Reviewed by Emma Crowley
When Betty and her best friend Sally discover a baby tucked in a blanket amongst the rubble at the Manchester Salvage Depot, they can barely believe their eyes. As Betty holds the baby in her arms, she feels a familiar longing stir in her chest. Might she and her husband be allowed to care for this abandoned child, and create the family they have always longed for?
Sally is shocked when she realizes she too has news: she’s pregnant and the two friends begin planning for the new arrival. But with her husband Andrew serving overseas, and Sally’s health a cause for concern, she must do everything she can to care for the precious life inside her.
When the grandparents of the abandoned baby are found, Betty’s heart breaks. She has grown to love this child as if she was her own, and she’ll do whatever it takes to provide a safe home for this baby. Then Sally’s health takes a dramatic turn for the worst, and an anxious night is spent waiting for news as the residents of Star House rally to support one another.
With two precious lives to fight for, the future feels more perilous than ever before. Will Betty finally become the mother she has always wanted to be? And will Sally be able to give her husband the most precious homecoming gift of all?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of A Baby for the Homefront Girls to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
A Baby for the Homefront Girls is the fifth and final instalment in the Homefront Girls series by Susanna Bavin. It’s sad to see this series coming to an end as it has been really enjoyable and seen as it ends at the tail end of 1942 and the war was still raging on I did think we would get to read more about the girls. But all good things must come to an end and the way everything was wrapped up was perfect and apt for each of the various scenarios some of which had been ongoing since book one. What I have loved about this series is that it’s written in such and conversational and easy to read style that draws you in right from the get go. You soon come to care about the characters and although each book is not intense nor overly packed full of endless drama and twists and turns but just enough to keep you guessing, it really doesn’t matter. Instead we are given an insight into the lives of women and family during the war and how they coped with everything that was thrown at them and did so with grace, dignity and comradeship which saw them through the toughest years of their lives.
Old favourite characters that have been with us since book one are still here and continuing to share their stories but also over the course of the books new people have featured and that’s what has kept things fresh and enticing readers to come back for more. This new story picks up more or less from where the previous left off but it starts with an exciting event which sets the tone for the remainder of the book. Betty, is happily married to bookshop owner, Samuel. He is the most sweetest of men and they make the most perfect couple. He is unable to fight in the war but does his bit on the homefront. Theirs was a love that felt real, genuine and longlasting. They stood by each other through thick and thin. Samuel could be serious but he had such an unassuming manner and was steadfast and dependable. His kindness, consideration and generosity shone from his every thought, action, word and deed.
None more so than when Betty finishes fire watching one evening with Sally and hears a nose amongst the salvage stored at the depot. A newborn baby is discovered all wrapped up and from the moment Betty catches sight of her heart is smitten. They name the baby Bessie and although all the girls really come to care for the baby as does Mrs Beaumont of Star House where the majority of the girls reside, the baby needs to go to the foundling hospital. Betty and Samuel are determined that they will adopt baby Bessie but without saying much more there are many obstacles strewn across the path to happiness which are sent to challenge them. I loved how this plot showed the adoption process during World War Two but also conveyed to the reader how special both Betty and Samuel are and what wonderful support they had from all their friends and family.
That’s a strong theme that runs throughout the book, that of friends, family, love, togetherness, support and comradeship through the darkest and most desperate of times. Working in the salvage depot brought the girls together it. Without it they would never have meet each other and forged such bonds. Sally, Betty, Lorna and now Deborah all have individual stories to share but it’s how they come together and the way the story is written that make things special and keeps you turning the pages. Poor Sally is going through a rough time with husband Andrew away fighting in North Africa and now having to deal with something which should bring much pleasure yet there is the potential for sadness. I admired her stoicism and that she didn’t give up but did what needed to be done. It wasn’t easy having to relinquish some things and pass the baton over so to speak but she was brave and did what needed to be done. I just had my fingers crossed for a positive outcome. Even when Mrs Lockwood was trying to muscle in on things again in relation to the salvage depot, I loved how the girls had grown and matured and now had more confidence to assert both their confidence and opinions where as in the early days of the war and working outside of the home this would have been virtually impossible. The role of women in the home and how it expanded to the workplace was explored deftly throughout and the importance of salvage highlighted too. Who would have thought a somewhat boring topic could have been made interesting, but the author did it here.
It was brilliant to see Deborah having more of a spotlight shone on her. I felt she had featured on the periphery up until now and I couldn’t warm to her. Here, I felt the reader got to know her much better and she became a part of the gang as had a room in Star House and could engage more with the girls. The trials and tribulations of her love life featured heavily but it all added to my overall enjoyment of the story. She starts to know her own mind and won’t take things lying down.I think people felt that she was a bit of a walk over and that she never really pushed herself in her job in the food ministry and that meant she wasn’t up for much else. But she underwent a transformation throughout the book and I really warmed to her.She started to come into her own and find her voice both on a personal and professional level. Romance comes calling for her but can she make a go of things or will there be more sent to make her doubt herself and what the heart is saying?
All in all, A Baby for the Homefront Girls, was a lovely read and a fitting conclusion to the series. The strong sense of working together to get things done, the female camaraderie and bonds that were established and the sisterhood that develops were brilliant. The numerous themes and emotions that were explored were done so in a real and genuine way which make for a heartwarming read that is perfect for those who love wartime family sagas.
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