Hopeful Hearts at the Wartime Hotel by Maisie Thomas

 

"Women were working in all kinds of jobs now so as to free up men to join the services and fight for their country".

Hopeful Hearts at the Wartime Hotel by Maisie Thomas is an evocative family saga, set in Manchester during the WWII.

Blurb:

Manchester, 1942

When Kitty Dunbar was forced to confront her husband's debts and close the family hotel, she transformed Dunbar's into a storage business for bombed-out families. But with her daughter to support, and relishing her new independence, Kitty is keen to come up with more ways to use the once prestigious hotel. 

Sharing her home are former chambermaid Lily, and kind-hearted welfare worker Beatrice, both haunted by past loss. Together, the three women create a new kind of family in the heart of the Manchester Blitz: one built on respect and resilience. 

When Kitty suggests hosting wedding receptions in the old dining room, her friends are happy and willing to lend a hand - and help to serve "Dunbar's Wartime Wedding Punch"! 

But when Lily meets a handsome doctor, and Beatrice comes face to face with her old flame, will hearts finally be mended, or broken once more?

While war rages around them, can these three women find the courage to keep fighting for their dreams?

While German bombs rain down on Manchester, three women dare to build a new life inside the former Dunbar's hotel. 

Kitty Dunbar refuses to be defeated. While the hotel had to be closed due to Mr Dunbar's multiple debts, she comes up with an idea of "providing secure accommodation for what was left of people's furniture and household goods after they had been bombed out".

Her husband Bill's shortcomings have had a huge impact on her life. To provide for her daughter and herself, Kitty takes on new responsibilities and turns out to be managing well.

"Just look at her now, not just working but actually running the business. Not only that, but she had set up the business herself". 

Kitty is proud to be a businesswoman, she dreams of breathing a new life into the old building, together with her loyal friends, Lily, the former chambermaid, and Beatrice, who works in a welfare office. 

All three women have secrets and losses of their own.

Lily is trying to cope with a recent tragedy, and feels lost. She is struggling with a mix of emotions: grief, sadness, guilt. Unreasonably, Lily blames her husband for not being there for her, when the tragedy struck, yet it was not his fault. The trauma makes Lily reconsider her marriage, and an alienation follows. When she meets a handsome doctor in dramatic circumstances, Lily wonders if there is a chance of a new love for her. 

As a former child carer for her own mother, Beatrice is full of empathy and concern for the other children who have to look after their own parents with disabilities/long illness. She is aware of the huge responsibilities on their young shoulders, all this done at the expense of a proper education.

 Remembering her own childhood experiences, Beatrice, with a help from another welfare officer, sets up "a club at Dunbar's for children like this, so that for a few hours each week they could meet other children who fully understood what their lives were like and enjoy games and other activities..."

You would think this initiative would garner great support, but not everyone approves. Beatrice's superior in the office takes a completely different view.

Beatrice has resigned herself to living on her own. When she meets the man she never expected to see again, the sparks are flying. Is there a promise of a future together for them?

Beatrice is the character of a quiet strength, who I could most relate to. 

Holding on to revived hopes, and to each other, three women discover new strengths they never knew they had. 

They all come from different walks of life, but living together, sharing secrets and supporting each other, Kitty, Lily and Beatrice create a very special unit built on trust and friendship. In a way, they become a family of their own. 

As Kitty explains to her older sister Naomi, "Family matters can be complicated... I'll tell you something I'm grateful for: the way Beatrice, Lily and I have grown so close through living together. We all help one another and they both love Abbie. We've become a sort of family".

Their unbreakable bond will get them through heartbreak and trauma.

The author creates an authentic setting, with a great attention to detail, from wartime recipes to women's rights, or the lack thereof.

There are some pages, when you're going to be fuming at the injustice of it. Women are expected to work hard and support the war effort, yet they are still the second-class citizens, with many of their rights curtailed or non-existent.

I forgot just how much I have enjoyed Maisie Thomas' books in the past. The Railway Girls series is a fabulous historical fiction set during the WWII. I'm delighted to discover a new family saga by this brilliant author. 

Hopeful Hearts at the Wartime Hotel is an unforgettable story of love and loss, friendship and loyalty.

A gripping tale with well-drawn characters and wonderfully vivid writing. A must read for all historical saga fans.

Many thanks to Maisie Thomas, Boldwood Books and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Link:

Hopeful Hearts at the Wartime Hotel

Author Bio:

Maisie Thomas is the bestselling author of the Railway Girls series. She is now writing a new saga series for Boldwood, set in wartime Manchester.

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