Time to Say Goodbye

by Katie Flynn

It’s 1939, and three 10-year-old girls meet on a station platform. Imogen, Rita, and Debby all missed the original evacuation, and now the authorities are finding it difficult to place them. When Auntie and her niece, Jill, who run the Canary and Linnet Public House, offer to take them in, the billeting officer is greatly relieved. The countryside is heaven to the three little townies, especially after they meet Woody and Josh, also evacuees. They find that by climbing to the top of the biggest tree in the beech wood they have a perfect bird’s-eye view of the nearest RAF station and are able to watch the comings and goings of the young fighter pilots as the Battle of Britain rages. Then they find an injured flier and the war becomes a stark reality. As they grow up, love and rivalry enter their lives and, 20 years on, when the girls decide on a reunion, many surprises come to light. . .

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, War

422 pages, Paperback

First published March 13, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Katie Flynn was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School, where she was extremely happy and extremely undistinguished. Published at the tender age of eight, in Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories, she joined a Writers’ Circle as an adult, publishing short stories, articles, etc; only turning to novels in 1971 because the postal strike cut off her main source of income!
At first she wrote under several different names – Judith Saxton, Judy Turner, Lydia Balmain, Judith Arden – but her Katie Flynn books were a delight to write and proved far more popular than she had dreamed. She has now published nearly ninety novels, twenty-seven of which are Flynns. Her most recent titles are: Lost Days of Summer and Christmas Wishes.

Reviews

[Liza · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must admit that it is a bit hard to relate to 11 year olds...

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and I found it very hard to put down. No matter how many times I have read this book it always gives me as much pleasure as the very first time I turned the pages. Storytelling at it's best.

[mois reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evacuees

I enjoyed this book from start to finish katie Flynn at her best I would recommend it to everyone to read

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Katie Flynn story - gentle but have to say this one was a bit slow.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely story of three little girls evacuated during the war and the friendships made that still remain twenty years later.Highly recommend this book 5*

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Second Katie Flynn book I have read but I think they are just not for me. Same storyline, predictable and used the word "presently" so excessively that I wanted to throw the book across the room.

[Kyliereadsalot · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy read, very much told from younger perspective. good story.

[Nicola Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice relaxing read, reminded me of famous five in the earlier part of the story. Not one of my favourite Katie Flynn books, but still a good read.

[Bernie Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those family sagas that hops back and forward in time quite successfully.

[chlorinda naish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood evacuation

The three girls were evacuated to Auntie's pub, getting to know two lads that were staying at a farm, they all helped with the harvesting and other things, able to get the time off school, as harvesting was important during the war.
Two of them married one of the other evacuees lads ,the other girl married a Polish pilot who was caught in a tree, obviously this was when they were older, the third girl became a hotelier and owned four hotels had married, without success.
Good story

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about three girls, Imogen, Rita and Debby who are evacuated at the start of world war two. After difficulties finding them a suitable place they find themselves at The Linnet and Canary, a public house in a small village. The landlady who they call 'Aunty' and her niece, Gill, welcome them into their home and family. They have adventures in the surrounding countryside, and mostly I found the story a little slow and sleepy. But the ending for me, made the whole book worth while, the last few chapters were beautiful and sort of made up for the rest of the book.

[Bev Walkling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this book today - another good one though with plenty of sad moments. The three main characters are girls who have been evacuated from Liverpool on the same day. Although they had never met before, they wanted to stick together and were lucky enough to be taken in by a loving pub owner. Each one had their own background of how war had affected them. The story begins with the "phony" war but continues on til wars end and beyond to the fifties. I shed tears.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little confused with this book. The author filled most of the book Enid Blyton style with young teens, picnics and food descriptions. I felt I was too old for this and the book must be targeted at teens and young adults. Then, in the last few pages, they all grow up and there is some pretty graphic description of a tragedy....so yes confusing but a simple and beautiful story

[Jocelet Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

O.k. Read

It was okay but it definitely took me longer to read than usual as I did find it a wee bit boring, more like an Enid Blyton adventure so won't be purchasing from this author again

[Mrs MJH Compton-Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice read, but a bit slow in places.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good recreation of the times - WWII & the evacuation of children - loved it

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book some time ago, and re read it again a great book as always by Katie Flynn.

[dave jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a happy ending

Didn’t disappoint was great from start to finish and the surprise at the end was brilliant I also like the children never guessed

[De Beresford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time to say Goodbye

Lovely read. Really enjoyed the different characters. Kept me wanting to know more. Cannot wait to read the next novel.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read for a Sunday evening cosy story which brought out lots of the issues of World War II without being overwhelming in the detail.

[Nanda Sampaio · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an OK book but it did not cat h mu attention fully

[Pauline Haney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though enjoyable, it was like an
Enid Blyton World War 2 adventure of five evacuees including lashings of ginger beer

[Christina Rochester · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick little read 📚

[Jane Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, will definitely be reading more of her books

[Janine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this to be very slow.

[Wendy Welford · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENJOYABLE

I had this on my tablet to pick up when I had a few moments ,it was an easy read .

[Psammead · Rating 3 out of 5]

😏Struggled a bit with this for well over the first half. I tend to find the with Katie's books. This was no exception. She dwells to long on the child aspect. This is almost a children's book.👎

[jean sargent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read enjoyed every page .

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of her best novels . I thought that the structure of the book was poor and the plots were hackneyed if not to say dubious! Would children have been evacuated from Liverpool to East Anglia? My Auntie lived in Suffolk and came to Lancashire with her children during the war. I don't think children would have been put near a RAF base! It would have been pointless. Also there were references by the children to Dachau and Auschwitz,I thought that people in the UK knew nothing about the concentration camps until the war ended.

[Hillingdon Libraries]

Find this book at Hillingdon Libraries