A Sister’s Hope
Review:
It’s 1941 England, a couple of years after World War II started. The third book of a trilogy, which felt like a stand-alone story from how the characters and setting were reintroduced to the reader, and for me, I never read the other books. Our main characters of the novel are Connie (Constance) and her mother, Rosina. A woman known to be a single mother with five daughters, who lives at Raven Hall.
After Connie leaves school in the middle of her last academic year, she travels to Scarborough to live through her determination to become a carpenter. Her older siblings are already involved with the war effort, and she is eager to do her part. Once Connie stays with her friend and new flatmate, Valentine, she applies to the workshop.
Although Constance is known to be the mischievous one in her family, her personality shines at the factory. Her bosses are known to be sexist towards women, even though they are the only option left with the men at the frontline. However, one night, Valentine goes missing, and her dead body is found.
After months of the police finding nothing for the investigation to go forward, she knew she had to rest her mind and figure this investigation out on her own. The 1940s were no safer for women during the war, so going through this danger seemed worrying and courageous.
Flowing between chapters, we meet Connie’s mother, Rosina. After the military moved out of her house, she decided to transform the hall into a maternity hospital, so no messes would be created on the grounds. After falling in love with a young soldier in her mid-forties, she wanted her relationship to be kept secret, but after tragedy upon tragedy, her love was becoming exposed.
I appreciate the author taking their dedication to another level, showing how much research they completed to improve upon this story. Visiting old war workshops, learning about carpentry, and taking her time to read information on important topics that are crucial for the past, present and future. Walton’s writing was brilliant to read, although it did take a second to understand for me. Their characterisation on character’s and storytelling were simply brilliant. A defiantly recommended book if you are interested in women in 1940s Britain!
