether Stella would indeed marry Charlie, and why she wanted him, when he was so obviously not right for her. Stella doesn't get any better in this story. So now I'm waiting for the next book in this series, and hoping that life will improve for the Brogans, of whom I've become very fond.
| Author Bio – Jean Fullerton |
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Jean Fullerton is the author of eleven novels all set in East London where she was born. She also a retired district nurse and university lecturer. She won the Harry Bowling prise in 2006 and after initially signing for two East London historical series with Orion she moved to Corvus, part of Atlantic Publishing and is half way through her WW2 East London series featuring the Brogan family. |
| Social Media Links – | |
| Web site | http://jeanfullerton.com/ |
| Facebook Author Page | https://www.facebook.com/Jean-Fullerton-202631736433230/ |
| X | @JeanFullerton_ |
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