V for victory A novel

Lissa Evans

Book - 2021

It's late 1944. In a large house next to Hampstead Heath, Vee Sedge is barely scraping by with a herd of lodgers to feed and her young charge Noel, almost fifteen now, to clothe and educate. When she witnesses an accident and finds herself in court, the repercussions are both unexpectedly marvelous and potentially disastrous. Because Vee is not actually the person she's pretending to be, and neither is Noel.

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Subjects
Genres
War stories
Historical fiction
Domestic fiction
War fiction
Published
New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers [2021]
Language
English
Main Author
Lissa Evans (author)
Edition
First U.S. edition
Physical Description
293 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9780063059832
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

This darkly comic novel is the third in a loose trilogy, following Crooked Heart (2015) and Old Baggage (2019), and the characters' backstories are revealed as the plot progresses. In 1944, London's neighborhoods lie battered from attacks by German bombers. Known as an efficient Hampstead landlady, Mrs. Margery Overs is actually an impostor whose real name is Vera (Vee) Sedge, and her 14-year-old "nephew," Noel, is a former child evacuee she has taken in. A charmingly sharp lad, Noel cooks for Vee's lodgers, who tutor him in various subjects. After Vee witnesses a traffic accident, and Noel meets someone who knew his beloved late godmother, their true identities are at risk of being exposed. Evans excels at portraying war-weary Londoners conducting their lives while death arrives with terrible randomness; among them is air-raid warden Winnie Crowther, whose husband is a prisoner of war. Many are forced to weigh the cost of keeping secrets. The eclectic characters are all uniquely human, and their interactions--there are no dull conversations--make the novel witty and moving.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

A middle-aged London woman takes in a 14-year-old boy during WWII in Evans's beguiling sequel to Crooked Heart. In 1944, Vee Sedge continues living as Margery Overs, aunt of Noel Bostock, to maintain custody of Noel and others abandoned during the war. After Vee sees a man fatally struck by a van, she is called to testify in court, where she maintains her ruse as Margery, who is deceased, and recalls her fear when previously appearing before a magistrate's court for alleged theft. As the bombing of London continues, meanwhile, Air Raid Precautions Warden Winnie Crowther works tirelessly as she ponders her future after the war and hopes her husband, Emlyn, returns from a POW camp. After Vee is blackmailed by someone threatening to expose her fraud, she reveals the details of the blackmailing to Noel, who has a secret of his own, and the bond between them grows stronger. A host of quirky characters adds levity to the frequent deadly bombing raids as the stories of Vee, Noel, and the Crowthers intersect. Evans's down-to-earth tale will hook readers from the first page. Agent: Georgia Garrett, RCW Literary. (May)

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