ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Wartime Nursery by Lizzie Page

The Wartime Nursery by Lizzie Page is published by Bookouture and is out now. I purchased my own copy.

Norfolk, 1940. In the dark days of the war, Emmeline’s nursery is the only thing giving mothers hope. But how long can she keep that hope alive? An inspiring and emotional story of love and strength in the darkest of times.

Emmeline’s daughter, Lydia, has already been evacuated and now, as Emmeline loses neighbours and friends to the bombs raining down around her, she must leave London too – for safety and a fresh start.

Evacuated to Norfolk and lodging with local politician, Lawrence, and his unwelcoming wife, Emmeline’s loneliness drives her into the arms of other struggling single mothers. The women are desperate to aid the war effort, but they need someone to care for their children. Longing to help, Emmeline pleads with Lawrence to let her open a wartime nursery – the first of its kind.

Getting support for the nursery isn’t easy, as many believe mothers should stay home. But after rolling up her sleeves, Emmeline finally opens the doors to the old community hall she’s worked so hard to spruce up, and the children flood in. The toddlers are hungry for attention and Emmeline loves their sweet little faces – even poor, fatherless Billy who always throws porridge at her, tiny Alice who needs to be held constantly, and Freddy, with his cherub curls and wide eyes.

But Lawrence’s political rival is determined to close down the nursery – just as Emmeline’s put down roots in the village and finally found the purpose she’s always dreamed of.

Will Emmeline be able to save her nursery and stay in Norfolk with the friends and the children she loves so dearly? Or will she be forced to return to London and leave her new life – and true calling – behind…?

The Wartime Nursery is book two in Lizzie Page’s The Wartime Evacuees trilogy about three young girls evacuated from London during WWII. Where book one, A Child Far from Home, focused on Valerie Hardman and her mother Jean, this book follows Lydia to Somerset and her mother Emmeline to Norfolk, and explores the effects of a family being broken up in this way.

Lizzie Page is one of my all-time favourite authors and The Wartime Nursery is just as much of a joy to read as all of her other books. Although it’s both Lydia and Emmeline’s stories, it’s the latter’s which features most prominently as she sets up a wartime nursery to look after children whose mothers are doing important war work. With the help of her local MP and host, Emmeline makes a success of it. Such an interesting storyline and the rise of nurseries during this time was something I’d never really given any thought to before.

There’s some heartbreak in this story and some rather sad events. I found Lydia frustratingly selfish and Emmeline stoic and determined, but both brilliantly written characters, navigating their way through the unknown years of the conflict and beyond, into the 1950s. Things felt a little unresolved for some of the characters and I felt like this book formed a kind of bridge for the trilogy. I’m looking forward now to book three, The Wartime Mother, and I’m hoping for a favourable outcome for a couple of characters whose lives haven’t gone in quite the direction I hoped they would. I loved The Wartime Nursery, an emotional and captivating book which transported me back in time.

Lizzie Page lives in a seaside town in Essex, England where she grew up. After studying politics at University, she worked as an English teacher, first in Paris and then in Tokyo, for five years. Back in England, she tried and failed various jobs, before enjoying studying a masters in creative writing at Goldsmiths College. Lizzie loves reading historical and modern fiction, watching films, and travelling. Her husband Steve, three lovely children, and Lenny the cockapoo all conspire to stop her writing!