Aunt Letitia

by Dominic Luke

Dominic Luke is a major new talent and his debut novel draws a compelling picture of the swift-changing mores of early twentieth-century England. His writing deftly holds the reader in the grip of this endearing, intriguing protagonist and her complex life story. 'I hated my father. Absolutely loathed him,' said the old lady. The policeman wondered if the old woman was right in the head... In the autumn of 1940, 91-year-old Letitia Warner is determined to take her secrets with her to the grave. All that matters to her now is her dearly loved great-nephew, Hugh. As the war progresses and London is ravaged by bombs, Hugh's chance meeting with a girl he knew years before weakens Letitia's efforts to subdue her own long repressed memories of both her husband and hated father, the Bishop of Chanderton. Should she tell? Or keep silent and try to cling on long enough to see Hugh happy and settled before she dies?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Dominic Luke was born in London and lives in Northamptonshire. He has written five published novels: Aunt Letitia, a story ranging from the 1880s to the Second World War; the contemporary Snake in the Grass; and three interlinking novels set in the first decades of the twentieth century, Autumn Softly Fell, Nothing Undone Remains and Dreams That Veil.

Reviews

[Letitia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Obviously, due to the title, I HAD to read this book. Overall it wasn't too bad, but the ending left me wanting. The actual production of this book was horrible. A low-res blurry cover and the thickest pages I've ever felt in a book. Bizarre.

[Sarah B White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Novel About People Who Fled to Great Britain to Escape the Bombing by German Planes!

In this book, I met many people --people who lived in Great Britain and people who fled "the continent" hoping to find shelter from the bombing. I had previously read books about this topic, but I enjoyed the slant this author put on his topic. Read this book to meet the interesting characters from the area and those fleeing the German destruction on the continent. I enjoyed this book and hope you enjoy it also.

[Sally Hallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

WWII AND ALL ITS TRAGEDIES FOR THE ENGLISH

I always love a historical novel and this one is excellent. Makes a few points of reference to specific battles and events but mostly it is about the people of London and how they coped. Of course, there is a great set of gossipy stories to go along with it all. And you have to wait until the very end for it all to fit together. I will be looking for another book by this author immediately. Just so very good. Thank you for this story.

[judy cordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Mystery

I enjoyed all the characters! The various times of the past were well done .it felt like you were there

[Rachel McDine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secrets revealed

Good read held my interest to the very end .War was a difficult time for many this gave a very different perspective of what happened.