Namesake: A bitter sweet coming of age time-travelling adventure in Cornwall 1944

by Jacqueline Smith

The Cornish beach Louie swims back to isn’t the one she left. Everything has changed. Has she stumbled onto the set of a reality TV show? Or has the gear stick of time shifted to 1944, just weeks away from D Day? Louie finds herself in a race against time to grasp the rules, locate key-players and find a way home. Thrown together with land girls, she discovers she isn’t the only one out of place. Evacuees, segregated black GIs, young soldiers preparing for D Day, a Jewish land girl and a German POW called Horst challenge Louie to accept that she was made for this time and has a vital part to play. But prior knowledge, a mesh of wartime misinformation and a mission to save two young evacuees, from graves she’s already seen, get in the way. Can Louie outwit time? Or will she have to become reconciled to the fact that she will die before she was even born?

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 4, 2020

Reviews

[Roger Humbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had just finished and enjoyed Sansom's Dominion, set in an imagined post-war Britain, and so was looking forward to this debut novel from Jacqueline Smith as it had been recommended by more than 1 friend, and has an element or two in common with Dominion. However there was hesitation as I knew it had been described as a book for young adults, and although I am a committed adult the descriptor 'young' is no longer applicable. I have 2 young adult daughters with birthdays coming up, so I gave it a try. Well I thoroughly enjoyed it - it's very well written, with rich prose and an intriguing story line. I found myself waking in the early hours so that I could continue reading more than once. If you're looking for a gripping and intriguing well-written story, and whatever age you are, you won't be disappointed here.