Written by Catherine Law⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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Today I am on the blog tour, organised by Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources, for The Map Maker's Promise by Catherine Law. And I shall begin by thanking Catherine Law, her publisher, Boldwood Books, and Netgalley for a free digital copy of her book to review.
I read and reviewed this book whilst ill with covid and I only hope my review does this book justice.
I read and reviewed this book whilst ill with covid and I only hope my review does this book justice.
The blurb:
The Map Maker’s PromiseOne night, everything changed…
It is yet another night of air raids, and instead of heading to the basement of her London workplace – risking being in the same vicinity as him, the man who hurt her in the worst way possible – nineteen-year-old Clare runs to the first place she can think of… … and makes a decision that will haunt her for the rest of her life.
Over a year later, and Clare is heartbroken to be saying goodbye to her newborn Mirren. Leaving her in the care of her sister, in the remotest – and therefore safest – village in Scotland, she heads back south to take up the position of mapmaker in the Air Ministry department.
The work is tough, and Clare struggles with the fact she has a direct hand in hurting the enemy – hurting people. Combined with the guilt for leaving her sweet angel behind, the dark thoughts could destroy her… or make her stronger than ever. A heart-breaking tale of love, loss, and redemption, this is a moving and poignant story of motherhood and the complexities of healing in the aftermath of war.
20th Century Historical Fiction
WWII
My thoughts:
I was enticed into choosing to read The Map Maker's Promise by the blurb and its World War II setting. I have not read anything by Catherine Law previously but I do love stories set in that time frame and all the little historical facts they throw up.The Map Maker's Promise is a dual time line story, with Clare's story set between 1940 and 1948 and Mirren's story set in 1985.
In 1940, nineteen-year-old Clare is working for the BBC in London. She is naive and taken advantage of by Leo Bailey which results in a pregnancy. Her parents never ask for her side of things and decide to pack her off to live with her older sister Anne and her husband Allister Fraser in Scotland, to have the baby.
In the months leading up to the birth, Clare begins to feel accepted by the people who have already adopted her sister Anne as one of their own. Allister's cousin Isla is a standout character, warm, friendly, non-judgemental and understanding. The postmaster Cal McInnis is one of my favourite characters. He is well-regarded by the locals and is there for Clare in her time of crisis.
An opportunity to help the war effort arises when Clare's old boss at the BBC Meryl Sandford writes to her with the possibility of a job with the Air Ministry. After some thought, Clare considers it best to leave her baby with Anne and Allister and return to London to accept the job. At the Air Ministry the work that she is doing preys heavily on her mind, as does a death she feels personally responsible for.
In contrast, Mirren's story is about her deep-seated belief that her mother simply abandoned her and asks herself how that event had affected her whole life. As Mirren only has vague memories to call upon and nobody talks to her about her mother, she is filling in her own blanks.
I could not get to the whys and wherefores in this story fast enough for my liking. Clare has so much to contend with: Parents who were more concerned with what the neighbours would think than their daughter's welfare; A sister who had been waiting for motherhood all her married life and who seems to be able to settle the baby immediately, reinforcing Clare's feeling of inadequacy; The desperate need to keep the baby safe; The knowledge that something she did, caused another to die; And the work at the Ministry, finding targets for the bombers and resulting in more deaths. It is no wonder it took its toll on her mental health.
Mirren as a mother herself is unable to understand why a mother would reject their own child. Nobody has talked to her about her mother since her mother left without her in 1948. It is only once Isla provides access to Clare's letters that Mirren can begin to make sense of it all.
This is a well-written and very emotional story which had me gripped for two whole days.
| Author Bio – Catherine Law |
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 Catherine Law writes dramatic romantic novels set in the first half of the 20th century, during the First and Second World Wars. Her books are inspired by the tales our mothers and grandmothers tell. Originally a journalist, Catherine lives in Kent. |
| Social Media Links – | |
| BookBub | @lawcatherine |
| @catherinelawauthor | |
| Facebook Author Page | @catherinelawbooks |
| X | @AuthorCathLaw |
| Newsletter | https://bit.ly/CatherineLawNews |
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