Today is my stop on the East End Angels blog tour and I'm delighted to be bringing you my review of this thought-provoking World War II readGenre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: 14 Dec 2017
Amazon UK: www.amazon.co.uk
Amazon US: www.amazon.com
Book Depository: www.bookdepository.com
Meet The East End Angels, the newest members of Station Seventy-Five’s ambulance crew – when the war arrives, only true friendship will see them through
Strong-willed Winnie loves being part of the crew at Station Seventy-Five but her parents are less than happy. She has managed to avoid their pleas to join the WRENS so far but when a tragedy hits too close to home she finds herself wondering if she’s cut out for this life after all.
Former housemaid Bella was forced to leave the place she loved when she lost it all and it’s taken her a while to find somewhere else to call home. She’s finally starting to build a new life but when the air raids begin, it seems she may have to start over once again.
East-Ender Frankie’s sense of loyalty keeps her tied to home so it’s not easy for her to stay focused at work. With her head and heart pulling in different directions, will she find the strength to come through for her friends when they need her the most?
Brought together at LAAS Station Seventy-Five in London’s East End during 1940, these three very different women soon realise that they’ll need each other if they’re to get through the days ahead. But can the ties of friendship, love and family all remain unbroken?
Living through the Blitz during WWII with bombs dropping all around them must have been a horrendous experience but thanks to the brave men and women who drove the ambulances and attended to the survivors, they could at least depend on their help.
This is a wonderfully heart-warming story, of three young women who all wanted to do their bit for the war effort and help save lives.
They were faced with so many dangers as they drove through London's bombed out streets, traversing rubble and burning buildings as Hitler's bombs were falling from the sky like confetti, they couldn't rush down to the shelter and safety, they had to go out and transport the injured to the hospitals.
All the women were so different, from the independent Winnie who goes against her parents wishes, to Bella who used to be in service, and Frankie who's definitely not going back to her old factory job after the War ends.
I loved their friendship, their loyalty, their caring and the strong bonds they forged at the horrors they saw, how they helped each other through the worst of times.
I thought the story was not too graphic but authentic, and it really made me think of how courageous they were during the blitz, of how people just got on with it, patiently waiting to be rehoused after their house had been bombed. I don't know how they coped and the author really made me feel lots of emotions while reading the story.
My only slight criticism would be that some of the storyline was a little predictable.....I could easily guess at what was going to happen next.
But, along with a romance or two and with just the right amount of sad and happy moments, this promises to be a great start to a whole new series that I'll be looking out for in the future.
My thanks to the publishers, Little, Brown books for the opportunity to read and review this new novel.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Rosie Hendry lives by the sea in Norfolk with her husband and two children. East End Angels is the first book in her uplifting and heart-warming saga series that follows the lives and loves of Winnie, Frankie and Bella, who all work for the London Auxiliary Ambulance Service (LAAS) during the Blitz. Listening to her father’s tales of life during the Second World War sparked Rosie’s interest in this period and she loves researching further, searching out gems of real life events which inspire her writing. Keep up-to-date with Rosie by following her on Twitter (@hendry_rosie), becoming her friend on Facebook (rosie.hendry.94) or reading her blog (rosiehendry.blogspot.co.uk).
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