Goodnight From London

I'm an avid WWII Historical Fiction reader and although it sometimes feels like I've read it all, I had yet to read Goodnight From London, part of Canadian author Jennifer Robson's backlist. This book falls into the lighter realm of the genre and was a slower paced but enjoyable read. It is clearly well-researched as Robson, an academic, former editor and self-proclaimed lifelong history nerd, weaves real events that occurred during the Blitz with a fictional story that follows Ruby Sutton, a young female journalist who is sent to London to write about the war. 

My favourite parts of the book were Robson's descriptions of day-to-day life in England during the intense 8-month long German bombing campaign against Britain and the small instances of humanity during this dangerous time. But despite the dangerous location, this remains a lighter read with the romance set in the background. 

The story centres around Ruby and I liked her feisty spirit as she tries to prove her skills as a war correspondent. But she remains a bit of an enigma for the reader, keeping her emotions close to her chest. I would have loved to know more about her past and gotten to know the secondary characters, particularly Bennett's aunt and cousins better.

This is a heartwarming, lighter WWII fiction read that describes what life was like for average Brits during the Blitz. It has a lot going on but handles the romance, mystery, effects of war and complexity of its plot with a light hand. With its predictable story lines and lighter feel, it is a good choice for those who want a well-researched but less intense look at the war.

While this wasn't my favourite book by this author (that title currently goes to her book The Gown), this was an enjoyable read and I appreciated the amount of research involved. Jennifer Robson remains one of my go-to authors and I am currently eagerly awaiting my copy of Our Darkest Night that I have preordered for its January 2021 release. 

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Jennifer Robson

Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII, Canadian

Type and Source: Trade Paperback from public library

Pages: 400

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

First Published: May 2, 2017

Opening Lines: June 1940 - New York City - Ruby had been marooned outside Mike Mitchell's office for going on forty-five minutes, perched on a hard wooden chair under a wanly flickering electric light. 

Book Description from GoodReads: From USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Robson—author of Moonlight Over Paris and Somewhere in France—comes a lush historical novel that tells the fascinating story of Ruby Sutton, an ambitious American journalist who moves to London in 1940 to report on the Second World War, and to start a new life an ocean away from her past.

In the summer of 1940, ambitious young American journalist Ruby Sutton gets her big break: the chance to report on the European war as a staff writer for Picture Weekly newsmagazine in London. She jumps at the chance, for it's an opportunity not only to prove herself, but also to start fresh in a city and country that know nothing of her humble origins. But life in besieged Britain tests Ruby in ways she never imagined.

Although most of Ruby's new colleagues welcome her, a few resent her presence, not only as an American but also as a woman. She is just beginning to find her feet, to feel at home in a country that is so familiar yet so foreign, when the bombs begin to fall.

As the nightly horror of the Blitz stretches unbroken into weeks and months, Ruby must set aside her determination to remain an objective observer. When she loses everything but her life, and must depend upon the kindness of strangers, she learns for the first time the depth and measure of true friendship—and what it is to love a man who is burdened by secrets that aren’t his to share.

Goodnight from London, inspired in part by the wartime experiences of the author’s own grandmother, is a captivating, heartfelt, and historically immersive story that readers are sure to embrace.