The Nightingales in Mersey Square by Lilly Robbins
Genre: Historical fiction, Wartime fiction, Sagas, WW2
Read: 30th December 2021
Published: 23rd July 2020
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
1940: When trainee nurses Clare and Gaye, alongside their new friend Diana discover that the war is forcing the mothers and children of Guernsey to seek safety in Stockport they immediately volunteer.
Yet, they each has their own troubles to face: Clare misses her family in Ireland, while Diana struggles to find her place in the parachute factory. And Gaye must hide a secret that could tear her family apart . . .
With the danger of war coming ever closer, it is their friendship and determination that will see them and the children in their care through. But can the girls and the evacuee families make a home in Mersey Square?
A heart-warming world war two saga of friendship and hope in the face of adversity, perfect for fans of Elsie Mason, Maureen Lee and Lyn Andrews.
MY REVIEW:
One of the best things about reading so many books is the plethora of new authors that I would never have encountered otherwise. Having started my love of books in my youth with The Famous Five, my chosen genre has generally been mysteries and thrillers...but over the past few years I have found a new love in historical fiction. Particularly wartime sagas such as THE NIGHTINGALES IN MERSEY SQUARE. Lilly Robbins is not a name I am familiar with but the premise to this book intrigued me so that I found myself drawn to the tale that lay within.
Stockport 1940: Young student nurses Clare O'Sullivan, who is Irish, and Gaye Robinson, a Geordie, are in their second year of training at St Timothy's Hospital in Stockport in the county of Cheshire. They are enjoying a rare night out at the cinema featuring the dishy Laurence Olivier as the mysterious Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights" when the film slows to a stop and an announcement is made that there is a raid coming and for all patrons to make their way out to the shelter next door.
In the ensuing crowds, they stop to help the elderly Mrs Atherton who stumbles and falls, and guide her to the shelter with the assistance of the Red Cross. There they meet Diana Thornley, a well-spoken young woman a little older than themselves, from an obvious upper class background but who holds no weight in the difference in social classes. Diana works in a textile factory putting her sewing skills to good use in making parachutes from silk for the airmen who will come to rely on their special set of skills. However, Diana has come up against some indifference from the other women she works with due to their social differences, making her feel incredibly isolated at work. Which is why her new-found friendship with Clare and Gaye is just the tonic she needs.
The women call on Mrs Atherton in the coming days to see how the older woman is faring after her fainting episode at the cinema, and were thrilled to be received with such a welcome by both the older woman and her daughter Catherine. Mrs Atherton thus has a proposition for the younger women. It seems the Germans are advancing on the Channel Islands and fears for Guernsey falling under Nazi occupation becomes a very real possibility. And so women and children have been evacuated from the island and are on their way to Britain across the wilds of the English Channel, dodging German fire along the way, and Mrs Atherton working alongside the Women's Institute and the local vicar in helping these evacuees find accommodation here in Stockport. She encourages the young women into helping out, no matter their religion which is a concern for Clare who comes from a strict Irish Catholic upbringing, and they all band together to help the Guernsey families find homes here in Britain for the duration.
At once Clare and Gaye organise with their Sister in charge to allow them most weekends off to help out while Diana also makes herself available. Together they find homes for the evacuees and their families, as well as creating regular activities each weekend for the children so they are not bored or homesick. Gaye takes the singing lessons, Clare the knitting while Diana gives art classes.
As well as their volunteer work, the women continue with their regular jobs as well, meeting new people and finding love interests along the way. But as with any aspect of war forever looming largely over them, time is precious and each of them dare not waste a moment. But at what cost? And can the social classes cross the divide that separates them at a time when they all need to band together?
Set against the backdrop of Stockport, Liverpool and Manchester, with a fleeting glimpse of London, THE NIGHTINGALES IN MERSEY SQUARE is a delightful read from start to finish. As with most stories set within this time period, it is as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming. And although it appears to be a standalone story, it could work well as a series as Clare, Gaye and Diana's stories continue to to unfold.
THE NIGHTINGALES IN MERSEY SQUARE is a light and easy read, despite the era, and the women are easily likable...even Diana's hypochondriac aunt Rosamund and her snobbish mother Annabelle, with the latter featuring briefly. I actually quite liked Aunt Rosamund despite her idiosyncrasies and myriad of excuses as to why they couldn't possibly house evacuees...lol In all, each of the characters shine through as the reader gets to know each of them, with all their faults and flaws, as well as their redeeming qualities that endear them to us all.
A truly delightful read, THE NIGHTINGALES IN MERSEY SQUARE is compelling tale of love and friendship in the midst of wartime throughout Britain's darkest days. I look forward to reading more by Lilly Robbins and any sequel to this wonderful tale, should there be one.
I would like to thank #LillyRobbins, #Netgalley and #OrionPublishing for an ARC of #TheNightingalesInMerseySquare in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Lilly Robbins is the pseudonym for author Geraldine O'Neill.
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