I picked up this book from the local library. It was a featured "Quick Choice". Note that the author, Lily Baxter, also writes under the pen name Dilly Court. This is my first book by the author under either name.
Summary (from the back cover blurb):
June 1944 - Ginnie Travis is working in her father's furniture shop, when the continued bombing raids and her sister Shirley's untimely pregnancy force the two girls to go and stay with their aunt in Shropshire. Here Ginnie falls in love with an American, Lieutenant Nick Miller, stationed nearby. But she discovers that Nick has a fiancée back home and a heartbroken Ginnie ends the relationship.
Then news of their father's death in an air raid reaches them. With the family left almost penniless and Shirley and her child to provide for, Ginnie is responsible for them all. And when the shop comes under threat, Ginnie is even more determined to make it succeed and build a new life for herself and her family.
Review:
I loved this book - read the 458 pages in 2.5 days. Ginnie (Virginia) is the best kind of heroine to root for - not Mary Sue or the bitch. She is hard working and has goals of her own. Although she is the younger sister living in her big sister's shadow, she is recognized by people in the family and in town as being the one with the character, drive, and brains to succeed on her own - which she does. This is not to say she has it easy - anything that goes wrong does, but Ginnie works through the problems head on without the need to throw a pity party. She does get her man in the end, but I would hesitate to call this book a romance. It is more in the category of historical women's fiction. Ginnie not only ends up saving the shop and her family, but also the shops along the parade, making her a local hero.
I really enjoyed all the characters except for the Ginnie's mother and sister. You would think after years struggling through the war these women would have a little grit and common sense - but nope. Shirley craved male attention to almost comical levels and Mum is too busy keeping up the family appearances to notice the family finances are in the toilet. And all the Mum could think about is marrying off Ginnie, while Ginnie is trying to save them - that is where I took half a star off the rating. Mum and Shirley were the root causes for much of the stress in Ginnie's life. Good grief. Shirley finally got her act together at the very end, but it was too late to redeem her in my opinion.
Luckily, the character of Aunt Avril (Mum's sister) was a relief against the shallowness of Mum and Shirley. I wished Aunt Avril was my aunt - love a good feisty woman who has a heart of gold and doesn't give a damn if she acts outside of society norms. The whole Shropshire gang was fun to read about. Nick was a good guy who was realistically portrayed after being injured in the war. Nick and Ginnie were honest with each other from the start, so their relationship was natural and bumpy as all get out; when they got together at the end, it was satisfying.
Highly recommend. Looking forward to reading more of this author's works.
5
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