If I Could Tell You

by Elizabeth Wilhide, Lucy Price-Lewis (Reading)

Suffolk, 1939: Julia Compton has a beautifully well-ordered life. Once a promising musician, she now has a handsome husband who pays the bills, a young son she adores and a housekeeper who takes care of her comfortable home. Then on the eve of war something unexpected happens. She falls in love. Cut off from family and friends, Julia loses everything. Penniless and denied access to her son, she is cast adrift in wartime London with her bohemian filmmaker lover Dougie. As invasion looms and the bombs rain down her struggle is only beginning. Before long, ruined and broken, she faces a choice - succumb to her fate, or fight to forge a new identity in the heat of war.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Historical, Wwii Fiction, Romance, 20th Century

Audio CD

First published February 6, 2016

About the author

Elizabeth Wilhide is the author of many books on design and interiors and two novels. Born in the United States, she now resides in London.

Reviews

[RoseMary Achey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just could not engage with this book. I had little empathy for the characters and found the tempo inconsistent. Normally I love historical fiction set during WWII but this one was a none starter.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 3 out of 5]

"If I Could Tell You"is the story of Julia, a woman living in England during the late 1930s when Europe is just getting swept up in World War II. Julia lives a fairly quiet existence in a small coastal English town, which has been relatively spared by the powers of war. Julia leaves behind her husband and son after she falls in love with a film director.

This book follows the chaos that happens after she upends her life and everything she knows. The premise of this book was interesting to me. This book is Kristen Hannah's "The Nightingale" meets "Anna Karenina." The problem with these comparisons are that those are two pretty high bars to match. Unfortunately for this book, it doesn't get close to either. There is emotion in this book as there is in the ones that it is compared to but it is not nearly as strong or heart wrenching. The reader is left wondering why Julia would upend everything as there is no thorough exploration as to how she got to where she is by the beginning of the book.

The book feels very rushed there isn't much of a lead up to Julia falling in love at all. And so it's hard to see how she's able to believe everything she has behind so quickly. There isn't any indication of turmoil in Julia's personal life so it's hard to understand why she would throw it all away.

The setting of the book was very interesting. Julia lives in a coastal town where the war is seemingly only brushing against the residents. I like the juxtaposition between the coastal town and London, which of course gets hit harder during the war.

The writing in this book was okay. The author has a tendency to do a lot of telling rather than showing particularly when it comes to some of the emotions of the various characters throughout the book. This serves to take you out of this story a little bit. Overall this book was an interesting premise but in its carryout, it fell a little bit short of expectations.

[Erika Robuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come...

[Kayla TM · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt distant: like I was looking through a window at the lives of the characters. It’s a book about Julia Sinclair Compton who has an affair with a film director and loses her family as a result during World War II in London. So much of the story feels like it’s caught between Julia struggling with the world that her decisions have created and the onslaught of the war, and bombings, in London. These two things, don’t really mesh together though. They seem distinctly separate. Then finally, the story turns into something far more interesting and intense as the war effort intensifies, only this section feels more like a summary than the focal point it could’ve been, especially for what it does for the characters. I wanted more from the ending, a more decisive slap in the face sort of retort that is deserved than the more subtle dismissal. The book isn’t bad, but it’s nothing memorable: 3 stars.

[Roger Brunyate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Wartime Romance

I gave up on this after 80 pages, not because it was bad, but because it did not offer much to engage the mind, which is what I need right now. In fact, the book cover is a fair indication of what lies in store: a talented young woman in a stolid marriage in a small town on the Suffolk coast falls for the director of a visiting film unit, thus risking her marriage, family, security, and sense of identity. It is well enough written, and the atmosphere of the outbreak of war is especially well handled. But, as we know, the limbo of the 1939 Phony War will soon end, plunging London in 1940 into the horror of the Blitz. I have no doubt that Wilhide will continue to handle this well; I just didn't want to go there.

[The Lit Bitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahhh war romances how I love you! When this one came across my desk for review, I jumped at the chance to review it. The description was tantalizing and I just knew I had to read this one!

For some reason I just love books about ill-fated or impossible romances and while this one had an adultery element, that wasn’t a deal breaker for me….in fact I was curious to see how that angle would work within the story.

From the outside, Julia had the picture perfect life making some readers wonder why she would have an affair, but the heart wants what the heart wants and while I didn’t always agree with her actions I didn’t feel like I was in a position to judge her as a reader. It was hard to fault her when Dougie pursued her so relentlessly, sure her husband was a decent guy but this new love interest had a fire about him that her husband just didn’t have.

To me this seemed very real life, marriages don’t always dissolve because the husband is a jerk, sometimes love just isn’t everlasting and people simply fall out of love with each other or sometimes life and circumstances beyond the couples control also change (like a war) and the couple just can’t reconcile their marriage, these were themes that played out well in this book.

What I liked about this novel was that Wilhide showed the consequences of Julia’s choices. Ironically life isn’t exactly what Julie intends when she throws in her towel with Dougie. She finds that grass isn’t always greener which I thought was an interesting angel. Sometimes in books with adultery themes, the woman leaves her husband and everything is fine with a happily ever after which isn’t always accurate so I liked that the author portrayed this.

While I didn’t mind the adultery angle and I thought that the time period worked well in the story, I felt like the book was lacking a little luster. Not all romances are created equal in my book and this one fell a little short when it came to pace. There were parts in the book that seemed to drag on more than necessary. In addition to the pace, I could not connect with Dougie at all. Julia I could sympathize with and not judge but when it came to Dougie, something about his character just rang false to me and I never could invest in his character.

I absolutely love the cover! The cover really grabbed me and I immediately wanted to read this one just based on that. So well done cover artist!

The time period worked well in this novel and like I said, I love war romances but in this case I think this book could have been much better had the pace picked up in parts and had Dougie been a little more likable or perhaps just more ‘real’. Other reviewers have criticized that they did not feel connected to either character, but I at least liked Julia, but as I said, Dougie just wasn’t for me for some reason. While I loved aspects of this book, I couldn’t wholeheartedly give it a higher rating.

See my full review here

[Jacki (Julia Flyte) · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're in England. It's 1939 and war is going to break out at any moment. Julia Compton is comfortably married. Her adored only child, Peter, attends Boarding School. She has a housekeeper to take care of all things domestic. Her life is privileged and easy. Then one day, when out with a friend, she meets Dougie, a documentary maker. As the French would say, it's a "coup de foudre" - an instant attraction that leads to an affair. An affair which leads to the end of her marriage and suddenly Julia is navigating her way through very unfamiliar territory. Cut off from her child and her income, living in the heart of the Blitz, realising how little she really knows the man she fell for.

I have never read any other books by Elizabeth Wilhide but wow, she can write. Her writing style is reminiscent of Helen Dunmore or Kate Atkinson, which is high praise. I was sucked into this story. I enjoyed the subtle humour and I thought the way it brought the realities of wartime London to life was masterful. One of the things I liked about the writing is the way that things aren't necessarily spelled out for us. It's not one of those books where you know exactly what people are thinking or can predict where the plot is going to take you.

I notice that some reviews of this book complain that there isn't enough of a plot and in a way I can see where they are coming from but I didn't feel that it was an issue. To me, it's about a woman being forced to grow up at a time when the war brought opportunities for women that they had never had before. My only significant complaint is that Dougie was such an unattractive and self-centered character that it was hard to understand why Julia would have fallen so heavily for him - but lust is like that, isn't it, it's not rational nor sensible. I really enjoyed this and it was very close to being a five star read for me.

[Mandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I received the request to review this novel, I thought it had real promise. I was looking forward to reading a story about a woman who, admittedly, made a moralistic mistake but then picked herself back up and became empowered. What I got was a slow-paced, slightly aggravating, snooze fest. Y'all, I tried. I swear I did because I hate to give negative reviews, especially on books I could not finish. It just wasn't happening for me on this one.

First of all, there's no reason whatsoever that Julia should have had an affair other than she was bored - bored with her life and bored with her marriage. And, I'm sorry, but what she felt for Dougie was pure lust, not love. Not only were they both married to other people while starting the affair, Dougie stayed married the entire time (or, at least, as far as I read). Not only did he stay married, but he started flaunting Julia around to his friends ... friends that knew and were close to his wife. How shady is that?! It bothers me that despite all of Dougie's obvious indications of never making Julia an "honest woman" she still claimed to "love" him.

What I expected was a story of empowerment and I was disappointed. I did not empathize for Julia. I did not cheer her on in her attempt at creating a new life with Dougie. I cheered her husband when he kicked her out and divorced her.

If the synopsis sounds appealing to you - read it. Your tastes may be different than mine. All I can tell you is my experience with it but, by all means, don't let that stop you from reading this if you think it's up your alley. It very well may be.



*A NetGalley was made available by the publisher, Penguin Random House, in exchange for an honest review.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief Encounter one step further - the step Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard didn't take. Julia, wife and mother in a well ordered life, married to a handsome solicitor "who pays the bills". Enter Dougie the enigmatic film director of propaganda films for the MOI and with whom she begins an affair. She leaves her comfortable life and her son for a life with unconventional and unreliable Dougie who proves to be a womaniser and love-rat. She finds herself with nothing and having to fend for herself in a life she has not been prepared for. The war and the new relationship changes her, she has to redefine her life, to find work and learn new skills.
EW depicts the war from a different perspective, the backdrop of the blitz which destroys London beyond recognition as is it does to Julia's life. How attitudes changed to "live for today" and the different attitudes to divorce and adultery by society between then and now.
A tenderly written book, 3.5 - 4, I'll be generous and go with 4.

"Dougie was the bomb that had gone off in her life. He was the explosion. Now only pieces remained"

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am so, so sadden by the outcome I had with this book. This book is right up my alley so I was thoroughly looking forward to reading it. However, it was quickly apparent that I shared no connections to the characters or the story. This is the type of story where it suffers if there is no human connection between the reader (me) and the characters. Yet, I will tell you that I held out hope that the story would get better as I progressed. I still think that there is hope for this book, I just could not stick with it to the end. I barely got a third of the way in.

[Jennifer (not getting notifications) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would rate this book 3.5 stars. I found myself really hoping Julia would redeem herself. War has a way of doing that to people.

[Girl with her Head in a Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally published here: http://girlwithherheadinabook.co.uk/2...

Another 1940s read – but one that is very different in tone. Julia Compton is the terribly proper wife and mother, her husband highly-respectable and her home well-ordered. Her only child, a son, is clean and healthy, with appropriate school-boy concerns. Essentially, she’s Celia Johnson. But then one day in 1939, a film crew comes to shoot a documentary about the local fishing industry and Julia meets Dougie Birdsall, the crew’s director. And it all goes a bit topsy-turvy. This is Brief Encounter without the stiff upper lip or the cups of tea. From the very beginning, a prologue set in 1944 warns us that this is all going to end in tears. I was impressed by this though, If I Could Tell You may be chick-lit, but if so it is of the highest quality.

I have mentioned on more than one occasion how I feel about adultery narratives – not a fan. Still, somehow I did find myself drawn into Julia’s situation and although I winced at her actions, particularly since her husband was clearly a decent man, I never really felt moved to judge her. It’s kind of like a Diary of a Provincial Lady gone a bit wrong. Julia has all of the accouterments of middle-class life but finds herself still dissatisfied. From the beginning, her encounters with Dougie crackle with sexual tension, with Dougie’s film crew eyeing them blearily from the side-lines, knowing where all of this will end up. Even during their separations, Dougie bombards Julia with letters full of desire.

I felt that Wilhilde captured the period perfectly – having read a good deal around this era, the atmosphere of Blitz-torn London was incredibly evocative. I was reminded of The Love Charm of Bombs, the account of various writers’ experience of living through the conflict in the capital. The Blitz really does seem to have loosened many people’s inhibitions, for after all, what is the point of sticking to the rules if at any point one may find oneself on the wrong side of an air raid? Thrown out by her husband, Julia finds herself in the midst of a group of Bohemian artists, writers and film producers – a long way from where she began.

It was interesting too to see the archaic 1940s divorce laws play out – when I was studying 1940s fiction, I remember reading an explanation of the legislation using Brief Encounter as a case study. Julia is cast out from polite society, unable to see her child, only allowed to write to him via her husband and battling to even be allowed visitation given her status as adulteress. It is the details such as the ‘collusion’ – that if a cuckolded husband slept with his wife having found out about her adultery, he would be ‘colluding with her’ and less likely to be granted a divorce. Whenever people argue that we don’t need feminism, we need to remember how far we have come.

This is not a novel about a woman being shamed or villified for her ‘offence’, but Julia’s new life does quickly become very difficult. She has no idea of how to cook, having always had a cook to instruct instead. She cannot clean, wash clothes – she has no skills other than piano-playing and a pleasant speaking voice. Dougie has not the same means as her husband Richard and it is easy to sigh and consider that Julia has made her bed and now must lie in it – Dougie bursts out laughing the first time that Julia asks which day his cleaning woman visits. I was reminded of Emma Carter, the loose woman of The Archers who left her husband with a well-paid job for his unemployed brother who had no qualifications and then proceeded to belly-ache for years about being ‘punished’ by poverty for leaving her husband. It is not a punishment for a choice, but it is a consequence and complaining invites very little sympathy. But that is perhaps my Grandma speaking.

I felt that If I Could Tell You was a book for the true 1940s enthusiast – Dougie is involved in the making of a film ‘They Also Serve’, a clear nod to In Which We Serve, which really did star Celia Johnson. Netta, the housewife who provides shelter to Dougie and Julia from the Blitz, is feted in a local magazine for her recipe which involves ‘an inventive use of carrots’. Even her name evokes associations with the well-known wartime diarist Nella Last and Netta does keep diaries for her children.

This is no Anna Karenina, although a reference is made to that during the course of the novel. The passion between Dougie and Julia is not enough to survive the privations of wartime – there is a horrible claustrophobia to Julia’s dependency on this unreliable man, but unlike the Victorian era, there is more scope for her to seek independence and also – thankfully – some responsibility. Julia may lament her victimhood and all that she has lost, but another steely-eyed character tells her quietly that she will find this all a great deal easier to survive if she acknowledges her own part in it. On some level she had not been enjoying her marriage.

There are many grim moments to If I Could Tell You, but perhaps the most surprising thing about this novel about a woman choosing heart over head is that the defining relationship is in fact the one she has with herself, and of course her child. Young Peter is apparently stuck in boarding-school ‘for the duration’ of the war but this is not enough to protect him from the repercussions of his parents’ divorce. It is his reaction which most attracted my sympathy and indeed my interest – there were interesting echoes to in the way that it was his maternal grandfather’s stern British values which helped Peter to recover.

There was much to enjoy here – despite scaling the highs and lows of passionate romance, it feels like a far more considered look at familial breakdown in the 1940s. Elizabeth Wilhilde tells Julia’s story without judgment and gives us a compelling glimpse into a world which mixed people who would never have met before and who were drawn into situations which they would never have expected. Julia is captured on camera for wartime propaganda but her true self is far more complex than simply the girl keeping the home fire burning – If I Could Tell You gives the lie to wartime propaganda and illustrates what was for many a confusing and difficult time, where death could strike without warning. We first meet Julia as a woman on the brink, in a dangerous place and in a worrying state of mind. There were many women in the 1940s who would have recognised her situation, unsettled by the conflict and finding themselves adrift in society. Julia often feels like a woman who is not being heard – discontented (and no less so having left her husband), she is a heroine who despite her faults, I found myself supporting. Highly readable and very thought-provoking, I found this a hard book to put down – a very humane look at a traumatic time in our history.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually I do not read romance novels, but this one pulled me in. The setting is WWII. Before the war came to England, Julia Compton was secure in her love of her son, and her life with a handsome man who met all financial needs. The life style was good, friends were of the country club set, and Julia thought she was quite satisfied.

Then, a dashing film maker and his crew came to town, and her life is turned upside down. Operating from the heart instead of her head, she longs for Dougie with a passion she never previously felt.

When her husband discovers her indiscretion, she is tossed out. Moving with Dougie, who is also married, to live in London while his wife took their three daughters to live in Canada while the war raged one, all too soon Julia longs for her son and bit by bit sees the flawed man she is with.

Julia learns that she wasn't wise in her decision. This period novel focuses on the penniless condition of Julia, and the different lifestyles and values of she and Dougie. Dougie refuses to help with the financial cost of her divorce and, because she has no means of her own, she is straddled between two lives.

There are shades of Anna Karenina in this book wherein the women leaves a comfortable lifestyle only to suffer severe consequences for her choice. Shunned by society, she drifts alone without a safety net or ship to cling to.

Good writing amid the backdrop of war, excellent character development, and a story that keeps the reader drawn into the pages, make this a book I recommend.

[Nicholas George · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel, about a doomed love triangle set in WWII London, could have been a standard melodramatic potboiler but Wilhide crafts her characters so precisely that they transcend stereotypes and become actual people. In particular, Julia--the protagonist--is appropriately mysterious yet one we get to know almost too well, a gripping representative of that woman of her day, torn between the expected duties of wife and mother yet enabled by the war to show her mettle and passion in ways that surprises her, and us. This is a bittersweet tale that is told superbly.

[Jill's Book Cafe · Rating 4 out of 5]

More 4.5 than 4

The blurb describes very well the general plot but for me the telling phrase is she has "a handsome husband who pays the bills". This is not the way I'd hope most of us would describe a husband and is suggestive of a practical arrangement rather than a happy, fulfilling marriage. Little wonder then, that Julia has her head turned by the advances of a handsome, married, bohemian film-maker Dougie Birdsall.

Without describing plot and giving away spoilers, I'd like to say why I loved this book. First of all I'll admit that Brief Encounter is one of my favourite films of all time and this had echoes of the prim and proper Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson) meeting the charismatic Dr Harvey (Trevor Howard). Only in this instance Julia is the bored suburban houswife who is more than tempted and Dougie is the stranger with it transpires little moral integrity. Unlike the film, Julia and Dougie, ignore the prevailing social mores and embark on an affair that has irreversible consequences, especially for Julia.

This is a wonderful period piece that presents a portrait of a relationship in turmoil and how society viewed adultery/divorce. Adultery was nothing new, but as a respectable wife and mother having an affair, Julia paid dearly for her choices. As a woman, she became essentially persona non grata, within her social circle/family and her actions are deemed morally reprehensible. Set against the backdrop of the Blitz, it also highlights the contradictions of a growing live-for-the-moment attitude and changing sexual attitudes among the young.

It offers an interesting insight into life on the Homefront during the war. This ranges from practical day to day living and rationing constraints to an insight into the Ministry of Information and how it worked to present positive images and morale boosting films to aid the war effort. The war is a pivotal feature in the story as it engineers Julia and Dougie's meeting and also, without spoilers, her salvation.

It is a book that creates a range of emotions and really draws you in, not all the characters are likeable but they are very well drawn, and realistic, making this a great read, that I'd happily recommend. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author based on this.

I received a review copy via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Krys · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star
I wish i had dnf’d this book when I had wanted to. I kept hoping it would get better. I found Julia and Dougie to be very unlikable. The description made me think we were going to see Julia fall in love with Dougie, be cast out by her husband and torn from her son, and despite being in the midst of a war and losing every thing she had known finding a way to rebuild her life and overcome the obstacles put in her path. That is not at all what happened.
My issues
I hate that Julia didn't really stand on her own until the very end of the book. The drama with her and husband wasn't as tense as the description made it sound like it was going to be. Her husband never kept her son from her. Her lawyer told her not to see him and she listened. She fell in love with Dougie so quickly and despite the fact that she knew he had a wife and kids didn't seem to care. The novel just kind of drifts along with no real sense of purpose. When we finally get to the point that Julia enlists its in the last like 30 pages of the book. Most of her time there is just completely glossed over and rushed. I would have preferred getting to spend more time with that Julia as opposed to the one who wasted all that time with Dougie.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a sucker for a novel set in WWII or England and this was both; however, this book was very disappointing. I understand that these characters weren't real people, but this was just an unbelievable story. I don't see it realistic that a middle class women in a content ('happy' may not be the right word) marriage and happy with her life would randomly see a lower/working class man (who smells like cigarettes and has dirty finger nails!) and decide that she has to be with him. Yes, I know there was Jack & Rose from Titanic, but Rose was looking for an exit to that life, in this book, Julia was not.

Both characters were also very unlike-able. Dougie was a womanizer from the word go and just a general ass. Julia was basically a stupid chit that didn't know how to function with out a maid/cook (who that got played by her "best friend") and was the typical other woman. The only thing that redeemed her was her enlistment in the military towards the end. I will not recommend this book to anyone.

[Linda Munro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book via a goodreads giveaway. I have to say a few things, it is well written, but for me, some parts of the books just dragged and I found my mind wandering. I did however, manage to get through the book and found that what it was billed as was true, so let’s begin there.

Take one woman who has lived a life of advantage and add a man who not only captured her attention, but also openly pursues her. Add to that a husband and a son and a war in Europe. If you like romance, war novels and adult coming of age books; this one fits the bill. If there is any one item that you may not be fond of, and you may find your own mind wandering.

[Linda Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting view of WW2

When I began this book I wasn't sure if I was going to get on with it, but as I read on I started to really enjoy it. As I read the last page I felt that I knew the characters and became concerned for their welfare. Which I believe says it was a good book!

[Skye · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out promising and then slowed down towards the middle of the story. The ending left me wanting more and feeling unsatisfied. I *just* finished it and am sitting here asking myself if I missed something and wondering what the point was because the story seemed incomplete as if there is a chapter missing with the ending.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Struggle, struggle, struggle... yawn, yawn, yawn. I wanted to love it but I just could not engage with the characters. I didn't have much empathy for Julia so perhaps that was it. And Dougie... please!

There was potential here. just not for me.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars really.
An individual's story of a marriage breakdown and love affair set against the Battle of Britain.
I found this book very engaging. The Blitz scenes were fascinating, and the historical detail was very well researched.

[Jim Swike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected much more, started off well, but it dragged in many spots. Maybe you will feel differently, enjoy!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julia is a woman that is living a comfortable life in England at the start of World War II. She is married to Richard, and together they have a son, Peter. Although she lives a privileged life, Julia is lonely: Peter is away at boarding school for much of the time, and she has to wipe the looking glass to really see how attractive Richard still is to her.
Some excitement enters Julia’s life by way of a film crew sent to their town to showcase the normal goings-on of a people at the start of the war. Dougie is the director of the group, and Julia is instantly smitten. Soon, they are having a torrid love affair that lasts even after Dougie and his crew move off to another town, and Julia manages to keep each part of her life separate and contained. That is, until Richard becomes suspicious and starts hunting for evidence of adultery, of which he finds in the form of love letters between Dougie and Julia. Massive arguments ensue, and Julia finds herself thrown out and penniless, at which time she moves in with Dougie, but only after HIS wife and children leave for Canada. The rest of the story is about Julia and Dougie and their trials and tribulations, and the relationship’s ultimate demise.

The story line, for me, was a unique one in that I had never experienced a tale set in the viewpoint of a privileged woman in WWII England. Most novels told during this time period (in my experience) are about direct front lines action, but this proves that the effects of war were felt in numerous ways, from the working class to the privileged. It was also unique in that the tales of the film crews are not often talked about. Everyone knows that films of the era exist, but what about the thoughts, feelings and viewpoints of the people who were actually documenting life through the camera?

However, although this is my favorite genre of fiction by far, I had a very hard time getting into this book. First of all, British language is prevalent in the book. Granted, this is the setting for the book, but the wording was such that, being from the United States, I couldn’t even glean what was being said. There were also a lot of technical terms that were used when the film crew was talking, that I had not a clue of what was happening. There were a lot of characters, so many that it was quite hard to keep track of who was who. I also felt like I couldn’t really ‘connect’ with the characters. I just didn’t really care how the book was going to turn out.

With that being said, I feel that if a reader is interested, you could really learn a great deal about the technical aspects of filming during WWII, and life in general in war torn England. Dougie also just goes to show that philanderers are deplorable, no matter what time they existed. 

[Jo Dickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

One look at the cover of this book and I was pumped. It has all the visual makings of a fabulous WW2 historical fiction read (my favorite!). However, I found that the beginning is slow, and the way the main character is set up in the beginning tells you a world of hurt is coming. It wasn't just the normalcy before the war, it was how ideal her life was, before her choices changed her ideal life into a really hard life during and after the war.
However, through her experiences and the way her life changed throughout the war, it seemed to show an accurate representation of the various choices people could make during this period. She completely changed her life, which I found was so accurate for WW2.
I personally just wasn't drawn to the story revolving around an affair. However, those happen, and they change your life. I found that the story was less about WW2 and more so about the relationships going on.
Also, the language of this book was written to sound as accurate to this time period as possible which was very cool, but some parts were almost misunderstandable and I had to guess what was going on at times.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My early impressions echo many of the other reviews. Julia does not seem to be a very sympathetic character; other than physical attraction, it's difficult to fathom why she would leave her comfortable existence, marriage, and son for Dougie, who is clearly an unworthy jerk. At some point in the book, as Julia is forced to work, deal with the Blitz in London, and mourn her lost relationship with her son--not to mention Dougie's peccadilloes--she becomes a much more empathetic character. And Richard, her husband, proves himself not to be such a saint as earlier suspected. Well worth reading if only for the description of the bombing of London. The author describes it so evocatively, I will never read accounts of WWII the same again. The law deals harshly with unfaithful women, and so do many readers.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish Wilhide wrote more novels: her writing is fabulous. She describes the difficult times in the England of WW2 vividly, with much sympathy and empathy for her fully depicted characters. Julia Compton has a very ordinary life until she meets Dougie, a charismatic movie director. She lets lust at first sight carry her away from everyone she loves. Didn't anyone tell her that if a man is a cheater, he is always a cheater? She does pay by suffering loss of status, comfort, family and friends. Ending up in the army, Julia learns what life is like for most people and grows into a likable person despite her mistakes. The book also covers filmmaking in the 1940's, being somewhat based on a real person who has influenced documentary making even today.

[Mistina Christner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this was a good book, but not my normal read. I think that it tells a great story and it was full of interesting things about how films were made during the war. I thought it was interesting to see how the husband finds out to start with, but then he ends up having an affair with his soon to be ex-wifes former friend.
I wasn't really sure where the story was going when I got about halfway through, but I think that the author did a great job tying up all of the loose ends and making sure that there was closure in the story. I was surprised by the ending, but I think that it was a great read!

[Angelique · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book at all. Plugged along because I don’t like leaving a book unfinished. I found the characters to be one dimensional and poorly developed. The synopsis on the back of the book is what intrigued me, and the fact that it’s historical fiction. The events listed in the synopsis don’t even take place for about 100 or so pages and aren’t entirely accurate to the actual story. There’s not much to be seen in terms of war action. Only at the end of the book when it was too little to late for this story to redeem itself.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the writing in this wonderful - immersive, stark but humorous. I’ve been wondering why the median rating is 3, & I think it must be because readers dislike Julia herself. This may be because, as she herself might say, they either haven’t faced this kind of temptation themselves, or they have given in & are standing on the far end - a perspective no one can have unless they go through it. Or maybe the comparison of a torrid affair & a prolonged air raid was too on the nose for people. I liked it a lot - I guess I’m not that subtle.