The lives and loves of the Brogan sisters in the heart of the East End at the start of the Blitz in 1940.
Romance might not be my usual genre of reading material but a historical romance set alongside an authentically researched look at how the Second World War impacted on day to day life during the onslaught of the Blitz is a totally different proposition. For a well rounded snapshot of life in the heart of the East End amongst the doughty and good-humoured Irish Catholic Brogan clan, A Ration Book Christmas, comes highly recommended. Not only it is uplifting and at times indulgent reading, it is also surprisingly informative and eye-opening on the realities of life during the war effort for a family at the coalface, both fighting to survive and experiencing the terror of nightly bombing.
When seventeen-year-old, Jo Brogan, and her ten-year-old brother, Billy, are evacuated to a small village just outside Colchester and given a less than welcoming reception by the locals, it is the final straw for the disgruntled siblings who never wanted to leave home. Jo suspects her relocation is a result of her sister, Mattie, informing their parents of her burgeoning romance with Tommy Sweete, brother of notorious, Reggie, and both of whom have a decidedly dodgy reputation and a history of trouble. As Jo and Billy decide to take themselves home it sees them return to the heart of a loving family and for Jo and Tommy it also marks the start of their involvement in the war effort. Naturally the path to true love hits numerous bumps, miscommunications and parental disapproval, but the story itself moves forward and flows continuously. As both Tommy and Jo acquire new responsibilities and jobs of their own, the story also focuses on the locals experience of the domestic hardships of rationing, crowded Anderson shelters and blackouts.
Jean Fullerton clearly knows her stuff and has thoroughly researched how things operated with actual details about the lives of Londoner’s under constant bombardment. Admittedly the romance element is a little top-heavy for my liking and the novel slightly overlong, but with each characters life explored and plenty of drama elsewhere in the East End, the story never drags. With Jo employed in the mobile dressing unit where she patches up casualties and attempts to keep the most seriously injured alive until their reach a hospital, and Tommy working as part of a heavy lifting team, digging out the survivors and shoring up the ravaged buildings and homes, it is hard not to grow to admire and warm to these big-hearted characters.
Although there is a first book focusing on the life of Mattie this book works perfectly as a stand-alone because it primarily concentrates on seventeen-year-old, Jo Brogan. Fullerton’s excellent characterisation provides a humanly flawed cast full of rounded individuals and whilst the emphasis is definitely slightly rosy, with the solidarity and “making do” spirit at the fore, it does nothing to detract from a very readable wartime saga that comes with the added bonus of providing a wealth of information on the home front and demands on the country.
Definitely worth a read and particularly recommended for anyone interested in the wartime East End.
When seventeen-year-old, Jo Brogan, and her ten-year-old brother, Billy, are evacuated to a small village just outside Colchester and given a less than welcoming reception by the locals, it is the final straw for the disgruntled siblings who never wanted to leave home. Jo suspects her relocation is a result of her sister, Mattie, informing their parents of her burgeoning romance with Tommy Sweete, brother of notorious, Reggie, and both of whom have a decidedly dodgy reputation and a history of trouble. As Jo and Billy decide to take themselves home it sees them return to the heart of a loving family and for Jo and Tommy it also marks the start of their involvement in the war effort. Naturally the path to true love hits numerous bumps, miscommunications and parental disapproval, but the story itself moves forward and flows continuously. As both Tommy and Jo acquire new responsibilities and jobs of their own, the story also focuses on the locals experience of the domestic hardships of rationing, crowded Anderson shelters and blackouts.
Jean Fullerton clearly knows her stuff and has thoroughly researched how things operated with actual details about the lives of Londoner’s under constant bombardment. Admittedly the romance element is a little top-heavy for my liking and the novel slightly overlong, but with each characters life explored and plenty of drama elsewhere in the East End, the story never drags. With Jo employed in the mobile dressing unit where she patches up casualties and attempts to keep the most seriously injured alive until their reach a hospital, and Tommy working as part of a heavy lifting team, digging out the survivors and shoring up the ravaged buildings and homes, it is hard not to grow to admire and warm to these big-hearted characters.
Although there is a first book focusing on the life of Mattie this book works perfectly as a stand-alone because it primarily concentrates on seventeen-year-old, Jo Brogan. Fullerton’s excellent characterisation provides a humanly flawed cast full of rounded individuals and whilst the emphasis is definitely slightly rosy, with the solidarity and “making do” spirit at the fore, it does nothing to detract from a very readable wartime saga that comes with the added bonus of providing a wealth of information on the home front and demands on the country.
Definitely worth a read and particularly recommended for anyone interested in the wartime East End.