iThe story starts like many books of this genre, following the successful formula. The chapters flip between two time zones, 1939-40 and 2022 following the female line of Ellie who is living in American 2022. Her mother Alice is now in a nursing home and getting confused about things from her past. Her grandmother Nell, who lived at the time of the London Blitz was sadly killed by a bomb on New Years Eve 1940. At that time Alice was only 9 months old and knows nothing of what really happened. Ellie decides to go to London and see what she can find out. Her only contact is her estranged Aunt Gillian. Once in London the story picks up some pace and takes a new turn. There are slowly emerging details of a secret plot that, had it been successful, could have changed the outcome of the war. It certainly changed things for Nell. Although this isn’t a great read, I thought it was a good one. Totally fictional but quite plausible. I liked some of the secondary characters best and would have enjoyed having them more involved in the narrative. ( )

Enjoyable

Was a slow start, but once it started getting better I didn’t want to put it down! Definitely recommend it.

This book brings to life a time when emotions were high and hidden during WWII with the common folks. Many that survived were unable to talk about it afterwards to avoid reliving these treacherous times.

An elderly mother said to her daughter, "When I was growing up, nobody expected to be happy -- you just had to get on with things and make the best of them. After the war, we were grateful to be alive."

Prayer kept people going in the book. It gave them hope. Every evening in London at 9:00, Big Ben alerted people that it was time to pray for peace. It was the Great Clock at the Palace of Westminster. It was what they relied upon to keep going one more day.

But this isn't just a book about the war. It is two love stories with two timelines.

Ellie is in her late 30s in the present time and while she's had a successful career with good friends, she never has been able to make a love relationship work. She is the daughter of Alice who is in a nursing home with memory relapses and health issues. Her mother reveals to her the location of a hidden box with keepsakes in her home. Of course, it peaks Elli's curiosity when she discovers the treasures which sends her on a trip to London to search for more clues about her ancestors.

Alice's parents are Nell and Arthur. It was her father that maintained Big Ben in the 1940s with two other clockmakers. Nell disappointed her father by falling for Arthur - a German and he was half Jewish. Yet, her love was incredibly strong putting her in challenging positions.

This historical fiction gives the reader a glimpse of ordinary people during the war struggling each day. Women for the first time stepped out of their traditional roles to help out giving them a greater sense of freedom. The images and characters were well developed in my mind and I enjoyed learning more about this time period.

My thanks to Daisy Wood, Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy to be released on July 8, 2021. ( )

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres but I couldn't get into this one. Like so many novels in this genre, there were dual timelines (a past and a present) and as usual, I preferred the historical one, although neither protagonist really impressed me. They lacked substance and were often irritating. What I enjoyed the most was all the interesting facts about Big Ben but otherwise a mediocre read. ( )

This book brings to life a time when emotions were high and hidden during WWII with the common folks. Many that survived were unable to talk about it afterwards to avoid reliving these treacherous times.

An elderly mother said to her daughter, "When I was growing up, nobody expected to be happy -- you just had to get on with things and make the best of them. After the war, we were grateful to be alive."

Prayer kept people going in the book. It gave them hope. Every evening in London at 9:00, Big Ben alerted people that it was time to pray for peace. It was the Great Clock at the Palace of Westminster. It was what they relied upon to keep going one more day.

But this isn't just a book about the war. It is two love stories with two timelines.

Ellie is in her late 30s in the present time and while she's had a successful career with good friends, she never has been able to make a love relationship work. She is the daughter of Alice who is in a nursing home with memory relapses and health issues. Her mother reveals to her the location of a hidden box with keepsakes in her home. Of course, it peaks Elli's curiosity when she discovers the treasures which sends her on a trip to London to search for more clues about her ancestors.

Alice's parents are Nell and Arthur. It was her father that maintained Big Ben in the 1940s with two other clockmakers. Nell disappointed her father by falling for Arthur - a German and he was half Jewish. Yet, her love was incredibly strong putting her in challenging positions.

This historical fiction gives the reader a glimpse of ordinary people during the war struggling each day. Women for the first time stepped out of their traditional roles to help out giving them a greater sense of freedom. The images and characters were well developed in my mind and I enjoyed learning more about this time period.

My thanks to Daisy Wood, Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy to be released on July 8, 2021. ( )