You all know I love historical fiction, and my favorite is usually American Historical Fiction, meaning of course, that it is set in America. However, I have read several World War 2 historical fiction books lately that I really enjoyed and they all happened to be set in England. If you are looking for some World War 2 historical fiction check out some of these titles!
The Last Night in London
This book opens in 2019 as journalist Maddie Warner travels to England to work on an article in which she gets to interview the famous model Precious Dubose about the fashions and times of World War II and the impact the war made on fashion. The elderly Precious is known to not like to open up to people but she sees something worth opening to in young Maddie. Perhaps this is because Precious, like Maddie, has secrets that run deep buried in her past.
The contrasting storyline takes us back to right before the war in 1939 when Precious Dubose is a young model who recently arrived in England, sharing a flat with her fellow model and friend, Eva Harlow. Eva is desperately trying to better her station in life which means leaving her past as far behind her as she can. This becomes imperative for Eva to do as she starts to develop a relationship with the handsome and socially elite, Graham St. John. However, Eva’s secrets aren’t as well hidden as she would like and before she knows it Eva is blackmailed into being an informant lest her secrets, as well as the very lives of those she hold dear, become threatened.
Secrets of a Charmed Life
Emily has dreams of becoming a wedding dress designer. She is actively pursuing these dreams at the age of 15 when she lands a job in a local wedding dress shop. However, such dreams may have to wait as World War II is underway and Britain has come under attack with threats of bombing from Germany. Still being underage, Emmy and her seven-year-old little sister, Julia, are sent to live in the country. This means Emmy has to leave her job at the wedding dress makers which she is loath to do.
Then one day Emmy receives a letter from her old boss inviting her to come to London and meet her boss’s brother—a well-known costume designer who may be willing to tutor Emmy and enormously enhance her career opportunities. Emmy determines to sneak away from this house in the country in the middle of the night to make this meeting—but problems arise for Emmy when Julia discovers her plans and threatens to give Emmy away, unless Emmy takes Julia with her.
Having made their way back to England, Emmy leaves Julia in their mother’s flat while she goes to her meeting. Partway through her meeting, the blitz starts. Emmy is frantic to get back to Julia but it is not easy to make one’s way through a city being riddled with bombs. When Emmy at last gets back to their flat—Julia is gone. Will they both make it through the blitz and be reunited again?
In America we remember the shortages, rationing, and those on the home front were forced to practice but the Brits had it far worse. Imagine sending away your child for their safely in a time of war, not knowing if you would ever see them again, not knowing who you would lose in the nightly bombings. This novel brought to my attention more of the destruction of Britain than I ever gave thought to before now.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Beth had one of the best minds in the country so why is she in an insane asylum now? She remembers the events leading up to her being taken, kicking and screaming, to the asylum but something still isn’t making sense—there is a missing piece of the puzzle. Will her two once-closest friends come to her rescue?
Osla, Mab, and Beth are friends working together at Bletchley Park, a British intelligence building, where they all work on secret undercover operations to break the German enigma. What happens to split them apart?
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
I listened to this as an audiobook and I couldn’t stop! Told from the rotating perspective of three women, the author, Pam Jenoff, does a great job of keeping you enthralled through the entire tale. This is a story about the women spies, stationed in France, who worked for the British intelligence during World War II. One wrong move could mean death, not just for one of the spies, but for all in their network. The women are working diligently and making progress when a few odd things start to occur—it seems there may be a spy among them….
A decade later, young Grace Heasley discovers an unattended valise tucked under a bench at Grand Central Station. Opening it she finds 12 photographs of young women, around her own age. Grace impulsively tucks the photos into her purse and leaves. Overcome with guilt for stealing the photos, Grace returns later that day hoping to replace the photos, but the valise is gone!
Grace now begins to feel a responsibility to the girls in the photos and pressure to seek out the owner of the valise, a task that proves near impossible. Why were their pictures being carried about in a suitcase? Grace can’t stop her inquisitive nature and so begins her journey to get to the bottom of this mystery, a journey that ends up being much more than Grace bargained for.
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
3 Gripping historical fiction books set in Pittsburgh