Crooked Heart

Finished March 28
Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans

Set just before and during World War II, this novel follows two characters, both misfits. Noel is a schoolboy who lives in London with his godmother Mattie. Mattie is quite well off, but also older than Noel's parents were, and she is beginning to suffer from dementia. Noel works hard to assist her in hiding this from her nephew and his wife, who come to visit once a week. But as she gets worse, he begins to worry about her. When other children are evacuated to the countryside, Mattie and Noel hold firm and he stays with her in London, but when something happens to Mattie, Noel is forced to go into evacuation. He is sent to St. Albans, where he is taken in as an evacuee by Vera (Vee) Sedge, a middle-aged woman who lives with her mother and her son Donald. Vee's mother is mute and writes a lot of letters, to friends, family, and public personages, including the prime minister. Donald is a bit lazy, but he also has a bad heart, something that excused him from the draft, but also tires him easily.
Vee works hard, but finds it difficult to keep up with the needs of the household, even with Donald working too. So, taking in Noel is looked at as a way to get a bit of extra cash. Noel, despite what she thought, is a very intelligent boy, having had an unusual education under the tutelage of Mattie. He reads voraciously, and is very observant of the world around him. He knows that he doesn't fit in with his peers, and when he figures out what Vee is up to to get some extra cash, he is quite open to assisting. Vee is surprised at the growing closeness between herself and Noel, accustomed to being taken for granted by her mother and Donald, and not considered as a person unto herself. As the two spend time together, through difficult circumstances, they find a way to move on together despite the difficulties the war brings to them.
An intriguing story of two likeable characters, I really wanted to know what happened to them as the story unfolded.

The War That Saved My Life

Finished March 8
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

This children's novel tells the story of Ada Smith and her younger brother Jamie. Ada lives in the East End in London with her mother and younger brother. Her mother does not let her out of the apartment, threatening her with the loss of looking out the window for every small infraction. Ada has always looked after Jamie that she can remember, but now he has started school and she resents him getting to go out. She decides to teach herself how to walk, despite her malformed foot, and practices when no one is home, but nothing she can do will please her mother.
When the war starts and Jamie comes home announcing that they are evacuating children to the country, Ada is determined to go. Using all her physical strength, she hobbles and drags herself to the school, and manages to get on a train with Jamie.
They end up living with a sad woman, who at first resents being asked to take them. But Ada is used to looking after herself and Jamie and gradually everyone adjusts to their new environment.
The way that Ada was treated made me angry, and fueled my reading. Ada's story is one of luck and determination, and despite her traumas, she proved a resilient young girl. She is opinionated and observant, and every success increased her confidence.
This is a book that would be good to read with a parent, to promote discussion of some of the difficult situations that arise in the plot.

The Yellow Duster Sisters

Finished December 28
The Yellow Duster Sisters by Susan Kennaway

This memoir covers the years of World War II when Susan and her older sister Gyll were evacuated from Watford to Africa and then their return to England.
The decision is made to send the girls to Africa where their mother's sister works as a governess. They stay with the family she works for, who have a son and a daughter. The daughter, Mavis, is the same age as Susan. They hadn't previously met their aunt, and find her hard to warm up to. Their new guardian treat them as poor relations, forcing them to wear patched up clothes, adhere to strict rules, and go to bed at six. Unbeknownst to the girls, their father had sent the guardians money for their upkeep, but they were made to feel as charity cases. When the letters from home grow further and further apart and then stop coming altogether, the sister feel completely abandoned and find comfort only in each other.
In the fall of 1942, the girls are sent from their guardians in Rhodesia to a boarding school in South Africa. By the spring of 1943 ships heading to England are starting to take civilians, and with the girls desperate for their old life they manage to work with their guardians to arrange a chaperoned passage back to England.
The second part of the book covers their return to England until the end of the war.
The girls are disappointed that no one meets their ship, but manage to get to London on their own where their father meets them. Their mother is in Scarborough working with Polish servicemen and the father living alone with servants. Neither parent seems glad to see them, and their father soon packs them off to a very strict boarding school where once again only being together makes it bearable.
The unhappiness with this time in their lives comes through clearly and looking it back on it several decades later hasn't dulled the pain for Susan. This amazingly open and honest memoir brings the loneliness felt by those girls to life.