Barbara’s War
This novel begins in Hastings at the beginning of WWII and is based around the main character, Barbara Sinclair. Barbara’s start in life has been somewhat tragic and the as the novel develops, it delivers an interesting turn of events.
F J Miller’s descriptive writing aids to build a clear visual picture as the story unfolds along with developing a bond between Barbara and the reader. There are some parts which are somewhat predictable and repetitive in places, however, the supporting characters help to keep the story alive with their believable and colourful personas. The story, although not of great historical content, does cover child abuse and family struggles sensitively and is intertwined with the problems sometimes faced by broken relationships. There is adultery, flirtations and murder within the pages and all in all is a good read.
There are a few typos within the book and odd grammatical arrangements. There were also some dates referring to timeline within the story that did not quite add up, but despite these, the glossy cover is of good quality, and the jacket design is extremely welcoming depicting the basis of the novel. I would urge anyone to pick it up off the shelf to read.
