Reviewed by Emma Crowley
London, 1943: Dot Hanson has never forgotten the thrill of seeing the beautiful Christmas displays at Liberty’s department store as a young girl.
Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would one day work there, or that she would fall in love with the store’s manager, her childhood sweetheart Edwin Button.
But in spite of the life Dot has built for herself, and the tight-knit community around her, she lives in the shadow of a terrible secret. And as the bombs continue to fall across Britain there is more heartache still to come.
All Dot wants is a family of her own with the man she loves by her side.
Will her dreams come true in time for Christmas?
Many thanks to Arrow via NetGalley for my copy of A Christmas Wedding to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
A Christmas Wedding is the fourth and final book in the Liberty’s Girls series by Fiona Ford and I am sad to leave this wonderful cast of characters who work in such a special shop behind. It was bittersweet when I realised, as I neared the end of this well written story, that this would be the last time that I would read about this group of women who have touched mine and many other readers hearts. But despite this being the concluding part to what has been a fantastic series there was no let up in all the action, more so in the second half, and once again there was lots of drama with plenty of twists and turns thrown in right up until the last possible minute. I felt things really came full circle ad that each woman that had featured throughout got any loose ends tied up and characters we hadn’t known much about before got their chance to step into the spotlight and share a little further detail about themselves.
Dot Hanson has featured prominently in every book yet I always felt there was an awful lot more going on with her than at first meets the eye. Therefore I was so glad that she played an even more dominant role in this story and that we got to see a totally different side to her. There had always been a sense that she was keeping something back from everyone else, and yes although she is the matriarch figure who always does her utmost to help anyone out in their hour of need and does so willingly and with such kindness and graciousness, one wonders would others do the same for her if they could see that she was struggling?
Dot certainly goes through the ringer throughout A Christmas Wedding and at times I wonder would anything positive come forth for her in her life. Up until this point things had seemed to be on an even keel for her as she has reunited with her childhood sweetheart Edwin Button, who is store manager of Liberty’s. They seem very happy together but again I always had that slight niggle that there is something eating away at Dot that prevents her fully embracing happiness. I had no clue as to what it would be and was therefore enthralled as her story unfolded over the course of the book.
That’s not to say that other characters I have become familiar with were forgotten about in the haste to make sure all the mystery surrounding Dot came to the fore. No Fiona Ford balanced all the new storylines perfectly whilst at the same time long running plots that have been woven within each book continued to be deftly explored with each one reaching a satisfying conclusion. In fact the entire book was deeply satisfying and I think the time is right for the author to leave the Liberty Girls and to explore pasture new with any further books she will write. Everything felt as if it was naturally ending even if I was sad to have to say goodbye to characters who have almost become like friends.
Even at this end point new characters were introduced, this being in the form of new shop girl Brenda Higginson who has come from working as a ladies maid to a lowly position in the shop that holds so many memories for so many people. Ivy and her daughter Helen also feature and to be honest as they lived in a different city I thought what are they doing in this book? What role have they to play and will they be worthy of inclusion? Liberty’s is a special place that has long been in Dot’s heart, the shop itself is the stalwart of this story from which everything else flows outwards. All the characters gravitate towards it as a means of security in times of war and trouble and each character cares so deeply for their place of work that they hope it can withstand what the war may throw at it. Be it the worry of being destroyed in a raid or just simply the lack of sales due to restrictions, therefore perhaps leading to financial trouble.
Nothing is easy for Dot and her co-workers, Mary, Rose, Alice and Jean but what always stands out is their friendship. They have a solid and lasting foundation that sees them support in each other be it in their personal life or regarding any dramas or troubles on the shop floor of which there is always plenty. They confided in each other and offer support and guidance when needed. The strongest of these women I would say is Dot and she takes every person under her wing even when they don’t always instant realise they need it. Therefore I was glad to see that this time around she was displaying her more vulnerable side and that she was distracted and maybe not always able to give her full attention to Liberty’s and the fabric department. It showed that she was just like the others and that no one has an easy time in their lives. It’s not all plain sailing and in order to discover what is going on with Dot, we have to go back to her past.
Initially, I did think that for the first half of the book things were quite slow, not much happened and I felt like what could happen to spice things up a bit so to speak or help the plot move along a bit? But having finished the book and contemplated the overall story that slow paced start was needed for everything that was to come in the later half. That in fact there was actually lots going on but that at the time I couldn’t see the relevance of it and therefore that’s why I felt it that little bit too slow.
There is certainly a different side to Dot exposed the further the layers of the story are pulled back. She has very little faith in her abilities despite her friends and co-workers feeling they can to turn to her for anything and she will be the one with the answers or have a plan that could be put in place to solve what they would deem an insurmountable problem. Dot is generous, caring, ingenious, loyal and steadfast. She always knows the right thing to say and the right time to dispense advice but the memories of the biggest mistake of her life haunt her and the reader is constantly wondering what this could have been. It’s clearly not the fact that herself and Edwin were estranged and went on to lead different lives for so long as they are now back together so what could it have been?
As I was reading along, something just clicked with me and I had an idea as to what the crux of Dot’s problem could be but then I wondered was I reading too much into things. Could it be possible? I was quite pleased with myself when all was revealed and I was proven right as it’s rare that I guess what is actually going on long before the reveal arrives. I was keen to see how all the dots of the story would be joined together and the loose ends that had been present from previous books, would they be connected or remain frayed forever? Will her friends and Edwin be there for her when she needs them the most just as she has always been their backbone and security blanket in times of strife and anxiety? At the same time one wonders if Dot can solve and help others confront their problems, why can’t she do the same for herself instead of running away from things?
I loved how when we weren’t following along with the difficulties Dot was facing, that the other girls that I have become very familiar with got their moment as well. Mary whom I felt was kind of forgotten about since the first book got more of a role and it was brilliant to see her story coming full circle as the reason for her getting a job in Liberty’s reared its head as families troubles make themselves known once again. I was desperately hoping that she wouldn’t go against everything that she stood for and all that she had learned under the warm embrace of the Liberty Girls. I wasn’t best pleased with all of her decisions and hoped she would follow her heart and the advice of the others rather than what she felt she was expected to do. There were also some really difficult scenes to read in this story and as I was reading them I thought on how earth could Fiona Ford do this. Was what I was reading actually happening? Even up until the very last minute of said event occurring I was in complete disbelief at what was unfolding, it seemed so unfair and unjust. Fair play to Fiona for venturing where other authors may have not even if my heart broke at what happened.
A Christmas Wedding was a great read and an apt conclusion to a marvellous series that will strike a chord with many. Its perfect for fans of historical fiction with a specific focus on World War Two sagas. I wouldn’t read this book as a stand alone rather read all for together to really enjoy them and get the full experience. Dot and co have told their stories and I now look forward to where will we venture to and who we will meet in the future books from Fiona Ford.
No comments:
Post a Comment