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War Babies
A woman lies unconscious on the carpet of a smart Westminster apartment, one red high-heeled shoe has fallen off... A younger woman lies with her eyes closed, half-hidden under a drinks cabinet... Her fingers clutch an empty bottle... What happens when a mother withholds her love? When she has no love to withhold? When she sees her three daughters as obstacles to her own formidable career? This is the story of three sisters, Millie, Di and Cleo. They are the war babies. Growing up in a world still in turmoil, hungover from war, the sisters struggle to leave behind their mother and build their own lives. Each sister is lost in her own world where extreme need leads to extreme behaviour. Then a tragic event forces Cleo, the youngest and wildest, to become the catalyst to smash the pattern. Who will adapt and survive in this new world? Who will find peace? From London to New York and to Vietnam, the focus shifts from one sister to the next, putting human nature, its flaws and its virtues, under the spotlight. With elements of a psychological thriller, Rachel Billington observes her characters with clinical detachment, but also with wit and understanding. Yet there is hope at the heart of this story which will leave the reader wondering long after the final twist is revealed.
331 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 11, 2022
About the author
Rachel Billington
62 books15 followersRachel Billington has written twenty one novels and eleven books for children. She is also a journalist, feature writer and reviewer. She is a regular contributor and Associate Editor of Inside Time, the national newspaper for prisoners and a Vice-President of English PEN. In 2012 she was awarded an OBE for Services to Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 10, 2023
The main characters in this novel are four women - a mother and her three daughters. On the surface, it tells their very different life stories. Underneath, it is a study of neglectful motherhood and the lifelong effect this has on the children involved.
Julie, the mother, is passionate about her career in politics and shows neither love for, nor interest in, her girls.
Each of the girls is different and in this respect the book reminded me slightly of "Little Women" - Di is strong-willed, like Jo March, determined to become a newspaper reporter. Eventually, she becomes a highly-regarded war correspondent in Vietnam. Millie is the Meg-like homemaker. The third daughter, Cleo, is a wilful alcoholic (a much darker version of Amy) who is a successful writer of popular fiction.
Although so different in character, though, each of the girls strives constantly and unsuccessfully to gain their mother's approval and respect.
And so the novel highlights the effect an unloving mother has on her children. Each of them lacks self-esteem but hides this behind a somewhat brash exterior (or in Millie's case a determination to be the perfect mother). None of them is able to sustain a deep, loving, long-term relationship and their need for self-reliance leads them to develop self-centred, complicated characters.
Only towards the end of the book is Julie's own struggle revealed but her shame, and her inability or unwillingness to share this with her daughters, has created two generations of deeply unhappy and incomplete human beings.
This is a beautifully-written, thought-provoking book and one I would thoroughly recommend.
Julie, the mother, is passionate about her career in politics and shows neither love for, nor interest in, her girls.
Each of the girls is different and in this respect the book reminded me slightly of "Little Women" - Di is strong-willed, like Jo March, determined to become a newspaper reporter. Eventually, she becomes a highly-regarded war correspondent in Vietnam. Millie is the Meg-like homemaker. The third daughter, Cleo, is a wilful alcoholic (a much darker version of Amy) who is a successful writer of popular fiction.
Although so different in character, though, each of the girls strives constantly and unsuccessfully to gain their mother's approval and respect.
And so the novel highlights the effect an unloving mother has on her children. Each of them lacks self-esteem but hides this behind a somewhat brash exterior (or in Millie's case a determination to be the perfect mother). None of them is able to sustain a deep, loving, long-term relationship and their need for self-reliance leads them to develop self-centred, complicated characters.
Only towards the end of the book is Julie's own struggle revealed but her shame, and her inability or unwillingness to share this with her daughters, has created two generations of deeply unhappy and incomplete human beings.
This is a beautifully-written, thought-provoking book and one I would thoroughly recommend.
June 4, 2022
What do you do when your mother haunts every move you make?
Thank you @RandomThingsTours for the chance to read and review War Babies by Rachel Billington!
War babies is standalone novel that is set in the 50s. It came out on the 11th of June, and was publishes by Universe. The author, Rachel Billington, is no stranger to publishing, having published around 43 books!
I signed up to read War Babies, in part because of the cover, and partially because the blurb was so intriguing!
Sisters Cleo, Di and Millie are neglected. Not neglected in the sense that no one takes care of them, but in the sense that both of their parents should have never been parents.
Their mother Julie, is a politician, set on her career, while their father was fighting in the war. Each of the girls responds to their parents in their own way. Millie can remember being loved and does her best to earn that back. Di, seems to throw it off to become a journalist, and Cleo, the youngest, becomes a writer. Their father, seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth, until he resurfaces.
The storyline was interesting! Three young women, with very different lives, responding to how messed up their parents were! What happens with Cleo and Millie is also so interesting!
I hated it when she includes lines like, well, I am the scarlet woman. I also feel like I didn’t get the sense that Cleo is a good writer, because when her first book was published I felt like it was because her mother was a politician. Aside from Millie, the sisters were interested in really terrible men. Like someone should have smacked Lennie, and that weirdo who Di dated. They were also both married. I mean, interesting given that their father was having an affair and had left their mother for the other woman, but that still felt icky and not well done mostly because I couldn’t see the appeal of their partners.
I also didn’t particularly like the ending with Caly finding out all that about Julie. I feel like there was no reason to explain her actions. Sometimes, even the best of people, are awful parents, and it doesn’t need to do with any trauma.
I did like when Cleo stopped Millie from feeling guilty. I feel like in that moment Cleo grew into a much bigger person who valued what she had despite everything that had happend to her.
While the opening scene begins with a woman on the carpet, it takes some time for the book to get there. Honestly, I didn’t see the build up to that coming, which definitely made it more interesting!
War Babies may be a hit or miss depending on what you think of the authors style of writing and if you liked the characters. While it wasn’t my favourite read, I did appreciate the build up to the opening scene and the basic plot!
Thank you @RandomThingsTours for the chance to read and review War Babies by Rachel Billington!
War babies is standalone novel that is set in the 50s. It came out on the 11th of June, and was publishes by Universe. The author, Rachel Billington, is no stranger to publishing, having published around 43 books!
I signed up to read War Babies, in part because of the cover, and partially because the blurb was so intriguing!
Sisters Cleo, Di and Millie are neglected. Not neglected in the sense that no one takes care of them, but in the sense that both of their parents should have never been parents.
Their mother Julie, is a politician, set on her career, while their father was fighting in the war. Each of the girls responds to their parents in their own way. Millie can remember being loved and does her best to earn that back. Di, seems to throw it off to become a journalist, and Cleo, the youngest, becomes a writer. Their father, seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth, until he resurfaces.
The storyline was interesting! Three young women, with very different lives, responding to how messed up their parents were! What happens with Cleo and Millie is also so interesting!
I hated it when she includes lines like, well, I am the scarlet woman. I also feel like I didn’t get the sense that Cleo is a good writer, because when her first book was published I felt like it was because her mother was a politician. Aside from Millie, the sisters were interested in really terrible men. Like someone should have smacked Lennie, and that weirdo who Di dated. They were also both married. I mean, interesting given that their father was having an affair and had left their mother for the other woman, but that still felt icky and not well done mostly because I couldn’t see the appeal of their partners.
I also didn’t particularly like the ending with Caly finding out all that about Julie. I feel like there was no reason to explain her actions. Sometimes, even the best of people, are awful parents, and it doesn’t need to do with any trauma.
I did like when Cleo stopped Millie from feeling guilty. I feel like in that moment Cleo grew into a much bigger person who valued what she had despite everything that had happend to her.
While the opening scene begins with a woman on the carpet, it takes some time for the book to get there. Honestly, I didn’t see the build up to that coming, which definitely made it more interesting!
War Babies may be a hit or miss depending on what you think of the authors style of writing and if you liked the characters. While it wasn’t my favourite read, I did appreciate the build up to the opening scene and the basic plot!
May 23, 2022
The book starts with a prelude - one woman is laying unconscious on the carpet with a single red high heeled shoe by her and another woman lying nearby with her eyes closed. A third woman enters the room and leaves swiftly and the second woman dials 999. Have I got your attention? It definitely grabbed mine. The book then goes on to tell the tales of three sisters, Cleo, Millie and Di, each chapter told from the perspective of one sister, from the war years to the present day, with some later chapters by Caly (Millie’s daughter). To be honest I wasn’t sure about this book at first and it took me a while to get into it, and to work out who was who, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. It’s a great story.
Briefly, the girls have been brought up by a mother, Julie, an MP who is pretty devoid of emotion. Their father, Brendon, was away much of their early years, a surgeon in WWII and then he left them, rarely making contact. All the girls are very different. Millie is the eldest - she finds religion, marries staid Eddie and has a child. Di moves to America, becomes a war correspondent and goes to report on the Vietnam War. And the youngest, Cleo, writes a novel, then writes more but what she really wants is a man who fate seems to have decided can never truly be hers.
The girls have all been affected by the lack of affection shown to them by their mother. But they all show strength in different ways. However, their lives take totally different paths and they don’t see much of each other. With the shock reveal of the body in the prologue and the even more shocking results of this I couldn’t put this book down until the last page. This book has a bit of everything love and hate, truth and lies, life and death, war and peace - a great read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Briefly, the girls have been brought up by a mother, Julie, an MP who is pretty devoid of emotion. Their father, Brendon, was away much of their early years, a surgeon in WWII and then he left them, rarely making contact. All the girls are very different. Millie is the eldest - she finds religion, marries staid Eddie and has a child. Di moves to America, becomes a war correspondent and goes to report on the Vietnam War. And the youngest, Cleo, writes a novel, then writes more but what she really wants is a man who fate seems to have decided can never truly be hers.
The girls have all been affected by the lack of affection shown to them by their mother. But they all show strength in different ways. However, their lives take totally different paths and they don’t see much of each other. With the shock reveal of the body in the prologue and the even more shocking results of this I couldn’t put this book down until the last page. This book has a bit of everything love and hate, truth and lies, life and death, war and peace - a great read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
June 10, 2022
War Babies follows the lives of three generations of women, over a span of almost 80 years. The main focus is that of the stories of three sisters, Millie, Di and Cleo as they follow very different paths in life but with their narratives intersecting at various important points, culminating in events that change all of their lives forever.
However, although they are the main focus of the story, much of the action is driven by their mother – cold, calculating Julie – who is a woman ahead of her time, forging a successful career in politics while living as a single mother. The book challenges gender roles throughout, with both Julie and Di acting in ways that wouldn’t be expected of them in their lifetime, much to the dismay of the men around them who wish for them to be more traditional.
The action takes place over several decades, with references to changing politics and popular culture reflecting changing attitudes.
I found Millie frustrating but accepted that she was of her time, and loved defiant, independent Di and flawed, brilliant Cleo. The relationships were difficult, stemming from problematic relationships with their unloving mother and mainly absent father, and I liked that these reflected troubled families in real life with strained love.
I liked how Caly was given her own voice towards the end of the book, and the hope that was given by her success, both in relationships and her career, showing the changing times and how generational trauma can be challenged and changed.
An interesting read which didn’t head in the direction I expected.
However, although they are the main focus of the story, much of the action is driven by their mother – cold, calculating Julie – who is a woman ahead of her time, forging a successful career in politics while living as a single mother. The book challenges gender roles throughout, with both Julie and Di acting in ways that wouldn’t be expected of them in their lifetime, much to the dismay of the men around them who wish for them to be more traditional.
The action takes place over several decades, with references to changing politics and popular culture reflecting changing attitudes.
I found Millie frustrating but accepted that she was of her time, and loved defiant, independent Di and flawed, brilliant Cleo. The relationships were difficult, stemming from problematic relationships with their unloving mother and mainly absent father, and I liked that these reflected troubled families in real life with strained love.
I liked how Caly was given her own voice towards the end of the book, and the hope that was given by her success, both in relationships and her career, showing the changing times and how generational trauma can be challenged and changed.
An interesting read which didn’t head in the direction I expected.
May 30, 2022
3.5 stars
This was a good read. The first half kind of reminded me of a more modern version of little women. I found the first half to be abit boring and kinda confusing with the timeline but that could be because I had just read a thriller 😂. I do think it would've been better if it had like the year or something like that under the name POV bit to make it easier to understand but it's easy enough to get over that so it's not a huge issue. At the end of part 1 it picked up and got more interesting. I really loved the short chapters especially because I read alot of this book on trains it made it easier to stop and start with travelling. I also really enjoyed how all the girls were effected by the lack of love from their mother in different ways. I thought this was a great message to have. The prelude was definitely hooking but I did struggle to stay hooked until part 2. Despite this the writing was done beautifully. The spine of the book is very strong and sterdy, I was reading with it fully open and it didn't crack or break (did get some water damage happen due to rain but that's not any issue with the book itself just British weather 😂). I love the cover although I don't fully understand the relevance to the book other than the 3 faces which I guess represents the 3 sisters but I don't get the relevance other than that but I do like the cover anyways 😂. Would recommend reading if like fiction memoirs are your kind of thing.
This was a good read. The first half kind of reminded me of a more modern version of little women. I found the first half to be abit boring and kinda confusing with the timeline but that could be because I had just read a thriller 😂. I do think it would've been better if it had like the year or something like that under the name POV bit to make it easier to understand but it's easy enough to get over that so it's not a huge issue. At the end of part 1 it picked up and got more interesting. I really loved the short chapters especially because I read alot of this book on trains it made it easier to stop and start with travelling. I also really enjoyed how all the girls were effected by the lack of love from their mother in different ways. I thought this was a great message to have. The prelude was definitely hooking but I did struggle to stay hooked until part 2. Despite this the writing was done beautifully. The spine of the book is very strong and sterdy, I was reading with it fully open and it didn't crack or break (did get some water damage happen due to rain but that's not any issue with the book itself just British weather 😂). I love the cover although I don't fully understand the relevance to the book other than the 3 faces which I guess represents the 3 sisters but I don't get the relevance other than that but I do like the cover anyways 😂. Would recommend reading if like fiction memoirs are your kind of thing.
June 19, 2022
A woman lies unconscious on the carpet of a smart Westminster apartment, one red high- heeled shoe has fallen off... A younger woman lies with her eyes closed,...
Her fingers clutch an empty bottle...
This is the story of three sisters, Millie, Di and Cleo. They are the war babies. Growing up in a world hungover from war, the sisters struggle to leave their mother behind and build their own lives. Millie turns to marriage, motherhood and God. Di becomes a foreign correspondent, finding a role in war-time Vietnam. Cleo chooses words as a defence against the world. A successful novelist, for a time she is content to be a sardonic voyeur.
Each sister is lost in her own world where extreme need leads to extreme behaviour. Then Cleo, the youngest and wildest, becomes the catalyst to smash the pattern. Who will adapt and survive? Who will find peace?
From the 50s to the present day, and with elements of a psychological thriller, Rachel Billington shows how three women navigate a future where men are not the only answer. The focus shifts from one sister to the next, putting human nature, its flaws and its virtues, under the spotlight. Yet there is hope at the heart of this story which leaves the reader wondering long after the final twist is revealed.
Thank you to Random Things Tours and Unicorn Publishing Group for providing me with a print copy in exchange for this post.
AD/PR Gifted
Her fingers clutch an empty bottle...
This is the story of three sisters, Millie, Di and Cleo. They are the war babies. Growing up in a world hungover from war, the sisters struggle to leave their mother behind and build their own lives. Millie turns to marriage, motherhood and God. Di becomes a foreign correspondent, finding a role in war-time Vietnam. Cleo chooses words as a defence against the world. A successful novelist, for a time she is content to be a sardonic voyeur.
Each sister is lost in her own world where extreme need leads to extreme behaviour. Then Cleo, the youngest and wildest, becomes the catalyst to smash the pattern. Who will adapt and survive? Who will find peace?
From the 50s to the present day, and with elements of a psychological thriller, Rachel Billington shows how three women navigate a future where men are not the only answer. The focus shifts from one sister to the next, putting human nature, its flaws and its virtues, under the spotlight. Yet there is hope at the heart of this story which leaves the reader wondering long after the final twist is revealed.
Thank you to Random Things Tours and Unicorn Publishing Group for providing me with a print copy in exchange for this post.
AD/PR Gifted
May 31, 2022
‘War Babies’ is a poignant look at family dynamics and how trauma can reverberate across the years. I found this book to be utterly fascinating as it weaves its way across three sisters lives, their loves intertwined but yet so separate and how their relationship with their mother shapes their destinies.
I was hooked by this book from the prologue to the last page. I devoured it over two days and was sad when it finished as I could have carried on reading about this family forever! I want to know more and even about Cally’s life and loves. The story is told from each of the sister’s points of view - Millie, Di and Cleo, plus towards the end by Cally who is Millie’s daughter. I wanted to know everything about Di though as I adored her - tough, singular and devoted to getting the truth out there and truly a pioneer in her field. I loved her character so much but I also found myself drawn to Cleo and also Julie, their mother. It would be interesting to see this narrative from Julie’s perspective, as I feel it would be completely different again and utterly fascinating.
I loved this one - let me know if you read it!
I was hooked by this book from the prologue to the last page. I devoured it over two days and was sad when it finished as I could have carried on reading about this family forever! I want to know more and even about Cally’s life and loves. The story is told from each of the sister’s points of view - Millie, Di and Cleo, plus towards the end by Cally who is Millie’s daughter. I wanted to know everything about Di though as I adored her - tough, singular and devoted to getting the truth out there and truly a pioneer in her field. I loved her character so much but I also found myself drawn to Cleo and also Julie, their mother. It would be interesting to see this narrative from Julie’s perspective, as I feel it would be completely different again and utterly fascinating.
I loved this one - let me know if you read it!
June 18, 2022
This book is about life, about sisters and their relationships with one another. The sisters are all very different and have the usual feelings of jealousy, love and even sometimes hatred towards one another.
The book starts with a fantastic prologue that draws you in making you need to know what led to this event.
It’s also about the sisters relationship with their mother who seems to not want any of her daughters. Her children seem as though they’re in the way and endured. Her jealousy and annoyance at her husband’s freedom and really, self indulgence are raw and very obvious. In the timeframe it’s set, I can see why.
I really enjoyed it and I think anyone who enjoys books set after the Second World War and that cover family relationships and how society began to change then, will want this on their bookshelves.
With thanks to Anne Cater, the publisher and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.
The book starts with a fantastic prologue that draws you in making you need to know what led to this event.
It’s also about the sisters relationship with their mother who seems to not want any of her daughters. Her children seem as though they’re in the way and endured. Her jealousy and annoyance at her husband’s freedom and really, self indulgence are raw and very obvious. In the timeframe it’s set, I can see why.
I really enjoyed it and I think anyone who enjoys books set after the Second World War and that cover family relationships and how society began to change then, will want this on their bookshelves.
With thanks to Anne Cater, the publisher and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.
June 8, 2022
Rated 3.5/4 /5
The writing was good and the story had a good pace to it. The story kept moving forward, yet at the same time it was still rooted in the past.
The chapters were short and snappy. They weren't numbered, but instead were based on the individual characters, namely the sisters with the addition of the eldest sister's daughter towards the end. I enjoyed learning about the character's this way and it was interesting to see things from their individual points of view. One downside to just knowing whose point of view you were reading from was that I wasn't always sure what time period I was in. It did eventually become clear, but I would have liked to have known sooner.
The characters were excellent. I loved the three sisters and that we were taken on a journey through their ultimately tragic lives. It was an emotional rollercoaster right through to the end.
Overall a good book for what it is. I found that I appreciated the storylines more looking back on the book than when I was reading it at the time.
✨For a longer review see my book blog✨ https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com
The writing was good and the story had a good pace to it. The story kept moving forward, yet at the same time it was still rooted in the past.
The chapters were short and snappy. They weren't numbered, but instead were based on the individual characters, namely the sisters with the addition of the eldest sister's daughter towards the end. I enjoyed learning about the character's this way and it was interesting to see things from their individual points of view. One downside to just knowing whose point of view you were reading from was that I wasn't always sure what time period I was in. It did eventually become clear, but I would have liked to have known sooner.
The characters were excellent. I loved the three sisters and that we were taken on a journey through their ultimately tragic lives. It was an emotional rollercoaster right through to the end.
Overall a good book for what it is. I found that I appreciated the storylines more looking back on the book than when I was reading it at the time.
✨For a longer review see my book blog✨ https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com
June 4, 2022
My review for this fantastic book is on my blog https://thefallenlibrarian.wordpress....
August 4, 2024
For me it just felt like a messy story about mundane things. It could have been told in more depth.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews