The School Mistress

Our Street at War #2

by Maggie Sullivan

Heartwarming and nostalgic new Saga series from the author of Mother's Day on Coronation Street. A brand new historical saga series form the hugely popular author of the Coronation Street series!

Our Street at War takes an ordinary street during wartime and peeps inside at the life of the residents, full nostalgia and compelling storylines, this series is must for fan of Elaine Everest, Nancy Revell and Ellie Dean.

Genres: Historical Fiction

379 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2022

Reviews

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Schoolmistress by Maggie Sullivan is the second book in Our Street at War series. You can read The Schoolmistress as a standalone, but it will take you a couple of chapters to get into the story (to get to know the characters and find out what is happening in their lives). The POV switches between several different female characters. I like Maggie Sullivan’s writing style. It is warm and friendly. It made The Schoolmistress easy to read. In The Schoolmistress we travel to Greenhill, Lancashire, England in March of 1940. We get to meet several different women who live in Greenhill. Vicky Parrott from The Postmistress is in this story too along with Sylvia Barker, Violet Pegg (the local schoolmistress), Ruby Bowdon, Tilly McFadden, and Claire Gold (Sylvia’s niece). I found the characters to be realistic and relatable. These women are dealing with the war just in a different way from the men fighting abroad. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and learn about their lives. There are ups and downs just like real life. There were some unexpected revelations for a couple of the women. There is romance as well as heartbreak. The ladies’ story does not end with The Schoolmistress. We will have to wait for the next installment of Our Street at War to find out what happens next. The Schoolmistress is a heartwarming tale with a war wedding, uplifting letters, a startling revelation, increased rationing, a fight between friends, and a new undertaking.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely and lively The Schoolmistress is the second in the Our Street at War series and takes place during WWII England. There are surprises and twists, joy and sorrow, romances and family drama, all written beautifully. Main characters Violet, Vicky and Claire are very different which makes things interesting. Violet teaches young children but often finds her mind wandering to a certain Canadian. Vicky is a newlywed post mistress and Claire an evacuee who instructs knitting and sewing. Unassuming charity worker Martin is one of my favourites. All are involved in the war effort in one way or another and all are touched by the harsh reality of war.

I love the familiar and comfortable feeling of returning characters but also the introduction of new people and subplots. The historical information is introduced so realistically I could envision scenes and locations. This story does not gloss over heartache or disability. Families are not perfect, either.

Historical Fiction and Romance fans ought to be drawn to this book. Though reading the first in the series before this one gives the background it does well on its own as the reader is told critical information to know. The ending has me itching to find out what the third book will bring! So many possibilities...

My sincere thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for introducing me to this fabulous series.

[Layla · Rating 3 out of 5]

BOOK 2 IN THE SERIES.
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AT FIRST wasn't sure how this story was going to follow on as it seemed a slow beginning , Give it time it does follow on with the story very well the further you get into the book.
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WW2 FICTION

OUR STREET AT WAR BOOK ONE IS CALLED THE POST MISTRESSES BOOK 2 IS CALLED THE SCHOOL MISTRESS
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READ BOTH IN A WEEK. I liked book one the best

FRIENDS IN WAR TIME WW2
COME TOGETHER TO HELP A SMALL COMMUNITY THE BEST THEY CAN THEN AT THE OUT BREAK OF WW2 THINGS TURN AND A SCHOOL NEEDS A TEACHER AND A POST OFFICE NEEDS SOMEONE TO RUN THE SHOP

SIMPLE STORYS LINKED TOGETHER VERY WELL MAKING UP A 2 PART BOOK SERIES.

book one....

Someone is needed to help in the post office as people go to war.....

never having done so before and fast to learn things happen fast and the post office is always in use. but then on the out break or war 2 worlds come together as people are moved across the world to fight in WW2

THINGS CHANGE FAST

GREAT STORYS...


WOULD READ AGAIN MAYBE IN A FEW YEARS TIME,.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Schoolmistress by Maggie Sullivan is a great WWII-era historical fiction saga that is the second book in the charming Our Street at War series.

I really enjoyed the first book, The Post mistress, so of course I wanted to read the second book in this delightful series. I really enjoyed it as well. Definitely not a sophomore slump!

I just love how the author creates a world where we can take a sneak peak into a window of a “small town/community” and see how the War affected everyone, from the mundane to the monumental.

I loved the pacing, the drama, the history, the character cast, the progression, and the ending.

Looking forward to the next book!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 10/23/22.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Violet Pegg the schoolmistress is shocked by a letter she receives telling her that her Canadian pen friend Daniel is joining the RAF and will be coming to the UK.
Vicky Buckley, the new doctor’s wife is settling into her new family life when an unexpected visitor brings ripples from the past.
While Claire Gold who works with her aunt Sylvia in her haberdasher shop is asked a favour by Violet and it leads to disaster.
A lovely wartime novel about the daily ups and downs of people living under the threat of conflict.

[Lucy Dunphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read by Maggie Sullivan. I hope there will be a followup because I need to know what happens to the characters. I absolutely loved Claire, Violet and Ruby. Three extremely strong, compassionate and very capable young women. The people of Greenhill were all so admirable with their goodwill and eagerness to help the war effort. The Schoolmisteress has such a lovely ending and I'm hoping there's good things in store for Martin. A very worthwhile historical fiction read.

[Vanessa-Ann Dowsett · Rating 3 out of 5]

One would assume by the title that the majority of the book would be about, the Schoolmistress. In actuality it is a minor part of the story and more about the lives and loves of a small English village during WW2.

[Kathy E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I looked forward to reading this book after the Postmistress and it did not disappoint. What was nice about this book it still brought in the characters from the first book. I just loved all the characters that Maggie Sullivan brought into this book. Hopefully there will be another story of Greenhill during WW2. You must read the first book before reading this one.

[Joyce tuffs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant story.

I really enjoy these books by Maggie Sullivan and you feel like you know them all personally. This is about life in the war and the hardships they dealt with.