Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50796 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
`It is funny, deceptively ambitious, robustly detailed and extremely sad.' --The Sunday Times

Review
`Add this to your list', `this vivid story of lost love is tender, funny and hugely entertaining'

Good Housekeeping, Kerry Fowler
'...spirited prose that captures the mood of doodlebug London, this is a total joy of a debut novel'

Customer Reviews

An enjoyable read, but not outstanding
I enjoyed reading this book. Set against a backdrop of the Second World War and the post-war years, the two main characters recall, with no trace of bitterness or resentment, the austerity of working class living conditions in Britain at the time. Rooney tells a poignant and moving story of a youthful romance that, because of the war, never had a real chance to develop. What did develop instead for one character was a stable, solid, caring relationship, but one which lacked love and lacked passion, for the other a relationship that was not without passion, but did lack stability. The one chance much later to re-kindle the original romance was regrettably not seized. This is all recalled in a clear, simple and lucid style, with impeccable attention to detail, great fondness, creative and imaginative use of imagery and touches of both tragedy and wry, whimsical humour. All in all, it is a beautifully crafted story.

But while I enjoyed the book a lot, I would not give it five stars for three reasons. Firstly, although it is a poignant and moving story that is extremely well told, the writing lacks that `spark' that makes the difference between writing and literature - Rooney is an excellent 'word technician' but lacks real artistry with words. Secondly, constructing the whole of the book as alternating first-person narratives works well only if the styles of the two 'voices' are markedly different. In this case they were not, and whilst this might be overcome by dramatisation of the book (as has happened), the similarity of the style throughout makes for slightly tedious reading at times. Thirdly, having kept the book moving at a reasonable pace, it slows in the last 30 or 40 pages to a sluggish and slightly dreary progression to an all too predictable ending.

Nevertheless, it is extremely good for a first novel and I would certainly look forward to reading anything else by this author in the future.

The power of love.
This book is about two elderly people and the cruel twist that WWII played on their lives. Michael is an elderly man now. He is in hospital and has lost the power of speech. He communicates by writing on a pad. Stevie is recovering from the death of her husband and living temporarily with her daughter Emily and granddaughter Anna. The two main characters tell their story in alternate chapters. They talk about how they met and fell in love but were then parted when Michael got called up. Neither of the two know about each other's present day circumstances and we hear them reminiscing about each other.

This tale is poignant and heartbreaking, but filled with a gentle humour. Rooney has written a believable tale about wartime love and the hardships that people of that time endured. She has made the characters come to life on the pages and created a warm, uplifting tale about the power of love.

Is it too late?
Stevie and Michael are both nearing the end of their lives - Michael in hospital and Stevie (short for Stephanie) recovering from the death of her husband. Told in alternate chapters by the two main characters, we hear about how they met and fell in love and the cataclysmic effect World War II had on their lives and relationship. Michael can no longer speak and communicates with his nurses by means of pad and pencil. Stevie spends her days in the library reading her way through the large print fiction section from A to Z and living temporarily with her daughter Emily and grand daughter Anna. These are ordinary people, caught up in the maelstrom of war and facing serious ethical amd moral dilemmas. The sections about Michael and his job during the war providing homing pigeons for secret missions behind enemy lines is fascinating.
The story is poignant and amusing. Neither Michael nor Stevie are self pitying about the mistakes in their lives. The characters are believable and three dimensional, even those who play a minor part. Michael's father with his reckless disregard for personal safety; Stevie's mother with her concern for appearances but her lack of judgement when her own daughter becomes pregnant out of wedlock. A well written book from a talent to watch, which as the cover says is sure to become a favourite with book groups.