A Woman's War (Keep the Home Fires Burning #2) by S. Block
Genre: Historical fiction
Read: 26th October 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(publication: 17th October 2019)
★★★★ 4.5 stars
When I requested A WOMAN'S WAR I had no idea it was the sequel to another. I do wish Netgalley would state if a book is part of a series - sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. I guess it depends on the information received from the publisher. But it would be helpful for reviewers to know beforehand as sometimes it is difficult to pick up series midway through. Fortunately that was not the case with this wonderful book.
However, that aside. A WOMAN'S WAR can be read as a standalone or as a sequel to "Keep the Home Fires Burning" which follows on from the now ended ITV series "Home Fires". You can easily pick up the characters and their stories either way, as they are each recalled well enough to do so.
The women of Great Paxford draw strength from each other once again in the face of their darkest days during World War 2. The year is 1940 and much has happened in their little village since war broke out just the year before. Some have lost loved ones, some are prisoners of war, some have lost their homes...while others fight inner battles that no one else knows about.
Meet Frances, Erica, Laura, Sarah, Pat, Steph, and Teresa - the women of Great Paxford. Each of them have a story to tell but some of them have secrets that they keep to themselves.
The story opens with Frances, the leader of the Women's Institute, addressing the WI ladies of the events that had recently taken place in their little village...and how it has affected each of them. Frances is a born leader but can come across a bit brusque at times though she only has the best interests of the women at heart. She speaks of the Spitfure than crashed landed, destroying the homes of the Simms and the Campbells. She speaks of the death of their local GP and the grief of the family he left behind. She speaks of the German airman shot by a farmer when discovered. Throughout all this and more, the village must come together and find the strength within each other to get through this war. No one knows how long it will go on for - it could end next week, next month or next year. However long it takes, they must stick together.
Erica Campbell is the widow of the village GP, who had recently succumbed to cancer. Her daughters Katy and Laura are also grieving. Katy is studying in Manchester (so she doesn't actually largely feature) and was recently widowed herself when her husband Jack's plane crashed during flight training.
Laura is just 17 and has taken to heart her father's last almost indecipherable words to her, believing him to say that she would make a good doctor, despite her never showing an interest before now to follow her father's footsteps and study medicine. With no money to pay for university, Laura sets about cramming and studying for a scholarship into medical school. When her boyfriend Tom tells her that he has decided to become a pilot, Laura is devastated and says that she cannot step out with a flyer...not after what her sister went through. So will Tom give up his plans to become a pilot and stay with Laura? Will Laura pass her exams and be granted a scholarship?
Sarah Collingborne is Frances' sister and the wife of their local vicar, who is currently in a German prisoner of war camp. Sarah doesn't feature as largely in the story as some of the other women who have a greater part to play, but she is part of the backbone of Great Paxford and one of the few who knows the truth about Pat's marriage to her brute of a husband Bob.
Which brings us to Pat Simms. She has been married to Bob for about thirteen years and in the beginning he was an attentive romantic man which soon fell by the wayside after rings and vows were exchanged. There has been many occasions when Pat has turned up to the WI meetings or her job at the telephone exchange with bruises that she tries in vain to cover with plenty of powder. When the Spitfire crashed into their semi-detached house alongside the Campbells' semi on the other side, Pat and Bob were taken in by the kindly and former leader of the WI, Joyce Cameron. Pat soon found the benefit with living with Joyce was that Bob would control his temper whenever she was around, playing the perfect guest and husband. But Pat has another secret. One that Bob inadvertently discovered. She has a lover. A Czech soldier named Marek. They shared a few stolen moments and secreted letters to one another in the graveyard...until Bob discovered their hiding place. Now Marek has been shipped out, leaving Pat with promises of a life together should he survive the war and return. But when Bob shows a complete change, Pat begins to wonder how sincere the change is. She has seen it many times before...only to fall into a false sense of security and feel the sting of his fist before long. But Bob has shown a complete turnaround and, in a gesture of not wanting to outstay their welcome with their incredibly kind host, has decided that the time has come for he and Pat to find a home of their own again. Now that his book is selling and he has the advance for another they now have the money for a comfortable life in a bigger house. Pat cannot help but question Bob's motives or wonder what he has planned...but could this be real? Has Bob truly seen the error of his ways?
Teresa Lucas is newly married to Nick, a Wing Commander for the RAF. But there is someone who suspects Teresa's marriage isn't all it appears - Nick's best friend Annie, also a pilot recovering in hospital after crashing her plane. Teresa's secret is one that would not be understood nor accepted within their quaint little village and so she must keep it from everyone. Only Annie knows her secret...but is Annie the best person to keep that secret? And will it come between Teresa and Nick?
And then there is Steph Farrow. She is a farmer's wife and although it is a reserved occupation, Steph's husband Stan had decided to join in the fight for their country, leaving Steph to farm the land with her 16 year old son Stanley and a kind of helper, Isobel. I'm not sure I knew what Isobel's actual role was though I got the impression she was some sort of farm hand. Steph has one of the biggest secrets that soon everyone in the village will know about. And she doesn't know how she can live with it. She writes a tearful letter to her husband who soon returned and decided to leave the army and maintain his status in the reserved occupation of farmer. But when her son Stanley tells her his news, Steph collapses in shock...and it is then an even greater concern comes to the surface which promises to change all their lives forever.
There is so much packed into this heartfelt tale with a difference and yet there is still so much more to discover. I loved reading about the lives of each of these women and their families and though it did take a little to gain momentum in the beginning, once it did I did not want to put it down. When I finished A WOMAN'S WAR I felt as if I had left Great Paxford and found myself missing the women and their own private struggles.
Although A WOMAN'S WAR wraps all the stories of each character that readers/fans were a part of throughout the the TV series and both books, I still hope the story continues as there is room for expansion on those that we have left behind in this book. I would love to see where the war and their stories take them next.
I thoroughly recommend A WOMAN'S WAR for fans who enjoy WW2 historical fiction, and those who had followed the TV series and the book that followed.
I would like to thank #SimonBlock, #NetGalley and #BonnierZaffre for an ARC of #AWomansWar in exchange for an honest review.
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