The unearthly wail of the air raid siren signals the first of what will be four nights of bombing from the Luftwaffe. Fours nights over two months, Belfast is pounded with bombs; it's remembered as the Belfast blitz.
The story is mainly centered around the lives of sisters Emma and Audrey, as they try to survive those four horrific nights of bombing.
Audrey, the seemingly sensible sister, with her respectable tax office job, and whose planning her marriage to Dr Richard.
Emma, the sister who craves adventure, who volunteers as a first aider, and is in a secret relationship with her co-worker Sylvia.
Although this is a work of fiction with regards to the characters, the relationships portrayed would have no doubt been similar to those who lived during the war era. Young heterosexual men and women would have been courting & planning their weddings, whilst those who were homosexual, would've hidden their sexuality for the fear of repercussions.
We know that same sex relationships have only recently become accepted as the 'social norm,' more recently so in Northern Ireland, and I think the author has written about the two relationship differences really well.
Again, whilst we know this is a fictional story, we also know that the war and the blitz were historical events; people lost their lives, their loved ones, their homes, and the author has written about this in a raw & emotional way; particularly when it came to the part about young Betty and her whole family, that brought a tear to my eye.
The story is mainly centered around the lives of sisters Emma and Audrey, as they try to survive those four horrific nights of bombing.
Audrey, the seemingly sensible sister, with her respectable tax office job, and whose planning her marriage to Dr Richard.
Emma, the sister who craves adventure, who volunteers as a first aider, and is in a secret relationship with her co-worker Sylvia.
Although this is a work of fiction with regards to the characters, the relationships portrayed would have no doubt been similar to those who lived during the war era. Young heterosexual men and women would have been courting & planning their weddings, whilst those who were homosexual, would've hidden their sexuality for the fear of repercussions.
We know that same sex relationships have only recently become accepted as the 'social norm,' more recently so in Northern Ireland, and I think the author has written about the two relationship differences really well.
Again, whilst we know this is a fictional story, we also know that the war and the blitz were historical events; people lost their lives, their loved ones, their homes, and the author has written about this in a raw & emotional way; particularly when it came to the part about young Betty and her whole family, that brought a tear to my eye.