*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.
Title: The Ration Book Baby
Author: Ellie Curzon
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★
England, 1940. Opening the box with trembling hands,
she couldn’t believe it – a tiny baby lay inside. She gently lifted the newborn
as it started to cry. Cradling the little one to her chest, she searched the
darkness for any sign of whoever left it here. And as she rocked the child,
something fluttered to the ground… a ration book.
Nurse Annie Russell anxiously listens to the
terrifying sounds of planes and gunfire overhead, worried about what the
morning will bring for the patients in her care. The boys from the local
airfield fly up in the skies each night, risking their lives to protect the
people of Bramble Heath village, but they can’t stop every bombshell. Until a
knock at the door makes her jump.
Awaiting Annie on the doorstep is a hatbox. Peeking under
the lid, she gasps – inside is a whimpering newborn, round cheeks glistening
with tears. The poor little thing may be all alone, but someone must truly love
the baby… Tucked into a hand-knitted blanket, there’s a precious ration book,
vital for food supplies in these darkest of days.
Her heart breaking, Annie does everything she can to care
for her tiny charge. But, without a ration book, she knows that the frightened
young mother could also be in dire need of help too. Then social services bring
devastating news. If Annie can’t find the helpless child’s family soon,
the authorities will have to take the little one away.
As the Nazi threat grows, more and more of the brave
pilots at the local airbase don’t come home. Is one of the fallen the child’s
father? And with her only clue leading nowhere, can Annie find the answers
she needs, and reunite the innocent baby with its parents before it is too
late?
The Ration Book Baby is the latest heartwarming historical fiction
novel from Ellie Curzon. It is a fantastic historical mystery and the first instalment
of the new series ‘A Village At War’.
The structure of the story, with it’s short and snappy
paragraphs and good pacing, meant that it was a very easy read. Although there
are some tougher aspects to the plot (such as William’s recovery from
his burn injuries and the xenophobia experienced by the Polish refugees living
in the village from some of the villagers), as much of the plot focuses on the
mystery of the baby’s mother it is a much more light-hearted read than many other
World War Two historical fiction works which was really refreshing.
I absolutely love the setting of Bramble Heath and all of the
wonderful inhabitants. Seeing the whole village rally together to support the baby
and the family caring for her was truly heartwarming and I’m so delighted that
the village is going to be the focus of a new series.
Annie was a fantastic protagonist. She was selfless,
determined and caring, with a complete heart of gold and it was lovely to
follow her role as a nurse caring both for her community and some of the men on
the local airbase. I also really enjoyed the friends to lovers romance between
her and William. Although largely predictable, it added a really lovely aspect
to the story and I look forward to catching up with them in the next book.
*Please note – the next paragraph may contain spoilers
surrounding the identity of the baby’s mother*
At the centre of the story is the mystery surrounding who the
baby’s mother is. Whilst being mindful of trying to avoid completely spoiling such
a major plot point for future readers, I did feel like the reveal of the mother’s
identity was quite anticlimactic. As we had had very little interaction with
the character at all it was easy to cast her aside as an insignificant character
and not consider her at all when trying to solve the mystery. Whilst I
appreciate that central to her character was the fact that she had hidden
herself away from the community following the birth of her secret child, it would
have been good for there to have been a few more mentions of her prior to the
reveal which could have provided further clues pointing towards her being the
baby’s mother.
My favourite aspect to the plot was the exploration of
Archibald McIndoe’s pioneering work improving the treatment and rehabilitation
of badly burned aircrew during the war. This was truly fascinating and I do
hope we see more of his work in the future books. I also loved meeting the
Polish community living in a hamlet within the village. The discrimination they
faced was dealt with very well within the story and I hope we hear more from
them and their stories within the rest of the series.
Overall, The Ration Book Baby is a heartwarming and easy
read for fans of historical fiction. I’m excited to see where Ellie Curzon
takes the rest of the series.
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