Susan N. (mizsuzee) - , reviewed on 1/12/2012 + 9 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

This book, set during WWII in England was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2010. This is a UK prize for originality in writing for women authors. Knowing this, I plunged into the book, expecting greatness. What I found instead was mediocrity. The book did indeed follow a young girl, evacuated from London at the beginning of WWII, to the Yorkshire countryside. We also learned about her mother who was left in London, as well as all the folks at the country estate where little Anna lived during the war years. What we DIDN'T hear much about was WWII. That was a huge disappointment for me, as I really love reading/learning about life on the homefront during that devastating war. Essentially, this is a predictable romance novel - NOT what I was hoping for and certainly NOT what I was expecting. If you like romance set in the 1940's then this could be a book for you. Frankly, I was shocked that this book was actually shortlisted for the Orange Prize. In my humble opinion, it doesn't deserve the accolade.

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