Wartime at Liberty's (The Liberty Girls #1) by Fiona Ford
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW2
Read: 4th September 2020
Published: 30th April 2020
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
London, 1942
Flo Canning’s heart is beyond repair following the news that she has been dreading since the outbreak of war. As Flo throws herself into the role of fabric manager at Liberty’s, old and new friends alike help pull her from a whirl of despair.
Between work and home life there’s plenty to keep Flo occupied. Not least new deputy store manager, Henry Masters, whose arrival has consequences that Flo and her workmates could never have foreseen.
But there is more tragedy still to come, and Flo and her friends will need each other more than ever if they are to survive the uncertainty ahead.
MY REVIEW:
I love a good historical fiction and these style of WW2 era books I find are a good light read to just lose yourself in for hours at a time. Although I was unaware at the time of requesting that WARTIME AT LIBERTY'S by Fiona Ford was in fact the third in a series. However, from what I can gather from the premise for each book is that they each focus on the story of one or another of the Liberty Girls so that they suffice as a standalone. Although, there are some references made to past events but I think there is enough pertainable information given that does neither detract nor spoil this book or the previous ones.
London, 1942: Florence Canning is the Fabric Manager for Liberty's department store with four girls working under her - Alice, Mary, Dot and Jean. In the space of a few months she has lost her beloved aunt Aggie, who brought her up after her mother had left her at 3 years old, and her dear husband Neil, whose ship was torpedoed leaving no survivors. News of his death sent her into a state of shock and now she is struggling. Because Flo's grief at the loss of her husband is compounded by the fact the two of them had parted on a disagreement.
When Neil was home on leave just two months prior, he had discovered that Flo had lied to him...something which he cannot abide. Since their recent marriage, Neil thought it crass and unseemly for a married woman to be singing in pubs, most of which were filled with hoards of single men home on leave. She had promised she would give up singing but she continued performing, assuring her husband that she had. He was angry that she had lied to him and she was annoyed that he felt he had the right to stop her from doing something she loved. When she sang, she came alive. Just like her aunt Aggie when she sang. In the end, it wasn't about the singing but about the fact that she had lied to him.
Now Neil has gone and Flo feels somehow responsible for his tragic death. She knows her life will never be the same again and having lost all hope, she throws herself into her work at Liberty's which proves to be a salve for her broken heart. She is surrounded by her friends - Alice, Mary, Dot, Jean and Rose - who are there to ease her suffering in any way they can. But still Neil is never far from her thoughts.
On her return to Liberty's after her distressing news, Flo is surprised to discover a strange man seated in her boss' office who introduces himself as Mr Henry Masters. He is the deputy head sitting in for Mr Button who has been seconded to the Board of Trades for some kind of "hush hush" assignment. The two get off on the wrong foot when Henry initially claims that the store is haemorraging money and the board insists that every department must let one of their staff go. Flo is aghast. Each girl working under her needs their job and her department needs the staff! They can't afford to let anyone go...but needs must. So Flo has the unenviable task of deciding who she must let go, knowing the decision will not make her very popular whatever the outcome.
And as predicted, at their busiest times the department is flooded with customers and very little staff so Henry jumps in to assist, with quite a substantial background in fabrics from his previous position. The customers love him and his presence brings them back time and again. Realising the error of judgement on his part, Henry insists that Flo reinstate Jean aware that the department needed all hands on deck.
But tragedy strikes before Jean could return to her duties at Liberty's, leaving Flo a staff member down. Henry helps out when he can but he is also needed in the office to run the entire store in Mr Button's absence. So Mr Button organises for Evie Allingham to help out a few afternoons a week until Jean is able to return. Flo warmed to her immediately but Dot did not, taking an instant dislike to her on sight. However, it isn't long before Flo begins to notice things about Evie that are inappropriate, putting the two women at constant loggerheads. Evie comes in and tries taking over and undermining Flo when she isn't around. But she couldn't afford to get rid of her either as they needed her help and expertise...at least until Jean returned.
In the meantime, despite getting off on the wrong foot, Flo and Henry begin to form a friendship as she unwittingly confides in him about her loss. Wanting to help, Henry finds her a small position at his brother Stan's school as a piano player for their music class where she meets Celia Hallam, the music teacher. Flo finds playing music for the children brings a sort of calm over her as she drifts into another world built on her memories of aunt Aggie...until those of Neil remind her why she can never sing again. To do so would be to betray him. But Celia encourages Flo to follow her heart and her dreams but Flo doesn't think she can.
But there is tragedy, heartache and betrayal as well as happy moments to come as the Liberty girls band together to bring cheer to what is very much a grim time for everyone. The war is far from over and they only have each other to help see them through the darkest days. And by the end of Flo's story you will feel like close friends with them all.
A story about friendship, WARTIME AT LIBERTY'S is a charming and engaging read that is lighthearted despite the grim setting of wartime London. I loved how each of the girls interacted and the important parts they played as backdrop to Flo's heartbreaking story. While the series focuses on the girls of Liberty's, I enjoy seeing the inclusion of Mr Button and the introduction of Henry who I look forward to seeing more of in the future.
WARTIME AT LIBERTY'S is wonderfully written and incredibly emotional as the reader loses themselves in wartime London - to the hope, the despair, the heartbreak and the happiness.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, there was an inconsistency I felt that was portrayed in a far different way than what would normally have been tolerated for that time period. I don't think it reflects the time accurately in doing so and as a result I have knocked off a half star due to the implausibility of it.
I have not read the preceding two books in this series but I look forward to revisiting the girls in them at a later date.
Definitely recommended to fans of historical fiction, particularly sagas and the WW2 era.
I would like to thank #FionaFord, #NetGalley and #Arrow for an ARC of #WartimeAtLibertys in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Fiona Ford is a freelance journalist. She has spent the last 15 years writing gritty real-life stories, news and a smidgeon of celebrity tittle-tattle for national newspapers and magazines. Following a stint as a ghost writer, Fiona plucked up the courage to combine her love of writing and history to write a novel in her own name. The Spark Girl, is her first saga.
Originally from Bath, Fiona now lives in Berkshire and is married with two cats. Thankfully, both her husband and pets have all mastered the art of pretending to listen patiently as she begins yet another anecdote with the words, 'during the war'. When she is not writing or researching World War 2, Fiona can be found running along the Thames Path, training for a half marathon of some kind and wishing she was sat on the sofa eating chocolate instead.
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