Rosie Hendry's latest family saga starts with her standalone novel, The Mother's Day Club. It was published on February 18th by Sphere and is set in the early days of World War Two.
Meet the women on the home front . . .
1939. When the residents of Great Plumstead offer to open up
their homes to evacuees from London, they’re preparing to care for children. So
when a train carrying expectant mothers pulls into the station, the town must
come together to accommodate their unexpected new arrivals . . .
Sisters Prue and Thea welcome the mothers with open arms,
while others fear their peaceful community will be disrupted. But all pregnant
Marianne seeks is a fresh start for herself and her unborn child. Though she
knows that is only possible as long as her new neighbours don’t discover the
truth about her situation.
The women of Great Plumstead, old and new, are fighting
their own battles on the home front. Can the community come together in a time
of need to do their bit for the war effort?
My Thoughts
I have previously enjoyed Rosie Hendry's East End Angels series so I was pleased to see that she is starting a new series, also set in the Second World War, with a whole new set of characters. I loved this standalone and it could promise to be my favourite so far. This story centres on a group of expectant mothers who have been evacuated to the countryside in 1939 from London. There is the clash between the two ways of life as rural meets city ways. There are some strong characters established and I can see that there is such a lot of potential for them in future books, especially the three sisters, Etta, Prue and Lizzie.
In addition to the personal stories you get to follow, there is also a lot of detail on the roll out of The Home Front with the campaign to Dig for Victory and the need to grow your own food as rationing is on the horizon. The stalwarts of the Women's Institute set about organising and enabling the locals to contribute. Not everyone is pleased to be evacuated or eager to offer them a home. Great Plumstead society is shown to be varied, from the more well- to- do to the poorer but you get a sense of a common purpose slowly becoming clear to them all and genuine friendships being formed. The men too are shown, as young men are starting to be called up to the forces. Most of all, you get a real sense that some social attitudes are beginning to be questioned as the war becomes real. Despite some darker moments, this has the overall feeling of a heart-warming read.
In short: As the war starts, new friendships are formed.
About the Author
Rosie Hendry lives by the sea in Norfolk with her husband
and children. A former teacher and research scientist, she's always loving
reading and writing. She started off writing short stories for magazines, her
stories gradually becoming longer as her children grew bigger.
Listening to her father's tales of life during the Second
World War sparked Rosie's interest in this period and she's especially
intrigued by how women's lives changed during the war years. She loves
researching further, searching out gems of real life events which inspire her writing.
When she's not working, Rosie enjoys walking along the
beach, reading and is grateful for the fact that her husband is a much better
cook than her.
You can follow Rosie here: Website | Facebook | Twitter
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