A Fragment of Time

by Margaret Graham

In England in the 1930s, eighteen-year-old Helen Carstairs braves the prejudice of friends and family to marry Heine Weber, the young German photographer who has fled the growing horror of the Nazis. But when war breaks out and Heine is interned and their small son evacuated, Helen is left to face the Blitz alone.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, War

350 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1990

About the author

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

Margaret Graham is a bestselling author and has been writing for 30 years. Margaret's novels have been published in the UK, Europe and the USA. Margaret has written two plays, co-researched a television documentary - which grew out of Canopy of Silence, and has written numerous short stories and features.

Reviews

[Janith Pathirage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the gentle tone of this novel and enjoyed the descriptions of English and German countrysides but it was a very predictable story from start to end. Apart from the death of one major character, there were no shocking moments in this tale. Could have been much better with a little twist. Margaret Graham just had to kill one more character but she never did !.

[Franziska Self Fisken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really excellent and absorbing, easy-to-read story, about a young woman and her family experiencing WW2 and its aftermath. Margaret Graham manages to describe scenes in England, Germany and America as if she was there and her characters are convincing.

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Margaret Graham's books. This one, "Only the Wind is Free" and "The Future Is Ours" I would say are my favourites.

[Piara Strainge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this novel on a whim whilst doing my food shop. It caught my eye because I'm a big fan of books set during the World Wars and also the author had previously published it under a different title, which is something I'm considering doing. I started to read and the opening chapters didn't immediately grab me (like it's drummed into us writers they should) but I kept going because I just had a hunch it was going to be a good storyline. When an English woman marries a German man on the brink of the Second World War, it's an intriguing hook.

I'm always trying to learn from published authors so, what I wanted to uncover here, was how Margaret Graham would write about the agony of conflict amidst a tight family unit and how the three members of the family would cope with the burden of war and discrimination. The book deals beautifully with the subject of being a German verses being a Nazi and how during war, the two lines become quickly blurred.

Every book needs a strong main character who the reader can connect with and, more importantly believe in, and Graham does an excellent job with Helen. You feel everything she feels and how she keeps going, even after the war, driven by pure determination to find peace in her life for herself and for her family and still hold it all together, is anyone's guess. But there are characters in our lives like Helen, which is what made this book so special to me.

I also enjoyed the way Graham moved the story along with historical references. I admire any writer who has the patience to weave history into their plot/s because of the amount of research it must have involved.

This book surprised me with just how good it was, and for that, I really loved it and it will definitely be staying on my bookshelf.

[Bernie Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been republished as 'Somewhere Over England' and that is the version that I read. Really lived through these terrible times (even though I didn't) while reading. Margaret Graham took me there. The sights, sounds, smells and the way the characters felt were really brought home. I recommend that the author should upload the new title and cover to GRs.

[Fran Mewse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book in a supermarket and as a lover of books set in this era picked it up. I was not disappointed and hooked from chapter 1. this was the first time I have seen the war from this angle and how awful it must have been to have a German spouse. the characters were great all the way through. well worthy of the 5 star rating.

[Joanna Warrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been republished under the name Somewhere over England. Its a wonderful ww2 saga. I am increasingly confused because a lot of these books are being republished under new names or new author names. Be very careful what you purchase-you may have already read it!

[Ryichha C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just loved the way the author has describe that war Era. Beautiful story.

[mea devina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story brings out the realism of living during the world war between England and German and how the people had suffered. It's a good book to look back at how lives were before the war ended.