15-year-old Emmy Downtree lives with her single mother and little sister, Julia. Emmy longs to be a dress designer and is delighted to get a job in a bridal shop. Her ambitions are interrupted when she and her sister are sent away from London at the beginning of WWII to live with the kindly Charlotte in the country. Emmy still yearns to follow her dream so she runs away from the safety of the country, Julia in tow, and arrives back in London on the day the Blitz begins. Emmy and Julia are separated, and as Emmy searches desperately for her sister, she comes to learn the importance of family and the bitterness of learning to live with your mistakes.I picked up this book because two of my co-workers recommended it. It did not disappoint. The vivid descriptions of London at war, and the heart-wrenching inner turmoil of the Emmy, her mother and her sister, make this a very engaging read. The emotional intensity is eased a little by the kindness of secondary characters; Charlotte, the dress shop keeper, and Emmy's boyfriend. I also liked the fact that Emmy's early single-minded pursuit of her dream gives way to a less self-centered reality in the end. This is a good choice for those looking for a soulful historical fiction. (416 p. 2015)
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