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Wilfred@& Eileen
Wilfred and Eileen is by Jonathan Smith, author of several novels and non-fiction books. For many years he taught at Tonbridge School and one day the young Anthony Seldon (now the Master of Wellington and the biographer of Tony Blair) told him the story of his grandparents Wilfred and Eileen Willett. Jonathan Smith's first novel a few years later was based on their lives.
Wilfred Willett was 22 in 1912 when, at a May Ball at Trinity College, Cambridge, he met Eileen Stenhouse. The couple fell in love but because of parental opposition on both sides they married in secret. The approach of the First World War is evoked with great simplicity; Eileen stays living at home in Kensington whilst Wilfred continues his medical studies at the London Hospital. When Wilfred joins up and is shot in the head it is only through the efforts of his wife and colleaugues that he survives. The Financial Times reviewer noted that it recaptured the spirit of WWI 'with such curious convinction that I almost felt I had come accross some lost document of the time.'
However, this 'delightful novel' (Margaret Drabble) also focuses on the beginning of the Willetts' new life in deepest Kent after the War. It is a charming, poignant book which manages to write about harrowing matters without being in itself harrowing.
Wilfred Willett was 22 in 1912 when, at a May Ball at Trinity College, Cambridge, he met Eileen Stenhouse. The couple fell in love but because of parental opposition on both sides they married in secret. The approach of the First World War is evoked with great simplicity; Eileen stays living at home in Kensington whilst Wilfred continues his medical studies at the London Hospital. When Wilfred joins up and is shot in the head it is only through the efforts of his wife and colleaugues that he survives. The Financial Times reviewer noted that it recaptured the spirit of WWI 'with such curious convinction that I almost felt I had come accross some lost document of the time.'
However, this 'delightful novel' (Margaret Drabble) also focuses on the beginning of the Willetts' new life in deepest Kent after the War. It is a charming, poignant book which manages to write about harrowing matters without being in itself harrowing.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 25, 2014
I have read ‘Winifred and Eileen’ before, years and years ago. The details had gone from my mind when I learned that the book was to be added to the Persephone list, but I did remember that I had been very taken with it, and that I looked for a long time, without success, for other books by the same author.
Some time later, when I’d given up looking, I found a copy of ‘Summer in February’ in a charity shop. But that’s another story for another day ….
The story opens in 1913, as Wilfred Willett is coming to the end of his studies at Trinity College Cambridge, and looking forward to taking the next steps towards becoming a surgeon. He meets Eileen Stenhouse at a May Ball, and they begin to talk while they both, superstitiously, sitting out the thirteenth dance of the evening. It would be the beginning of a love affair.
Their relationship met with disapproval from each side of the family. Neither thought that the other was good enough for their child. And so Wilfred and Eileen married secretly, and they planned to keep their secret until Wilfred finished his training and they could be financially independent of both families.
Of course their secret came out, and then a ‘proper’ wedding was forced upon them.
They were happy. He was an idealist and a worker; she was quiet, patient and supportive; they understood each other.
And they were utterly real.
And that wasn’t just because this is a novel inspired by a real story, by a real Wilfred and Eileen. It is because Jonathan Smith; writing made them real. He observes them carefully and sensitively, picking up just the right details to explain their lives, their times, their relationships, without ever seeming intrusive.
These would have been ordinary lives, beautifully illuminated, had it not been for the times.
Wilfred went to war, and Eileen was lost without him. And yet, when Wilfred was terribly injured, she found the strength to fight, to bring him home, and to make sure that everything possible is done for him, to give him a chance, to give him his life back.
The writing is simple and understated, but it has such depth and power that it could not fail to move any reader.
I caught my breath at several points, because I was so caught up in the world of this man and this woman, because I so felt for them and their situation.
Their story could not have been better told. It is beautifully written, perfectly paced, and utterly true to its period.
It speaks profoundly of love, courage and the consequences of war.
And I’m not going to write any more, because I lack the words to do justice to the story – and the real lives – of Wilfred and Eileen
Except to say that is a very fine, and very timely, addition to the Persephone list ….
Some time later, when I’d given up looking, I found a copy of ‘Summer in February’ in a charity shop. But that’s another story for another day ….
The story opens in 1913, as Wilfred Willett is coming to the end of his studies at Trinity College Cambridge, and looking forward to taking the next steps towards becoming a surgeon. He meets Eileen Stenhouse at a May Ball, and they begin to talk while they both, superstitiously, sitting out the thirteenth dance of the evening. It would be the beginning of a love affair.
Their relationship met with disapproval from each side of the family. Neither thought that the other was good enough for their child. And so Wilfred and Eileen married secretly, and they planned to keep their secret until Wilfred finished his training and they could be financially independent of both families.
Of course their secret came out, and then a ‘proper’ wedding was forced upon them.
They were happy. He was an idealist and a worker; she was quiet, patient and supportive; they understood each other.
And they were utterly real.
And that wasn’t just because this is a novel inspired by a real story, by a real Wilfred and Eileen. It is because Jonathan Smith; writing made them real. He observes them carefully and sensitively, picking up just the right details to explain their lives, their times, their relationships, without ever seeming intrusive.
These would have been ordinary lives, beautifully illuminated, had it not been for the times.
Wilfred went to war, and Eileen was lost without him. And yet, when Wilfred was terribly injured, she found the strength to fight, to bring him home, and to make sure that everything possible is done for him, to give him a chance, to give him his life back.
The writing is simple and understated, but it has such depth and power that it could not fail to move any reader.
I caught my breath at several points, because I was so caught up in the world of this man and this woman, because I so felt for them and their situation.
Their story could not have been better told. It is beautifully written, perfectly paced, and utterly true to its period.
It speaks profoundly of love, courage and the consequences of war.
And I’m not going to write any more, because I lack the words to do justice to the story – and the real lives – of Wilfred and Eileen
Except to say that is a very fine, and very timely, addition to the Persephone list ….
April 27, 2014
Kindly sent to me by Persephone books
Wilfred and Eileen is now firmly one of my all-time favourite Persephone books, and I have read quite a lot of them. I was also delighted to find that the book sits very nicely alongside the books I am reading for the Great War theme read.
“Wilfred felt he would like to talk to her and this was surely a good moment, the moment seemed to matter. Don’t hesitate, Wilfred: Wilfred was always looking back at things or ahead to things, never occupying the space – he reprimanded himself for this. But she might take a low view if he obviously moved across to talk to her. Who did he think he was?”
wilfred and eileenThis delightful novel starts in 1913; Wilfred Willet is coming to the end of his four years at Cambridge about to embark on his medical training at the London Hospital. At a May ball, Wilfred meets Eileen Stenhouse who has accompanied another young man but with whom he strikes up a conversation. As they sit out the thirteenth dance that evening the two take their first tentative steps in a love affair that will lead to a lifetime together.
Full of ideas Wilfred begins his medical training with all the idealism of youth, working hard and meeting Eileen whenever he can. The two are soon devoted to one another, despite the lukewarm reception to their relationship from both families. Knowing that it will be years before Wilfred can provide a home for them, the couple decide to marry in secret at the Registry Office. Unable to live together, the couple take to spending precious time together at a small hotel, before going their separate ways back to their family homes.
As war comes to Europe and patriotic fervour sweeps the country, Wilfred decides to lay his medical studies to one side for a time and joins the London Rifle Brigade much to Eileen’s distress. With Wilfred about to go off for Officer training, the truth about their marriage is revealed, and the couple are hastily propelled into going through a “proper” church service to legitimise their union, with a quiet little announcement the next day in the Times.
By early October 1914 Wilfred is in France, and then on to Belgium, writing to Eileen whenever he can, telling her honestly how very much he misses her, and how frightened he is at the idea of battle. In December Wilfred is horribly injured while trying to help another soldier. It is now that Eileen comes into her own, showing an incredible toughness and determination, to get to her young husband and then later to bring him home, and find him the treatment he needs.
“Wilfred was dreadfully shaken as they pulled into Whitechapel Road. Eileen’s hand pressed on his cheek while she explained her plan: they were to ask for Mr Jenkins, no one else would do; if he was not in he was to be called and told one of his students needed his attention. Wilfred’s name would do the trick, surely.”
The story is really that of Eileen, she was a remarkable young woman, for a woman of her background to have travelled alone to France in the early months of the war was fairly unconventional. She absolutely believed in Wilfred’s need of her, that his recovery depended on her being with him. The sympathetic and affectionate portrayal of Wilfred and Eileen’s relationship alongside Eileen’s unwavering determination is what makes this novel such a joy to read.
Jonathan Smith’s writing is really very good, there’s a deceptive simplicity to it that hides the poignant depths that the story of these two engaging young people takes us. As I read I became convinced that Wilfred and Eileen must have been real people, they felt so very real to me, their story resonated with me in the way a true story often will. I hadn’t read any background information about this novel before I began reading it, and so I was delighted by the revelation in the author’s afterward. They were real people. Jonathon Smith wrote this novel having been told the story of the real Wilfred and Eileen Willett by their grandson – a pupil of Smith’s. His afterward describes how he came to write this novel, and his meetings with Wilfred and Eileen’s daughter, leaving us with a wonderful sense of the couple behind the story. I am now determined to track down a copy of Jonathan Smith’s other novel ‘Summer in February’.
Wilfred and Eileen is now firmly one of my all-time favourite Persephone books, and I have read quite a lot of them. I was also delighted to find that the book sits very nicely alongside the books I am reading for the Great War theme read.
“Wilfred felt he would like to talk to her and this was surely a good moment, the moment seemed to matter. Don’t hesitate, Wilfred: Wilfred was always looking back at things or ahead to things, never occupying the space – he reprimanded himself for this. But she might take a low view if he obviously moved across to talk to her. Who did he think he was?”
wilfred and eileenThis delightful novel starts in 1913; Wilfred Willet is coming to the end of his four years at Cambridge about to embark on his medical training at the London Hospital. At a May ball, Wilfred meets Eileen Stenhouse who has accompanied another young man but with whom he strikes up a conversation. As they sit out the thirteenth dance that evening the two take their first tentative steps in a love affair that will lead to a lifetime together.
Full of ideas Wilfred begins his medical training with all the idealism of youth, working hard and meeting Eileen whenever he can. The two are soon devoted to one another, despite the lukewarm reception to their relationship from both families. Knowing that it will be years before Wilfred can provide a home for them, the couple decide to marry in secret at the Registry Office. Unable to live together, the couple take to spending precious time together at a small hotel, before going their separate ways back to their family homes.
As war comes to Europe and patriotic fervour sweeps the country, Wilfred decides to lay his medical studies to one side for a time and joins the London Rifle Brigade much to Eileen’s distress. With Wilfred about to go off for Officer training, the truth about their marriage is revealed, and the couple are hastily propelled into going through a “proper” church service to legitimise their union, with a quiet little announcement the next day in the Times.
By early October 1914 Wilfred is in France, and then on to Belgium, writing to Eileen whenever he can, telling her honestly how very much he misses her, and how frightened he is at the idea of battle. In December Wilfred is horribly injured while trying to help another soldier. It is now that Eileen comes into her own, showing an incredible toughness and determination, to get to her young husband and then later to bring him home, and find him the treatment he needs.
“Wilfred was dreadfully shaken as they pulled into Whitechapel Road. Eileen’s hand pressed on his cheek while she explained her plan: they were to ask for Mr Jenkins, no one else would do; if he was not in he was to be called and told one of his students needed his attention. Wilfred’s name would do the trick, surely.”
The story is really that of Eileen, she was a remarkable young woman, for a woman of her background to have travelled alone to France in the early months of the war was fairly unconventional. She absolutely believed in Wilfred’s need of her, that his recovery depended on her being with him. The sympathetic and affectionate portrayal of Wilfred and Eileen’s relationship alongside Eileen’s unwavering determination is what makes this novel such a joy to read.
Jonathan Smith’s writing is really very good, there’s a deceptive simplicity to it that hides the poignant depths that the story of these two engaging young people takes us. As I read I became convinced that Wilfred and Eileen must have been real people, they felt so very real to me, their story resonated with me in the way a true story often will. I hadn’t read any background information about this novel before I began reading it, and so I was delighted by the revelation in the author’s afterward. They were real people. Jonathon Smith wrote this novel having been told the story of the real Wilfred and Eileen Willett by their grandson – a pupil of Smith’s. His afterward describes how he came to write this novel, and his meetings with Wilfred and Eileen’s daughter, leaving us with a wonderful sense of the couple behind the story. I am now determined to track down a copy of Jonathan Smith’s other novel ‘Summer in February’.
August 6, 2017
i love real life war romance so much and this one is so very discreet and yet holds real power and strength
December 20, 2014
A fascinating story, a novelised biography of a real-life English couple who met in 1913, married secretly without the consent or knowledge of either set of parents, and acted with courage and determination when the husband was wounded in World War I. He had to give up his hopes of qualifying as a surgeon and face lifelong disability; she travelled to France to fetch him from the hospital and probably saved his life by bringing him to London where he could be operated on.
The story was told briefly to Jonathan Smith, a teacher, by one of his pupils who was their grandson. He then met their daughter and had access to letters and Wilfred's diary. All the same, he's clearly made up a lot, a delicate business when you're using your characters' real names and, as he says in the Afterword, when your characters' children are still alive. I think he brought it off very well.
The story was told briefly to Jonathan Smith, a teacher, by one of his pupils who was their grandson. He then met their daughter and had access to letters and Wilfred's diary. All the same, he's clearly made up a lot, a delicate business when you're using your characters' real names and, as he says in the Afterword, when your characters' children are still alive. I think he brought it off very well.
July 7, 2015
1. HAVE I HEARD OF THE AUTHOR? WHO IS SHE AND WHAT IS HER LIFE STORY?
Surprise! This book was written by a man! Non-surprisingly, it is someone that I don't know.
Jonathan Smith was born in 1942 and is still alive. From what I could find, he's most famous for all his writing and radio plays. An interesting fun fact from the afterword of the book is that the story of Eileen and Wilfred really happened and was brought to Jonathan by a student of his. He based his story on real life letters and information from family members.
2. WHAT DID THIS BOOK TEACH ME? (THIS COULD BE ABOUT THE TIME PERIOD, WOMANHOOD, DAILY STRUGGLES,...)
This book taught me that war is hard. Really hard. Most movies I see focus on the toll World War I took on soldiers and most books that I've read focused on the toll the war took on the women. However Jonathan Smith combines these two elements to make it all the more clear why the war was so difficult and how everyone involved suffers.
It also taught me a lot about medicine, something I didn't expect. Before the war, Wilfried is a doctor in training and there are a lot of scenes in which he is in a hospital in the 1910s. Even though I was always aware of how different hospitals were in that era, it was really enlightening to read about and see how, for example, one doctor firmly believes in never wearing gloves. And he is one of the best in the hospital.
3. IS THERE A MORE FAMOUS BOOK I COULD COMPARE THIS BOOK TO?
This question is hard, but I think useful for future readers out there. I'm currently reading H.E. Bates Fair Stood the Wind For France and I must say it reminds me of Wilfred and Eileen. But then again, it's so different in that Bates starts in the middle of war and Jonathan Smith lets us see the characters before the war and really contrasts how much their lives change.
So if anyone has read the book and has better suggestion as to what book it resembles, please let me know in the comments!
I will say this: if you love season 2 of Mr. Selfridge, you'll love this book too. It's the same time period and shows the same devastation caused by war.
4. WHY DOES THIS BOOK MATTER?
This book is so important in that it tackles the influence of war in a very modern way. This book is not hard to read at all, it's easy and intriguing and once you start, the writing just sweeps you away. From my experience, a lot of young people consider the war, especially the first world war, boring and dated. I know that I always felt like I had nothing in common with "those people" anymore. However, books like these show us that we have everything in common with people from that era. They loved just like us, they cried just like us and they searched for happiness just like us. If more young people read Wilfred and Eileen, the war would become more alive again and there would be more motivation to prevent it from ever happening again. Wilfred and Eileen are just like any boy and girl in London these days and their heartache hits remarkably close to home.
5. ARE THERE MEN IN THE BOOK AND WHAT IS THEIR ROLE?
As the title suggest, yes there are men. The story alternates between Wilfred and Eileen, but especially in the beginning, Wilfred is the most important character and we really see the world through his point of view. We experience his years at Cambridge, his medical residency and then the letters he writers to Eileen while he's in the war. I personally related most to Wilfred, though there's plenty of Eileen in the story to relate to.
CONCLUSION
I absolutely loved this book. When I picked it up, I wondered why it was a Persephone book; it's not written by a woman nor is the narrator always a woman. However, after finishing it, I have no doubt why it belongs firmly in the Persephone catalogue; this book shows the daily life and struggles of families left behind in the war. We see what Eileen does when she's left alone in England with her husband fighting in the war. We see her remarkable strength when stuff goes wrong and she has to step in to help everyone. She's strong, powerful and yet completely relatable and realistic. I've never read a book about the war that felt so real and educational, yet was at the same time such an absolute joy to read. I'll pick this book up any day.
Surprise! This book was written by a man! Non-surprisingly, it is someone that I don't know.
Jonathan Smith was born in 1942 and is still alive. From what I could find, he's most famous for all his writing and radio plays. An interesting fun fact from the afterword of the book is that the story of Eileen and Wilfred really happened and was brought to Jonathan by a student of his. He based his story on real life letters and information from family members.
2. WHAT DID THIS BOOK TEACH ME? (THIS COULD BE ABOUT THE TIME PERIOD, WOMANHOOD, DAILY STRUGGLES,...)
This book taught me that war is hard. Really hard. Most movies I see focus on the toll World War I took on soldiers and most books that I've read focused on the toll the war took on the women. However Jonathan Smith combines these two elements to make it all the more clear why the war was so difficult and how everyone involved suffers.
It also taught me a lot about medicine, something I didn't expect. Before the war, Wilfried is a doctor in training and there are a lot of scenes in which he is in a hospital in the 1910s. Even though I was always aware of how different hospitals were in that era, it was really enlightening to read about and see how, for example, one doctor firmly believes in never wearing gloves. And he is one of the best in the hospital.
3. IS THERE A MORE FAMOUS BOOK I COULD COMPARE THIS BOOK TO?
This question is hard, but I think useful for future readers out there. I'm currently reading H.E. Bates Fair Stood the Wind For France and I must say it reminds me of Wilfred and Eileen. But then again, it's so different in that Bates starts in the middle of war and Jonathan Smith lets us see the characters before the war and really contrasts how much their lives change.
So if anyone has read the book and has better suggestion as to what book it resembles, please let me know in the comments!
I will say this: if you love season 2 of Mr. Selfridge, you'll love this book too. It's the same time period and shows the same devastation caused by war.
4. WHY DOES THIS BOOK MATTER?
This book is so important in that it tackles the influence of war in a very modern way. This book is not hard to read at all, it's easy and intriguing and once you start, the writing just sweeps you away. From my experience, a lot of young people consider the war, especially the first world war, boring and dated. I know that I always felt like I had nothing in common with "those people" anymore. However, books like these show us that we have everything in common with people from that era. They loved just like us, they cried just like us and they searched for happiness just like us. If more young people read Wilfred and Eileen, the war would become more alive again and there would be more motivation to prevent it from ever happening again. Wilfred and Eileen are just like any boy and girl in London these days and their heartache hits remarkably close to home.
5. ARE THERE MEN IN THE BOOK AND WHAT IS THEIR ROLE?
As the title suggest, yes there are men. The story alternates between Wilfred and Eileen, but especially in the beginning, Wilfred is the most important character and we really see the world through his point of view. We experience his years at Cambridge, his medical residency and then the letters he writers to Eileen while he's in the war. I personally related most to Wilfred, though there's plenty of Eileen in the story to relate to.
CONCLUSION
I absolutely loved this book. When I picked it up, I wondered why it was a Persephone book; it's not written by a woman nor is the narrator always a woman. However, after finishing it, I have no doubt why it belongs firmly in the Persephone catalogue; this book shows the daily life and struggles of families left behind in the war. We see what Eileen does when she's left alone in England with her husband fighting in the war. We see her remarkable strength when stuff goes wrong and she has to step in to help everyone. She's strong, powerful and yet completely relatable and realistic. I've never read a book about the war that felt so real and educational, yet was at the same time such an absolute joy to read. I'll pick this book up any day.
December 24, 2017
3.5 rating
April 26, 2025
I didn't realize till the author's note at the end that Wilfred and Eileen is based on a true story of love and war, which makes it that much more powerful in my mind.
Wilfred and Eileen meet on his last night at Cambridge. He is intending to become a surgeon and she is dating his friend, David. I don't want to give anything away but their story is one of long walks and a love that is not considered appropriate by either set of parents. Wilfred goes off to war in 1914 and is severely injured. He's never the same but Eileen is a strong woman and loves him fiercely; and, Wilfred is an energetic, lively, and determined man.
Lovely, gut-wrenching, and heartwarming. A wonderful story of love and determination to survive against the odds.
Wilfred and Eileen meet on his last night at Cambridge. He is intending to become a surgeon and she is dating his friend, David. I don't want to give anything away but their story is one of long walks and a love that is not considered appropriate by either set of parents. Wilfred goes off to war in 1914 and is severely injured. He's never the same but Eileen is a strong woman and loves him fiercely; and, Wilfred is an energetic, lively, and determined man.
Lovely, gut-wrenching, and heartwarming. A wonderful story of love and determination to survive against the odds.
July 5, 2016
I would have liked to see a bit more of Eileen. There are pages upon pages of going on about how Wilfred loved birds and plants and whatever, and as a love story it feels very incomplete with only one fully-realized partner.
I mean, there's a pregnancy scare mini-plot and we only ever see Wilfred's reaction. That's not smart writing; he's one whole step removed from the drama, which is literally happening inside Eileen's body. She has the most to lose! She's on the metaphorical frontlines!
And even when Smith focuses on Wilfred, the most fascinating bits are still left untouched. How did Wilfred cope with the horrors of the Western front, especially given his medical training? How did the carnage affect him differently than the carnage of the operating theater? How long did it take for his patriotism to die out? Was there guilt? Regret? Anything?
I mean, there's a pregnancy scare mini-plot and we only ever see Wilfred's reaction. That's not smart writing; he's one whole step removed from the drama, which is literally happening inside Eileen's body. She has the most to lose! She's on the metaphorical frontlines!
And even when Smith focuses on Wilfred, the most fascinating bits are still left untouched. How did Wilfred cope with the horrors of the Western front, especially given his medical training? How did the carnage affect him differently than the carnage of the operating theater? How long did it take for his patriotism to die out? Was there guilt? Regret? Anything?
June 7, 2018
I've never read a bad Persephone book, so I was excited when I saw this copy of Wilfred and Eileen in my local library. It's a sign of a great book and superb writing when you whizz through it in a couple of days. This is a First World War story with a difference, simply because it focuses on the positive. Neither Wilfred or Eileen allow tragedy to stand in the way of leading a good, simple life and making a difference to the world around them. Neither of them dwell on what might have been, but instead focus on the love they share. This is an uplifting read as well as a glimpse into a bygone era. It also a wonderful love story.
January 31, 2024
It’s definitely a book of two halves. The story of Wilfred and Eileen is fascinating, but I think Smith was rambling on until he got to the ‘interesting’ bit. Meanwhile there’s a whole secret marriage that could’ve been far meatier rather than what felt like a string of vignettes.
Once you get to the war it certainly picks up pace, but falters with a rushed ending, with only the 2013 afterword to give you an idea of what happened afterwards.
4* for the story, but 3* for the writing.
Once you get to the war it certainly picks up pace, but falters with a rushed ending, with only the 2013 afterword to give you an idea of what happened afterwards.
4* for the story, but 3* for the writing.
October 25, 2014
What a gorgeous story!!!
Ahh what to say... READ IT!!!
It is such a heartwarming story of unimaginable strength, devotion and love that stays with you long after you finish the story.
I feel as if I know them personally and I would love to read of them further if it's humanly possible!
Thank you Jonathan Smith for sharing such a personal story
Ahh what to say... READ IT!!!
It is such a heartwarming story of unimaginable strength, devotion and love that stays with you long after you finish the story.
I feel as if I know them personally and I would love to read of them further if it's humanly possible!
Thank you Jonathan Smith for sharing such a personal story
December 11, 2015
After a slow, faltering start, this ended up being a very appealing read. The character development is sketched, rather than deeply explored, but what is left off the page contributes as much as what is included. Based on real people and events. Another Persephone winner, though like me you may need to stick with it through the fumbling early pages.
September 15, 2016
Another great read from Persephone. I'm really glad this book had an afterward and not a forward as it was much more satisfying to learn the real story after reading how Smith had stumbled upon it and handled it. A WWI story quite unlike any other you are likely to read. Fascinating, surprising and touching.
September 16, 2014
Lovely story set just before and at the beginning of WW1. Tells of the courtship of Wilfred and Eileen, both from upper class families. Wilfred wants to be a doctor following medical training but the war gets in the way and Eileen shows what a feisty lady is.
July 11, 2016
What a lovely, lovely story. I'm so glad Persephone added it to their collection.
June 5, 2015
I am really loving these Persephone books!
July 1, 2015
Lovely, well- written story. And so magical that it is based on a true story! I love the way this shows how love conquers all... scary, but powerful and inspiring.
January 29, 2016
A Persephone classic based on two real life stories.
February 22, 2017
This was wonderful. I loved the writing and the way the (true!) story unfolded.
July 7, 2017
I could not have loved this more! What a treasure! Thank you for finding this and republishing it Persephone Books!
April 15, 2018
Beautifully written and all the more poignant for being true. I loved it
October 25, 2023
I love all of my Persephone books and this is no exception!
March 1, 2025
It’s unusual for me to not write down even one sentence about a book that I read. Unless I do a DNF (Do Not Finish). I read this book in one sitting (197 pp) and didn't write a single sentence about it while I was reading it. It was a relatively short read, and maybe for the first several pages, I thought it might not be all THAT great, but I kept on reading and then I was hooked. It was very good writing. Kudos to Jonathan Smith. The book was turned into a four-part, made-for TV movie on BBC TV and eight million people watched it. I did not write down anything about it, because there really wasn’t anything that I needed to remember such as names of people and their ages and the setting of the book.... Everything was relatively straightforward, and I just became engrossed in reading.
I wonder why Persephone Books re-issued this book as it seems to me that Persephone Books almost always publishes female authors. Perhaps it is because one of the two central protagonist was female...I don’t know. But anyway, I am glad they re-issued it.
The book is based on the life of Wilfred Willett (1890-1961) and Eileen Stenhouse (1892-1961). Actually, it concerns itself with Wilfred and Eileen during the years 1913 and 1914, prewar Word War I and into the first year of the War. I’d rather not say much more than that because I enjoyed learning stuff about their lives as I went along. I think had I been told a lot of stuff that was to be covered in the book beforehand, perhaps my interest in the book would have been at least slightly diminished. I don’t know. As it is, I read it in one sitting. I highly recommend this book.
Reviews:
• https://thebookbindersdaughter.com/20...
• https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2014/... (in her review, heavenlyali says it is one of her fave Persephone Books)
• https://greatwarfiction.wordpress.com...
• https://theliterarysisters.wordpress....
• https://desperatereader.blogspot.com/...
I wonder why Persephone Books re-issued this book as it seems to me that Persephone Books almost always publishes female authors. Perhaps it is because one of the two central protagonist was female...I don’t know. But anyway, I am glad they re-issued it.
The book is based on the life of Wilfred Willett (1890-1961) and Eileen Stenhouse (1892-1961). Actually, it concerns itself with Wilfred and Eileen during the years 1913 and 1914, prewar Word War I and into the first year of the War. I’d rather not say much more than that because I enjoyed learning stuff about their lives as I went along. I think had I been told a lot of stuff that was to be covered in the book beforehand, perhaps my interest in the book would have been at least slightly diminished. I don’t know. As it is, I read it in one sitting. I highly recommend this book.
Reviews:
• https://thebookbindersdaughter.com/20...
• https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2014/... (in her review, heavenlyali says it is one of her fave Persephone Books)
• https://greatwarfiction.wordpress.com...
• https://theliterarysisters.wordpress....
• https://desperatereader.blogspot.com/...
July 22, 2023
June 1913. Wilfred Willett is preparing to leave Trinity College, Cambridge where he has started to feel a little claustrophobic, his friends a little tiring. His mind is on the next challenge. London bound for training and study at The Hospital.
At the farewell College Ball Wilfred meets Miss Eileen Stenhouse. They chat and she leaves without giving him much hope. But he spends the rest of the ball writing a letter to her and she accepts his invitation to meet again in London. They go to an art gallery, the ballet and on dog walks. Eileen has nothing to do and reads a lot of novels while Wilfred works at The Hospital. He observes the coarse ways of the senior doctors, particularly Mr Jenkins and at The Hospital he is left rather to fend for himself dealing with many situations he knows nothing about.
After a few weeks, Eileen's parents press them to marry or split up, but Wilfred's parents want him to focus on his studies. As he is reliant on his parents support to finish his training, he does not immediately propose. By December however, they decide to marry in secret and continue living at home. And after the wedding they begin meeting in a hotel which carries on for several months. There is always the fear of Eileen getting pregnant and there is a scare, but no baby. By late summer, news of the impending war takes hold of Wilfred and he signs up with the London Rifle Brigade. In his mind it was to be a short but necessary break in his studies. Eileen is more apprehensive and is worried about becoming a widow or the wife of a wounded soldier. They decide to tell both parents that they are already married and agree to have another wedding - this time in a church, although Wilfred’s mother still does not attend as she is too upset with him. Wilfred's father tells him to make a will and as his departure with the LRB nears, Eileen becomes superstitious about the colour green.
Wilfred goes to the trenches in France as an officer and writes home to Eileen frequently. He is a loyal, hardworking soldier and husband and is good at moral boosting - he shares his rations and generally sets about doing the work of three people. It is whilst doing a good deed helping a fellow wounded soldier that he gets shot in the head. After this, he can hear but cannot speak and is paralysed on his right side. It is strange for him - he is a doctor and he understands a great deal about what has happened to him and the likely outcomes, but he cannot tell anyone he knows! The doctors in France do not think he can survive the journey back to England or withstand an operation and no decisions are made. Back in London, Eileen has not been told what has happened and becomes worried when no letters from Wilfred arrive for their first wedding anniversary. She makes enquiries and finds out that he has been wounded and arranges a special passport for herself to travel to wartime France where she asses the situation and decides to bring Wilfred home, by boat and train. Once Wilfred is installed at the Army Hospital in England, she realises they also don’t know what to do with Wilfred and showing significant strength of mind, she takes him back to The Hospital - to Mr Jenkins - who takes charge of the situation at last, and with Wilfred’s permission performs a risky operation. It no doubt saves his life, but it is nonetheless a life changing injury and a lengthy convalescence in store for him to learn to speak and walk again.
At the end of the book Wilfred is leaving hospital and is looking to the future. He plans to keep a diary from which we learn that Wilfred and Eileen have two children - telling us so much about Wilfred's successful recovery. In the afterword written by Jonathan Smith, we learn more about how he came to write the book after he was approached by the daughter Marjorie to do something with the autobiographical material left by her father.
I thought this was a wonderful book. It was a slow start, but once I realised it was based on a true story that changed everything and I was completely hooked. The writing is very clever and seeming to be of its time even though it was written decades later in 1976. The story is very heartwarming, and shows the equal heroism of both Wilfred and Eileen. I think it must have been wonderful to know them.
At the farewell College Ball Wilfred meets Miss Eileen Stenhouse. They chat and she leaves without giving him much hope. But he spends the rest of the ball writing a letter to her and she accepts his invitation to meet again in London. They go to an art gallery, the ballet and on dog walks. Eileen has nothing to do and reads a lot of novels while Wilfred works at The Hospital. He observes the coarse ways of the senior doctors, particularly Mr Jenkins and at The Hospital he is left rather to fend for himself dealing with many situations he knows nothing about.
After a few weeks, Eileen's parents press them to marry or split up, but Wilfred's parents want him to focus on his studies. As he is reliant on his parents support to finish his training, he does not immediately propose. By December however, they decide to marry in secret and continue living at home. And after the wedding they begin meeting in a hotel which carries on for several months. There is always the fear of Eileen getting pregnant and there is a scare, but no baby. By late summer, news of the impending war takes hold of Wilfred and he signs up with the London Rifle Brigade. In his mind it was to be a short but necessary break in his studies. Eileen is more apprehensive and is worried about becoming a widow or the wife of a wounded soldier. They decide to tell both parents that they are already married and agree to have another wedding - this time in a church, although Wilfred’s mother still does not attend as she is too upset with him. Wilfred's father tells him to make a will and as his departure with the LRB nears, Eileen becomes superstitious about the colour green.
Wilfred goes to the trenches in France as an officer and writes home to Eileen frequently. He is a loyal, hardworking soldier and husband and is good at moral boosting - he shares his rations and generally sets about doing the work of three people. It is whilst doing a good deed helping a fellow wounded soldier that he gets shot in the head. After this, he can hear but cannot speak and is paralysed on his right side. It is strange for him - he is a doctor and he understands a great deal about what has happened to him and the likely outcomes, but he cannot tell anyone he knows! The doctors in France do not think he can survive the journey back to England or withstand an operation and no decisions are made. Back in London, Eileen has not been told what has happened and becomes worried when no letters from Wilfred arrive for their first wedding anniversary. She makes enquiries and finds out that he has been wounded and arranges a special passport for herself to travel to wartime France where she asses the situation and decides to bring Wilfred home, by boat and train. Once Wilfred is installed at the Army Hospital in England, she realises they also don’t know what to do with Wilfred and showing significant strength of mind, she takes him back to The Hospital - to Mr Jenkins - who takes charge of the situation at last, and with Wilfred’s permission performs a risky operation. It no doubt saves his life, but it is nonetheless a life changing injury and a lengthy convalescence in store for him to learn to speak and walk again.
At the end of the book Wilfred is leaving hospital and is looking to the future. He plans to keep a diary from which we learn that Wilfred and Eileen have two children - telling us so much about Wilfred's successful recovery. In the afterword written by Jonathan Smith, we learn more about how he came to write the book after he was approached by the daughter Marjorie to do something with the autobiographical material left by her father.
I thought this was a wonderful book. It was a slow start, but once I realised it was based on a true story that changed everything and I was completely hooked. The writing is very clever and seeming to be of its time even though it was written decades later in 1976. The story is very heartwarming, and shows the equal heroism of both Wilfred and Eileen. I think it must have been wonderful to know them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2025
Might have been slightly more interesting to read a first-hand account or a novel written during or shortly after the first world war, but this was better than I expected and I liked how the story was told through different narrative devices.
May 24, 2025
A delightful, sentimental book about a real couple who fall in love at the dawn of WW1. As he’s a trainee surgeon there’s lots of horrific medical detail to stop it being too sentimental…
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