Set in the early years of WWII in the small English village of Chilbury, this historical novel immediately connected me to the characters, women whose husbands and sweethearts and sons were off fighting Hitler. The story begins with a funeral for the first war casualty from the village. He had been a scoundrel, the son of the richest man in the village. At the funeral of this rich man’s only son, we glimpse the various personalities of the villagers: from the kind, wise Mrs. Tilling to the vicious young midwife who will make a baby swap so that rich Brigadier Winthrop will have a replacement heir.

The characters vary in age and personality. Their letters and diary entries compose the entirety of the book, which at first I thought would be tedious, but Jennifer Ryan’s imaginative and creative writing style captivated me. The audacity of flirtatious Venetia Winthrop to the conniving of midwife Edwina Paltry to the outrageous optimism of Miss Prim only begins to convey the array of human nature presented in this story.

Of course, it is wartime. The city is bombed, characters I came to admire were killed, hearts were broken and romances emerged. Through the fears and sorrows, the little village choir met to give each other hope and comfort.

I finished the book feeling optimistic about the human spirit and little sad that I couldn’t continue enjoying these interesting people.

Sensitivity Meters