Sarah Harcourt and her mother Lady Joanna Harcourt find themselves struggling to make ends meet as the Second World War looms large. Sarah's father has gone to France to fight, leaving the women to basically fend for themselves. Unable to access any funds and with the meagre amount Lord Harcourt has left them, Sarah and Joanna must find a way to survive and keep a roof over their heads. Cue one very handsome RAF officer in the form of Angus Trent, and it seems the pairs financial difficulties are eased when the RAF wants them to open their magnificent, if not freezing cold home to board young women, namely land girls and members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Fraternising between the two sexes on an air force base was simply not encouraged during this time. Will Joanna agree to the plan though? What would her husband say? She is almost crippled by indecision.
With her father away, Sarah's life becomes very different indeed. No longer bound by his overbearing personality and his archaic attitude towards women, she finds a new found independence she never thought possible. Her dream of becoming a doctor seems more of a possibility now and her friendship with Trent becomes so much more. Their age difference not really being too much of a barrier as they set plans in motion for a future together. Sarah and her mother are able to make decisions that would be unheard of had her father still been at home. As the book progresses Joanna herself find a little more confidence too and soon realises that she has been a prisoner to her husbands decision making about her life.
I enjoyed this first book in the series. My only criticism is that the book ended very suddenly and I would have liked to have had it end on more of a cliff-hanger instead. Nonetheless, this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. The descriptions of the huge cavernous house actually made me throw a blanket over myself and snuggle down to read the book. The place just sounds horrendous and clearly impossible to inject any heat into. I wondered while reading the book, if the coolness of Goodwill House was a reflection of the coolness of Lord Harcourt and his lack of emotion or any demonstrative love. However, as the book progresses and the women become more independent and confident and open about their feelings, they find ways to warm rooms and make Goodwill house more homely.
I enjoyed the character development of the two women who were so used to having every decision made for them by Lord Harcourt. Sarah was slightly more feisty and independent than her mother and I liked that about her. She was definitely a person to get things done but even she was restricted by the confines of merely being a woman during an age when women were still being treated like precious little jewels, incapable of making a decision for themselves. The book offers great insight into what life was like in England during this period of history. Class divide is a real theme throughout also as is the hardship of life during this time. Clearly a well researched novel and one I enjoyed.
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