The Ration Book Baby (A Village at War #1) by Ellie Curzon
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW2
Read: 20th July 2023
Publsihed: 25th July 2023
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
England, 1940. Opening the box with trembling hands, she couldn’t believe it – a tiny baby lay inside. She gently lifted the newborn as it started to cry. Cradling the little one to her chest, she searched the darkness for any sign of whoever left it here. And as she rocked the child, something fluttered to the ground… a ration book.
Nurse Annie Russell anxiously listens to the terrifying sounds of planes and gunfire overhead, worried about what the morning will bring for the patients in her care. The boys from the local airfield fly up in the skies each night, risking their lives to protect the people of Bramble Heath village, but they can’t stop every bombshell. Until a knock at the door makes her jump.
Awaiting Annie on the doorstep is a hatbox. Peeking under the lid, she gasps – inside is a whimpering newborn, round cheeks glistening with tears. The poor little thing may be all alone, but someone must truly love the baby… Tucked into a hand-knitted blanket, there’s a precious ration book, vital for food supplies in these darkest of days.
Her heart breaking, Annie does everything she can to care for her tiny charge. But, without a ration book, she knows that the frightened young mother could also be in dire need of help too. Then social services bring devastating news. If Annie can’t find the helpless child’s family soon, the authorities will have to take the little one away.
As the Nazi threat grows, more and more of the brave pilots at the local airbase don’t come home. Is one of the fallen the child’s father? And with her only clue leading nowhere, can Annie find the answers she needs, and reunite the innocent baby with its parents before it is too late?
A totally unputdownable and emotional historical novel that will have you reading late into the night. Perfect for fans of Diney Costeloe, Martha Hall Kelly and Before We Were Yours.
MY THOUGHTS:
I wasn't starting another series. Nope. I really wasn't. But this one was just calling to me. A baby left on the doorstep with nothing but a ration book in the midst of a war. Throw in a little romance as well as the mystery of said baby's parentage against the backdrop of bombs and I was sold. THE RATION BOOK BABY is a delightfully heartwarming read and while I ummed and ahhed over it at first, I'm glad I took the plunge and added it to my ever growing TBR list.
Set in the village of Bramble Heath, district nurse Annie Russell opens the door one evening to discover a hatbox on her doorstep with a newborn baby nestled inside. There is no clue as to where the baby came from or whose it may be. Nothing but the raggedy stork hand sewn with love and a ration book to go...and even then, those gave nothing away. Annie's own mother now a retired midwife Norma and her father semi-retired constable Henry welcomed the new addition whilst Annie made enquiries in the village and the nearby RAF airfield.
But something about the little raggedy stork and the ration book told Annie that someone had given up their own ration book so that the baby would not go without. A little investigation lead Annie to the Polish hamlet on the outskirts of the village. But the immigrants, having fled their own war-torn country, barely spoke English and those that did gave away no secrets. So if there was anything to tell, no one was telling. Annie however is determined to find the mother before social services come to claim the baby.
As word spreads of the baby left on Annie's doorstep, the village bands together to provide everything the little one needs - from clothing, napkins and toys to milk, bottles and food. Even a pram and a crib. Baby Clara, who Annie names after the milliner's box she was found in, wants for nothing. All the villagers love her.
Bramble Heath is a small village with a nearby RAF airfield. The pilots are a mix of English and the Polish immigrants who now call Britain home. Both who fight the German Luftwaffe and protecting the country from their constant raids. Among them is Wing Commander William Chambers who commands a squadron and partakes in the dogfights in the air, one of which sees him critically injured.
When Annie saw the parachute amidst the burning spitfire and its German counterpart, she had no idea if the injured party she rushed to give aid was friend or foe. She was shocked to discover it was William and he was barely conscious. She kept him alive until the ambulance and doctor arrived and they whisked him away to hospital. She had no idea if he would survive.
And yet she still had the mystery of baby Clara's parentage. With Ewa remaining tight-lipped about who the mother may be, Annie must draw on all her resources to find her before social services swoop to claim her as abandoned and adopt her out.
I have read many sagas set during wartime, featuring the RAF and air raids and the like, but THE RATION BOOK BABY had something of a different feel to it that sets it apart. Maybe it's the mystery of the baby being left on the doorstep, I'm not sure. But it was certainly a refreshing tale that offered something different and yet it was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once also.
I thoroughly enjoyed THE RATION BOOK BABY and was delighted to learn when I reached the end that there is more to come and I look forward to meeting up with Annie and William again in subsequent books soon.
I would like to thank #EllieCurzon, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheRationBookBaby in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Catherine Curzon is an author and historian of old Hollywood and even older royalty. In addition to a series of eighteenth century biographies and a sell-out play, she has written extensively for a number of international publications, and has spoken at venues and events across the United Kingdom. Catherine lives in a haze of Dean Martin atop a steep Yorkshire hill, with a rakish gentleman and a very woolly dog.
Helen Barrell has written two books on Victorian crime, and has appeared on BBC1 and Radio 4. She loves researching family history and rummaging in libraries and archives. Originally from the south-east of England, Helen now lives somewhere in the Midlands with a large ginger cat, who resembles a Viking, and a well-stocked 1960’s cocktail bar.
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