Title: Whispers of War
Author: Julia Kelly
Call #: FIC Kelly
Published: 2020
Fans of Julia Kelly's last novel, The Light Over London will thoroughly enjoy Kelly's newest foray into WW II fiction, The Whispers of War. Told with the same attention to detail and celebration of female friendship, this story transports the reader to London, England in 1939, just as tensions between Germany and England are reaching their peak. The story of Marie, Nora and Hazel is relayed via a dual historical timeline. In the present, Marie's granddaughter Samantha journeys from Chicago to England to visit Nora, an old friend of her late grandmother. Samantha has been tasked with both returning a special gift that Nora had given to Marie, as well as having the burden of writing her grandmother's eulogy. Samantha is filled with regret because she did not take the time to learn about her grandmother's life when she was alive and now wants to learn everything she can from the woman who knew her so well during her life in England. Still sharp as a tack at 103, Nora, with the assistance of her grandson, Daniel, tells the tale of Marie, Nora, and their best friend, Hazel. Marie is German-born and has lived with her Uncle, Aunt, and cousin for many years in London, considering herself more British than German. Her way of life soon becomes threatened with the increased tensions between Germany and England. Anyone who is German in England instantaneously becomes suspect. Hazel, is a successful matchmaker, excelling at what she does while all the while knowing that her own marriage is falling apart. Posh Nora enjoys her life as an independent woman with a house and a job in the Home Office. While the story is largely Marie's because of her experiences as a German national living in England during the beginning of war, Kelly deftly ties all three characters together through their shared experiences and fierce attachment to each other. This book was so good, that I quickly found myself eagerly turning the pages to see where the the next twists and turns were. I nearly read the book in one sitting, and found myself carrying the book around with me with the hope that I could sneak in a page here or there until I had more time to finish the book. Highly recommended!
Jill B.
Popular Materials Manager