Ambridge at War by Catherine Miller #Review #Giveaway #TheArchers

 

Today is one of those moments for me where lots of my interests collide! As a true BBC The Archers Fan I am delighted to be reviewing Ambridge at War which has been written with the full approval of the BBC Team behind the programme. Historical fiction, particularly set during the Twentieth |Century is another love so happy days! You also have the opportunity to win a paperback copy of the book (UKonly). Details on how to enter at the foot of this post.

In this wonderful new novel celebrating the 70th anniversary of the beloved radio show, follow the lives of the families of Ambridge before it all began…

It’s 1940 and war has broken out. It is midnight at the turn of the year, and Walter Gabriel speaks the same line that opened the very first radio episode – 'And a Happy New Year to you all!' For Ambridge, a village in the heart of the English countryside, this year will bring change in ways no one was expecting.

From the Pargetters at Lower Loxley to the loving, hard-working Archer family at Brookfield Farm, the war will be hard for all of them. And the New Year brings the arrival of evacuees to Ambridge, shaking things up in the close-knit rural community.

As the villagers embrace wartime spirit, the families that listeners have known and loved for generations face an uphill battle to keep their secrets hidden. Especially as someone is intent on revealing those secrets to the whole village . . .

BBC Radio 4’s The Archers has aired over 19,000 episodes since the first pilot in 1951, and has nearly 5 million regular listeners. In the quarter October – December 2019 it was also the most popular on demand radio programme on BBC Sounds.

My Thoughts

 During lockdown, the producers of the radio programme have struggled to keep the episodes coming but despite changes to the format, not all well received, they have succeeded. They've shown a wartime spirit! I have listened to the programme for many years, so I picked up the novel with some trepidation. Would it capture the rural community with all its quirks and quiet strengths? Would the characters ring true? I can tell you that opening the book and stepping into the story felt beautifully familiar and reassuring. Set ten years before the first episode was broadcast, it imagines an Ambridge where the fires are blazing on the Home Front and the villagers are struggling to keep the food production coming.

    One of the aspects of the programme I love is the depth of characters all set in a rigid class system. You are shown all strata from the well to do Pargetters at Loxley Hall, through the gentleman farmers, to the tenant farmers and down to the workers, some of whom have a foot either side of the law. This novel has kept true to that picture. It is full of small details and nuance as the characters interact.

    My absolute favourite part of the book has to be the wonderful Minutes of the Winter Pageant Committee, with all their wit and humour. Chaired of course by a Pargetter, the Lady of the Manor, they are such an echo of the Ambridge calendar where seasonal events are featured each year, such as the Flower and Produce Show and the dreaded Christmas Panto.

    If you have ever listened to the programme and wondered what some of the older characters mentioned might have been like in their youth, you will enjoy this imagined prequel. If you have never heard of the programme, never mind! There is enough detail and characterisation, tied up with a mystery, for you to enjoy it for its own sake. 

I can also add that Dumteedum, a podcast for Archers fans has featured the book recently on an episode, with an interview with author Catherine Miller and a review by Phillipa of The Quick Book Reviews Podcast. You might want to give it a listen on BBC Sounds!

In short:  Ambridge heaven

About the Author

Catherine Miller is the author of 18 novels under her own name and other pseudonyms. Born to an Irish family in London, her career took her from producing radio commercials to being a voiceover agent for various stellar actors. Nowadays she writes all day at home in Surrey, occasionally lifting her head to raise her daughter and feed the dogs.

Book link: Amazon UK

Thanks to Catherine Miller, Simon and Schuster  and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for a copy ofthe book and a place on the tour. 

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Giveaway (UK only)

To win a paperback copy of Ambridge at War just Follow and Retweet the tweet at @bookslifethings Closing Date is November 5th 2020 and there is one winner.  Good luck!  

 

*Terms and Conditions – UK only.  The winner will be selected at random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.