Summerland focuses on a harrowing part of world history, the children freed from concentration camps at the end of WWII. Brigitta arrives in London in 1946, and after running away from her Red Cross group she travels to a place called Summerland Hall.
This is a story that makes you ask a lot of questions. Why is she hiding so much of her past? Why did she go to Summerland? Who is she searching for? What happened to her during the war? Brigitta is a compelling main character, and there is a pretty big twist near the end after which the big questions are answered and her actions make sense. Interspersed throughout are flashbacks to Brigitta’s time in hiding, I’m often not a fan of flashbacks but they added tension.
There were a few historical notes which jarred, especially rationing as although it was mentioned as an issue, food seemed to be more plentiful than I would have expected. There is a small amount of romance, and overall I’d recommend it, especially to those who enjoy positive and inclusive love stories and the post-war Britain setting.
This is a story that makes you ask a lot of questions. Why is she hiding so much of her past? Why did she go to Summerland? Who is she searching for? What happened to her during the war? Brigitta is a compelling main character, and there is a pretty big twist near the end after which the big questions are answered and her actions make sense. Interspersed throughout are flashbacks to Brigitta’s time in hiding, I’m often not a fan of flashbacks but they added tension.
There were a few historical notes which jarred, especially rationing as although it was mentioned as an issue, food seemed to be more plentiful than I would have expected. There is a small amount of romance, and overall I’d recommend it, especially to those who enjoy positive and inclusive love stories and the post-war Britain setting.