Sobering at times but also funny and thought provoking.
This is a great work of fiction that has been extensively researched in order that the events it describes are correct in every detail.
It charts the story of the Brogan family as they seek to live through the dark months of 1940 in the East End of London as both Hitler’s bombs and rationing begin to bite. Jo’s love for Tommy Sweete is the main focus of the story as each strive to get around the prejudices held by each family about the other. Jo tries to explain to her family that Tommy is not a criminal like his brother, while Tommy for his part tries to explain to Reggie his brother that Jo is the woman that he wants to marry and that she means more to him than anything. Each of the families have their own way of adapting to the blitz – for the Brogans they all volunteer for work with Civil Defence as does Tommy. His brother Reggie however sees working for the Civil Defence Force as a nice little side line to allow him and his compatriots to engage in a bit of looting.
I have to say that having been brought up in a town devastated by bombing that I had little knowledge of how Civil Defence operated. So not only have I enjoyed this book I have also learnt something in the process.
It charts the story of the Brogan family as they seek to live through the dark months of 1940 in the East End of London as both Hitler’s bombs and rationing begin to bite. Jo’s love for Tommy Sweete is the main focus of the story as each strive to get around the prejudices held by each family about the other. Jo tries to explain to her family that Tommy is not a criminal like his brother, while Tommy for his part tries to explain to Reggie his brother that Jo is the woman that he wants to marry and that she means more to him than anything. Each of the families have their own way of adapting to the blitz – for the Brogans they all volunteer for work with Civil Defence as does Tommy. His brother Reggie however sees working for the Civil Defence Force as a nice little side line to allow him and his compatriots to engage in a bit of looting.
I have to say that having been brought up in a town devastated by bombing that I had little knowledge of how Civil Defence operated. So not only have I enjoyed this book I have also learnt something in the process.