Rachel Billington – War Babies @RandomTTours @UnicornPubGroup #WarBabies #SharonBTB

Today I’m thrilled to be bringing you a review of War Babies on behalf of Random Things Tours for the blog tour today. Thanks to Random Things Tours and Unicorn Publishing for my copy of the book.

A woman lies unconscious on the carpet of a smart Westminster apartment, one red high-heeled shoe has fallen off… A younger woman lies with her eyes closed, half-hidden under a drinks cabinet… Her fingers clutch an empty bottle… What happens when a mother withholds her love? When she has no love to withhold? When she sees her three daughters as obstacles to her own formidable career?

This is the story of three sisters, Millie, Di and Cleo. They are the war babies. Growing up in a world still in turmoil, hungover from war, the sisters struggle to leave behind their mother and build their own lives. Each sister is lost in her own world where extreme need leads to extreme behaviour.

Then a tragic event forces Cleo, the youngest and wildest, to become the catalyst to smash the pattern. Who will adapt and survive in this new world? Who will find peace? From London to New York and to Vietnam, the focus shifts from one sister to the next, putting human nature, its flaws and its virtues, under the spotlight. With elements of a psychological thriller, Rachel Billington observes her characters with clinical detachment, but also with wit and understanding. Yet there is hope at the heart of this story which will leave the reader wondering long after the final twist is revealed.

This book begins with a prelude that immediately hooks you into this story. This is the story of three sisters, Millie, Di and Cleo. Each sister tells their own story by way of their own chapters and also some of the later chapters are from Cally, Millie’s daughter. Told from the War years right to the present day.

All three girls are as different as can be. Millie finds religion, marries and has a daughter, Di moves to America and becomes a war correspondent and ends up reporting on the Vietnam War. Cleo writes a novel but what she really wants she can’t have.

These are girls who have been brought up without maternal affection that is so important for anyone in life. They are all scarred by this, but they are all strong in different ways. They don’t see each other as they grow and follow their own paths through life.

This is a view of family dynamics and how trauma ripples through decades. There were such intense momemts throughout the boos as these girls lives are shaped by their mother and their upbringing. I was drawn to Di, a woman who wants nothing more than to get the truth out there. Cleo, was another that I found so interesting to get to know. All the sisters were created so well that I wanted to know them all.

It’s a book that I really got invested in. This family became addictive to read about. I was sorry as I got to the end. Even Cally and her chapters captivated me. This is a story that shows there is always hope, no matter what circumstances there are. A recommended read for me.

Author Bio

Rachel Billington has written over thirty books. In 2012 she was awarded an OBE for Services to Literature. Her most recent books were the historical novels, Maria and the Admiral and Glory: A Story of Gallipoli. As a journalist, columnist and reviewer, she has contributed to numerous newspapers and magazines worldwide, including the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, and The Spectator. She was President of English PEN from 1998-2001.