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Barbara's War #1
Barbara's War
Barbara Sinclair is desperate to escape from her home in Hastings. Her beloved half-brothers, Tom and David, are being sent to boarding school because the town is likely to be a target of the German Luftwaffe when the bombing starts and John Thorogood, a childhood friend, is also leaving to join
the RAF. Caught up by the emotion of the moment Barbara agrees to marry him when the war is
over.
She discovers her paternal grandparents know nothing about her and she is determined to find them.
Dr Edward Sinclair, her grandfather, is delighted to welcome Barbara to her father's ancestral home
but her reception from her grandmother is frosty. Nevertheless, she is enjoying her new life.
Barbara is obliged to return to Hastings and her grandfather accompanies her – this visit changes her life for ever.
Now she not only has John as a dear friend, but also has Simon Farley, the son of a local industrialist and Alex Everton, a handsome Spitfire pilot, taking an interest in her.
Then everything changes. Evil stalks her paradise. Will Simon, Alex or John be the man to save her
life?
the RAF. Caught up by the emotion of the moment Barbara agrees to marry him when the war is
over.
She discovers her paternal grandparents know nothing about her and she is determined to find them.
Dr Edward Sinclair, her grandfather, is delighted to welcome Barbara to her father's ancestral home
but her reception from her grandmother is frosty. Nevertheless, she is enjoying her new life.
Barbara is obliged to return to Hastings and her grandfather accompanies her – this visit changes her life for ever.
Now she not only has John as a dear friend, but also has Simon Farley, the son of a local industrialist and Alex Everton, a handsome Spitfire pilot, taking an interest in her.
Then everything changes. Evil stalks her paradise. Will Simon, Alex or John be the man to save her
life?
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 2, 2012
666 people are currently reading
767 people want to read
About the author
Fenella J. Miller
151 books150 followersFenella Jane Miller was born in the Isle of Man. Her father was a Yorkshire man and her mother the daughter of a Rajah. She has worked as a nanny, cleaner, field worker, hotelier, chef, secondary and primary teacher and is now a full time writer.
She has over twenty five Regency romantic adventures published plus one Jane Austen re-telling and one YA romantic fantasy.
see also Fenella-Jane Miller
She has over twenty five Regency romantic adventures published plus one Jane Austen re-telling and one YA romantic fantasy.
see also Fenella-Jane Miller
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
November 25, 2012
Set just before the Second World War took a firm hold, this is a coming-of-age novel about Barbara Sinclair. It is a well-composed story; it seems to meander along quite gently, but every now and then pathos, darkness, and drama taps you on the shoulder and gives you quite a jump!
Barbara is half-sister to two younger brothers; she is desperately unhappy at home and finds solace and comfort in her unquestioning mare, Silver, and her long-time friend, John. Her acceptance of his offer of marriage just before he goes off to train for combat is typical of her caring and loving nature; she couldn’t possibly send the young man off to war unhappy. The dramatic events of one particular evening lead her to seek out her dead father’s relatives with whom, after a tentative start, she settles. It is also where she meets Alex, who throws her emotions into a whirl, and Simon, who isn’t quite what he seems.
Barbara is very definitely the driver of this story and her development from a gentle, dominated, but well-liked young girl in her late teens, to a more mature, assertive, and attractive one is solid and well conceived. Fenella is adept at evoking the apprehension of the wartime atrocities to come, of portraying the emotions of a somewhat dysfunctional family and at climaxing the story with an unexpected turn of events. Her characters leap out of the page: I could see them all, from Barbara’s young innocent and impressionable brothers, her starchy grandmother, her cold and unfeeling stepfather and the young, brave and eager John, ready and willing to fight for his country, to the jaunty young Alex, and Simon’s somewhat shady father. A good author doesn’t make her reader struggle to image her characters and Fenella does this expertly.
A very enjoyable, captivating novel of the period; I hope Barbara will take us on her journey to womanhood soon!
Barbara is half-sister to two younger brothers; she is desperately unhappy at home and finds solace and comfort in her unquestioning mare, Silver, and her long-time friend, John. Her acceptance of his offer of marriage just before he goes off to train for combat is typical of her caring and loving nature; she couldn’t possibly send the young man off to war unhappy. The dramatic events of one particular evening lead her to seek out her dead father’s relatives with whom, after a tentative start, she settles. It is also where she meets Alex, who throws her emotions into a whirl, and Simon, who isn’t quite what he seems.
Barbara is very definitely the driver of this story and her development from a gentle, dominated, but well-liked young girl in her late teens, to a more mature, assertive, and attractive one is solid and well conceived. Fenella is adept at evoking the apprehension of the wartime atrocities to come, of portraying the emotions of a somewhat dysfunctional family and at climaxing the story with an unexpected turn of events. Her characters leap out of the page: I could see them all, from Barbara’s young innocent and impressionable brothers, her starchy grandmother, her cold and unfeeling stepfather and the young, brave and eager John, ready and willing to fight for his country, to the jaunty young Alex, and Simon’s somewhat shady father. A good author doesn’t make her reader struggle to image her characters and Fenella does this expertly.
A very enjoyable, captivating novel of the period; I hope Barbara will take us on her journey to womanhood soon!
January 4, 2015
This was an easy read but all a bit too 'jolly hockey sticks' and too good to be true most of the way through which made it quite predictable.
I'm hoping the 2nd book of the trilogy 'Barbara's War The Middle Years' will be better
I'm hoping the 2nd book of the trilogy 'Barbara's War The Middle Years' will be better
April 8, 2024
Brilliant story has kept me gripped cannot wait to read book 2.
February 17, 2013
Barbara Sinclair is a sweet and innocent eighteen year old girl, who wants to escape from her unloving mother and step-father. Barbara plans to do this by joining the Land Army, hoping this will give her the opportunity to escape from an extremely difficult home life.
When her good friend John, who she has known since she was a girl, kisses her on the day he is leaving for flying school, to fight for his country. Barbara feels shocked and confused, she had always thought that they were just good friends and she had never had any romantic feelings towards him what-so-ever. She feels she must respond to his feelings, fearing he may go away unhappy and hurt if not.
Then after a particular awful incident at home, Barbara learns that her deceased father’s parents, her grandparents are alive and she sets out to find them.
Will Barbara find peace and happiness if she finds her grandparents?
Can she ever love John anything more than like a brother? Or will the new life she seeks bring other temptations her way?
Barbara’s War is a superb novel set during the Second World War, about one young woman’s own personal war against the unhappy life and to seek happiness. It is a coming of age story that is excellently written, it has you gripped from page one and the wonderfully written plot is so very entertaining with the occasional unexpected happenings in the plot and the way it is written is in a fast pace which leaves the reader half-way through the book before you know it, happily passing time by too without you noticing. Barbara is a very sweet and likable character and I am pleased to hear that there will be a Barbara’s War Part Two, as I reached the end of the book, I did not want to leave it there. I cared so much about the character of Barbara that I wanted to read more and find out and to make sure she got her happily ever after.
When her good friend John, who she has known since she was a girl, kisses her on the day he is leaving for flying school, to fight for his country. Barbara feels shocked and confused, she had always thought that they were just good friends and she had never had any romantic feelings towards him what-so-ever. She feels she must respond to his feelings, fearing he may go away unhappy and hurt if not.
Then after a particular awful incident at home, Barbara learns that her deceased father’s parents, her grandparents are alive and she sets out to find them.
Will Barbara find peace and happiness if she finds her grandparents?
Can she ever love John anything more than like a brother? Or will the new life she seeks bring other temptations her way?
Barbara’s War is a superb novel set during the Second World War, about one young woman’s own personal war against the unhappy life and to seek happiness. It is a coming of age story that is excellently written, it has you gripped from page one and the wonderfully written plot is so very entertaining with the occasional unexpected happenings in the plot and the way it is written is in a fast pace which leaves the reader half-way through the book before you know it, happily passing time by too without you noticing. Barbara is a very sweet and likable character and I am pleased to hear that there will be a Barbara’s War Part Two, as I reached the end of the book, I did not want to leave it there. I cared so much about the character of Barbara that I wanted to read more and find out and to make sure she got her happily ever after.
October 16, 2013
A Second World War book of different layers
Barbara, the heroine is diffident, with low expectations and often defensive, but she engaged me from the beginning. I wanted to know more about her unhappy past and how she was going to make her way through the muddle of her present.
I love a book with twists and turns and this had plenty, mostly emotional but never maudlin, but with some dreadful background events. The characters surprise you, showing multiple often unexpected facets and their development as the story rolls on.
I won't spoil the story, but don't expect stereotypes or boring characters. The settings are well-described and you are in the farmyard, the town and the stable with Barbara. And then there's the mystery which leads Barbara into acute danger…
Recommended
Barbara, the heroine is diffident, with low expectations and often defensive, but she engaged me from the beginning. I wanted to know more about her unhappy past and how she was going to make her way through the muddle of her present.
I love a book with twists and turns and this had plenty, mostly emotional but never maudlin, but with some dreadful background events. The characters surprise you, showing multiple often unexpected facets and their development as the story rolls on.
I won't spoil the story, but don't expect stereotypes or boring characters. The settings are well-described and you are in the farmyard, the town and the stable with Barbara. And then there's the mystery which leads Barbara into acute danger…
Recommended
August 13, 2020
So, this book was set in a time period I enjoy reading about (WWII). However, the war was definately in the background and didn’t have much to do with the plot. I think the main character, Barbara, was a believable character, but I think some of the other characters could have been developed more. The story was good, but could have had more action. But perhaps that makes it more real. There was some toward the end and a surprise as well. The main complaint I have about the book was the number of typos in it. It really took away from reading the book. I usually find a typo/error here and there when I read a book, but this had an amazing number of typos. It was free so... lol. It is the first book of a series and perhaps more of the war will be part of the next books.
July 9, 2019
Barbara’s War
By Fenella Miller ....Fantastic story, was sorry when it finished so fast.. well put together, characters are believable. There are so many stories out there, it is eye opening to visualize how some folks could possibly live as the author describes. We in our protected environment don’t think about such strife. Fenella Miller brought her characters to life and pulled at all our sensibilities of right and wrong. Well done.
By Fenella Miller ....Fantastic story, was sorry when it finished so fast.. well put together, characters are believable. There are so many stories out there, it is eye opening to visualize how some folks could possibly live as the author describes. We in our protected environment don’t think about such strife. Fenella Miller brought her characters to life and pulled at all our sensibilities of right and wrong. Well done.
November 26, 2016
I love the period, so I was willing to overlook some flaws. Overall it was just OK.
August 7, 2017
A Simple Sweet Story
This is a simple story. A coming of age story set in England at the very beginning of England's entrance into WWII. A 17 year old girl badly mistreated by her mother leaves her hometown to find her paternal grandparents to start a new life. Lo and behold Grandpa is loving and rich and la dee da. Yes there is more to the story including good guys and bad guys and murder and a little mystery. And it was interesting to read a bit about some of the living conditions in England with the possibility of war coming to their shores, like gas masks and blackout curtains. But the ending comes quickly and everything gets resolved so easily, it's almost as if the author just ran out of paper. Bam!THE END!
This is a simple story. A coming of age story set in England at the very beginning of England's entrance into WWII. A 17 year old girl badly mistreated by her mother leaves her hometown to find her paternal grandparents to start a new life. Lo and behold Grandpa is loving and rich and la dee da. Yes there is more to the story including good guys and bad guys and murder and a little mystery. And it was interesting to read a bit about some of the living conditions in England with the possibility of war coming to their shores, like gas masks and blackout curtains. But the ending comes quickly and everything gets resolved so easily, it's almost as if the author just ran out of paper. Bam!THE END!
April 28, 2018
A boring and insipid story simply not fleshed out with any real meat. The dialogue is especially stilted and dull. The story just drones on and on, there's never a genuine drama or event that brings hero and protagonist to a conclusion. I found the separate eras overdrawn yet somehow insubstantial. I kept dozing off, just not enough to pull me in and keep me engaged. I quit 1/2 way through. Too dull for words. Pass.
August 27, 2024
Lovely read.
I enjoyed reading about Barbara's life at home and finally , relief when she joined her grandfather. Living in a home of abuse was a terrible experience and one that would have to be changed. Barbara needed help if she was going to survive the war that was coming. This book took the characters through the beginning of WWII.
I enjoyed reading about Barbara's life at home and finally , relief when she joined her grandfather. Living in a home of abuse was a terrible experience and one that would have to be changed. Barbara needed help if she was going to survive the war that was coming. This book took the characters through the beginning of WWII.
September 30, 2017
There is some suspense added at the end of the novel, but greater character development would strengthen the story.
There is some suspense added at the end of the novel. Greater in depth characterization would have led me to rate the story a 5.
There is some suspense added at the end of the novel. Greater in depth characterization would have led me to rate the story a 5.
August 20, 2018
Barbara, from being an ill-treated young girl to becoming the light of an old, forgotten family this story grows on slowly from grim to joy with blasts of simple surprises and excitements, explaining the life of English families during during the world war. A comfortably happy story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2018
Good story but stuff forlorn and terrible editing
While the story is enjoyable, the dialog is stuff and unnatural--more like speeches than conversation. The editing is terrible. Numerous errors and omissions detract significantly.
While the story is enjoyable, the dialog is stuff and unnatural--more like speeches than conversation. The editing is terrible. Numerous errors and omissions detract significantly.
March 24, 2019
This book is about a young woman who has been horribly treated. When her two younger brothers are to be shipped off to boarding school she endeavors to find a way to leave home herself.
It’s a good story but she can’t seem to decide about the young men in her life.
It’s a good story but she can’t seem to decide about the young men in her life.
July 3, 2021
The story’s not bad, but
It’s a difficult book to read, as the personal pronouns are often mixed up, making whoever it’s supposed to be unknown.
The writing is awkward - and the author needs more proofreaders.
It’s a difficult book to read, as the personal pronouns are often mixed up, making whoever it’s supposed to be unknown.
The writing is awkward - and the author needs more proofreaders.
March 6, 2024
Brilliant read
Loved this book kept me intreaged from beginning to the end. It had a bit of everything, romance, danger, murder, and some amusing parts.
Would thouraly enjoyed this book. Could not put it down.
Loved this book kept me intreaged from beginning to the end. It had a bit of everything, romance, danger, murder, and some amusing parts.
Would thouraly enjoyed this book. Could not put it down.
June 4, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyable book
I couldn't put this down. I'm not giving anything away. However, I've just finished it and I'm starting on the next one imminently even though it's 01:05 am!!!
I couldn't put this down. I'm not giving anything away. However, I've just finished it and I'm starting on the next one imminently even though it's 01:05 am!!!
October 31, 2024
Fantastic
What an absolutely amazing read right from the beginning to the end. It made me turn over the pages quickly to see what would happen next. It did not disappoint. The storyline was truly compelling as well as entertaining. Thank you for quite a few hours of reading 😊
What an absolutely amazing read right from the beginning to the end. It made me turn over the pages quickly to see what would happen next. It did not disappoint. The storyline was truly compelling as well as entertaining. Thank you for quite a few hours of reading 😊
August 26, 2019
This was a great goodread. The author’s writing made it easy to become a part of Barbara’s world. An emotional read that held my interest throughout the story.
March 9, 2021
Good story
Loved this story and the characters are great. Good twist and turns, can't wait to read the next book and the entire series.
Loved this story and the characters are great. Good twist and turns, can't wait to read the next book and the entire series.
April 7, 2021
This was a very good book.
May 10, 2021
Barbaras war
An feel good story with a touch of mystery taking place during the first part of Britain's war with Germany
An feel good story with a touch of mystery taking place during the first part of Britain's war with Germany
October 10, 2021
Heartwarming story
I enjoyed reading this book. It was different than I expected. More twist and turns. It kept me intrigued up until the last page.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was different than I expected. More twist and turns. It kept me intrigued up until the last page.
May 2, 2022
Barbara War
A very intense read it keeps you reading until the very end I couldn't put this book down it was gripping to very end
A very intense read it keeps you reading until the very end I couldn't put this book down it was gripping to very end
February 29, 2024
Great read
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and cannot wait to read the next in the series. Read this in just a few days.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and cannot wait to read the next in the series. Read this in just a few days.
March 1, 2024
The Pilots Girl
This is so Fenella Miller- slow start and with an unexpected fast twist at end - this one wanted a closing chapter in my opinion
Great Author and love her books
This is so Fenella Miller- slow start and with an unexpected fast twist at end - this one wanted a closing chapter in my opinion
Great Author and love her books
March 3, 2024
Barbara
Such a brave young lady..Overcoming many obstacles.. And becoming a strong kind person.. In spite of all her own problems
Such a brave young lady..Overcoming many obstacles.. And becoming a strong kind person.. In spite of all her own problems
June 20, 2024
A hard to put down book
Was engrossed in the first few pages. Already know the characters and their story line and want to read more
Was engrossed in the first few pages. Already know the characters and their story line and want to read more
June 23, 2024
The Pilot's Girl
An enjoyable read, will be interested to see what happens next, so many twists and turns in relationships. Hope you enjoy
An enjoyable read, will be interested to see what happens next, so many twists and turns in relationships. Hope you enjoy
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews