The Dearest And The Best

by Leslie Thomas

In the spring of 1940, the spectre of war turned into grim reality.And on the English home front, men, women and children found themselves swept into a maelstrom of fear and uncertainty while events abroad led inexorably from the debacles of Norway and Dunkirk to the horror and glory of the Battle of Britain.For the Lovatt family - James, seconded on a hush-hush assignment to work with Churchill, and his brother Harry, a naval officer - for Bess Spofford, Joanne Schorner, Graham Smit and all the inhabitants of the history villages of the New Forest, it was the beginning of the most bizarre, funny and tragic episode of their lives.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, British Literature, War

544 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 8, 1984

About the author

Born in Newport, Monmouthshire, 1931, Leslie Thomas is the son of a sailor who was lost at sea in 1943. His boyhood in an orphanage is evoked in This Time Next Week, published in 1964. At sixteen, he became a reporter, before going on to do his national service. He won worldwide acclaim with his bestselling novel The Virgin Soldiers, which has achieved international sales of over four million copies.

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This book had all the elements to be a good book but I felt the execution was poor and almost from the start I battled with my conscience whether or not to finish it. I continued to read it despite this and in the end just wanted to finish it.

I've read several books on the 2nd World War which for me were much better and had stories that flowed with characters you could identify with. I don't think I will read another of this authors books anytime soon and I'm just glad I got to the end.

[Mr R F Pullinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I go back a long way reading Leslie Thomas,The Virgin Soldiers leading me to a lifetime of enjoyment thanks to Leslie,
I felt it was time to revisit a few of his novels. (Probabley all of them!)
The Dearest and the Best is a really interesting story of England at the outbreak of World War 2.
It captures the resilience of the public trying to do their bit for the country.
The Dunkirk spirit, the Home Guard, The Battle of Britain, and bombing raids across the coastal areas and London.
He weaves all of this together with some great characters as always
A nostalgic return to a wonderful author.

[Jeff pollard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leslie Thomas

Always had a soft spot for MrThomas being a welshman and all.I find his gentle humour and his deft storytelling make reading such a pleasure.adfing so much colour to past triumphs and disasters.just wonderful 👍.

[Fred Kingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good insight into life in Britain during the first year of WW2 told fictitiously but accurate historically, prepare for tears and laughter when reading this.

[Sue Garwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant evocation of the first year of WWII. Credible, memorable characters and Great prose.