http://theliterarystew.blogspot.com/2... ( )

Noel Streatfeild was one of my favourite authors as a child, so reading an adult book of hers was a real treat. To begin with I felt as if I was reading a children's book. We begin by being introduced to the English, middle-class Wiltshire family through the eyes of the four children who are having an awfully jolly time, swimming and 'prawning' on their holiday. However, there is talk of war and it soon becomes clear the idyll is not to last.

WWii breaks out and initially the children appear to be in a relatively advantaged position. Rather than being evacuated they are sent to live with their grandparents in a lovely country house. However as the book takes us through the following war years the book the situation becomes darker. Our sympathies remain focussed on the children who suffer increasingly from the consequences of war and from the weaknesses or lack of understanding of the adults around them.

There were flaws to the book. The adult characters were rather two dimensional and occasionally the tone felt a little judgemental. However, I found it a very moving and enjoyable read. ( )

The beginning was unpromising - a seemingly ordinary upper middle class family enjoying a day at the beach. My interest was snagged when it became clear that this is not a stereotypical happy family. Mother Lena sees herself first and foremost as a wife, a lover; her role as a mother is very much secondary. Nevertheless, the children have a devoted father, as well as a loving Nannie and a governess and their lives are privileged. Then comes the war, and gradually the family unravels and breaks down. Streatfeild shows the soul-destroying effects of war - of evacuation, of never having a settled home - on the children. Living through it with them in this book is a harrowing but instructive experience. [March 2006] ( )

http://www.lonelymountain.net/books/m... ( )

A 1945 novel by the famous author of Ballet Shoes about what happens to a family during World War II.