Goodnight From London

"I don't think I could describe it if I hadn't lived through it. It's as simple as that. The fear of the bombs is real enough, and if there's a man or woman in London who isn't scared ruing the raids I'd like to borrow some of their courage. It's their good humor that surprises me. How this city can paste a smile on its collective face and still get to work more or less on time, still get the jobs done that need doing, and apart from a wobbly moment here or there, still find things to joke and sing and laugh about, I haven't yet figured out. When I do I'll let you know..." ~ Dispatches from London by Miss Ruby Sutton, September 31, 1940."

To work abroad covering the results of the war in London is a dream come true for Ruby Sutton, a news correspondent for the American, a paper in the states. Now she will take her love of bringing readers right into the action while working for Picture Weekly as a staff writer along with sending back her stories for her own column with the American. It would be the job opportunity of a life time and with no family back home to miss her, she was the right person for the job. Now it would be time to let readers back in America what was happening as Hitler continued to barrage London in nighttime attacks known as the Blitz. Sharing with readers what it felt like made her stories sensational, desired and desperately read as well as selling quite a bit of papers in both places. Only the last thing she ever expected to face was losing those things closest to her.

Like most of victims of the war, she too, will be faced with the greatest challenge. As an orphan, she gave up hope long ago as well as forming any close relationships with men or women. It was the very reason she was sent to London, she had no ties at home. Now working with Mary, her photographer assigned to her, they will have to face the worst things war had to offer. Seeing places that have been leveled when the day before they might have walked the very street that had faced being bombed. It is the very reason that her articles resonated with readers. Even though they didn't have to face the things Ruby saw, they felt as if they were right there with her. It doesn't hurt that she has Captain Bennett to show her around when she gets to London and offers to contact her whenever he is in town. Yet just when it seems like Ruby is about to get a second chance at life, the war will remind her that nothing is guaranteed and tomorrow is just an illusion.

I received Goodnight From London by Jennifer Robson compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise. I absolutely love the little tidbits that close some of the chapters, bits and pieces of the wonderful articles that Ruby writes as well as some real life examples of woman reporters covering the war across the pond. It's that basis for historical facts that make novels like this one worth reading. It's so much better than history books, even though there is much fabricated to make readers connect with the characters, but I truly love Ruby's sense of adventure and responsibility to do what very few women were able to do. Take readers into the heart of what she was seeing, from sitting in a shelter while bombs were being dropped or simply interviewing those who had lost everything. I'd give this novel a 4.5 out of 5 stars and can't wait to read more from her in the future.

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Goodnight From London by Jennifer Robson

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