Gracie's War - Elaine Everest
Do our actions and
decisions mark us and stay with us for the rest of our lives? Gracie has her
life before her as the dark clouds of the Second World War gather.
Though she and her family
cope well with the stresses on the home front, Gracie's transformation to
adulthood is swifter and more brutal than she could have ever imagined.
Gracie meets Tony, who
arouses such feelings in her that she has never experienced before - not with
Joe her regular beau who considers her his girl. Then, one night, one mistake,
and she realises she is carrying Joe's child.
And now Tony has gone to
war.
About the author
Elaine Everest is a freelance writer and lives in Swanley,
Kent with her husband Michael and Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Henry. She has
written over sixty short stories for women’s magazines worldwide. Her features
have appeared in publications ranging from The Guardian, The Daily Express and
the Daily Mail to My Weekly and Your Dog. Her opinion pieces have led to many
appearances on radio including chatting to Jenni Murray on Woman’s Hour about
having a husband under her feet all day long. Elaine has written numerous
columns for canine publications centred around her expertise in the world of
dogs. This has led to commissions to write three successful books for dog
owners.
Elaine’s successful writing life led her to become a
qualified teacher for adult education. Four years ago she founded The Write
Place creative writing school and holds regular classes at The Mick Jagger
Centre in Dartford Kent.
Elaine was BBC Radio Short Story Writer of the Year in 2003,
short listed for The Harry Bowling Prize in 2012, Short listed for The Festival
of Romance novel competition in 2012 and winner of the Myrmidon Books (Pulse
Romance) Write for Us competition in 2013.
Gracie’s War is her first published novel and is
set in North West Kent where she grew up. A member of the Romantic Novelist
Association, Elaine is a graduate of the RNA New Writers Scheme. Gracie’s War is short listed for their
Joan Hessayon Award in 2014.
My review
I was fortunate to get an ARC of ‘Gracie’s
War’ and found it an absorbing read.
The story is set in South-east London at
the beginning of the Second World War, as Gracie is about to celebrate her 21st
birthday. Based on the memories of the author’s parents the setting is
incredibly authentic – you can almost hear the bombers flying overhead. It
transports you back immediately to another age where single mothers didn’t
exist or were ostracized for bringing shame on their family. It is a real skill
of any writer that makes the reader want to keep turning the page and Elaine
Everest certainly knows how to do that with her well-paced, easy to read style.
By the time the story concludes in the
early 1950s, the world is a different place and we have shared Gracie’s ups and
downs. Although the basic premise of the story has little in terms of
originality and the twists are not difficult to figure out, what I loved about this
book was the atmospheric evocation of a bye-gone age and the honest, gutsy
feelings of the characters. When Gracie makes one mistake, the reader feels for
her and desperately wants her to find happiness. The relationship between Gracie and her friend is also very well portrayed. Like any good saga, the path
of true love never runs smooth and it’s fingers crossed all the way for a happy
ending.
Best for...
Those who like a good wartime saga
My rating
4/5 Really liked it
Best for...
Those who like a good wartime saga
My rating
4/5 Really liked it
Thank you so much for this lovely review.
ReplyDeleteElaine
xx