An Orphan’s Hope (Battersea Tavern)
This is the fourth book in the Battersea Tavern series, which up until now has been set during the Second World War in London. It’s now December 1952, and the Great Smog has descended. Orphan Grace’s grandmother falls victim to the foul air, but fortunately for Grace, Winnie Berry takes pity on her and she becomes the latest addition to the Battersea Tavern family.
Things don’t go smoothly for Grace at first as she struggles to settle in, not helped by the series of upsets, disasters and tragedies that befall the pub’s other residents and keep even the formidable Winnie distracted. As life moves on for everyone, things begin to calm down, but disaster is about to strike again, and life at the Battersea Tavern may never be the same.
This novel covers an eventful six months not just in Winnie’s life, but historically too. Besides the Great Smog, several other events feature, including the North Sea flood and Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. Fans of this series will not be disappointed, and new readers will appreciate the lively characters and the descriptions of life in 1950s London, and they may be tempted to go back and read the first three instalments.
The author’s note at the front of the book is a poignant goodbye from the original Kitty Neale, who says that her health has deteriorated and that she has passed the writing baton on to her daughter. Sadly, she passed away just two days ago at the time of writing this review.
