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mieefie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nicjohnston's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fabulous book. I heard Grace Dent championing it on BBC Radio 4 and gave it a bash. I rarely score 5 stars and have recommended this book to everyone I know, and all who have read it have loved it. The story is sublime, the structure slots into place and the ending is fabulous. However the two standout strengths of this book are the characters (everyone will stay with you) and the humour. I could not recommend more highly.
toniclark's review against another edition
4.0
What a delight. Great story with wonderful characters — especially the precocious 10-year-old Noel. I rather dislike precocious child narrators, but this is much different. Noel’s intellectual sophistication and observations are part of the story, part of the fun. (And he’s not the narrator.) It’s captivating, heartwarming, but both the London blitz and the humor save it from sentimentality. Better to just read the book than to read the synopses ahead of it.
jacki_f's review against another edition
3.0
The reason that you will love this book is the characters. Set during WW2, it's about the relationship between a worldly ten year old boy called Noel and his foster mother, a grifter called Vera. Though a completely different kind of book, it has the same kind of charm and gentle humour that [b:The Universe Versus Alex Woods|15984268|The Universe Versus Alex Woods|Gavin Extence|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352436020s/15984268.jpg|21738568] has.
I'm not sure if this is a YA novel, but it reads like one. The supporting characters are all too simplistic and stereotypical and it never makes you feel like you are there in wartime England. I really loved the central relationship but the rest of the book was lacking something for me.
I'm not sure if this is a YA novel, but it reads like one. The supporting characters are all too simplistic and stereotypical and it never makes you feel like you are there in wartime England. I really loved the central relationship but the rest of the book was lacking something for me.
momji's review against another edition
4.0
This book was such a pleasant find. A story of a little boy, Noel, who is raised by a grifter, Vivian, after being evacuated from London during the 1940 Blitz of WWII. Noel had lived in London with his Auntie Mame-like godmother, and as a result is quite mature and eccentric. When she dies, he is forced to leave with several other students to the English countryside. While he has a hard time blending in with the other fellow student evacuees, he and Vee develop a bond that is quirky, but suits them. The story is well written, with great characters (my favorite was the Austrian woman who becomes Vee's son's fiancee) and tells their stories using a wonderful balance of sentiment and humor. I'm not normally a fan of WWII storylines, but this was really a good one.
lisawreading's review against another edition
4.0
Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans tells the story of a young boy evacuated from London during WWII. Noel is an odd little duck, and when his eccentric godmother/guardian dies, he’s left without a soul to care for him. Vee is a con woman who schemes to earn a little cash because she really has no other way of supporting her deadbeat son and her doddering mother. Vee takes Noel in so that she can collect the fostering fee for housing evacuees, but the two soon find that his brains combined with her slippery ethics make for successful money-making. This is an unusual and offbeat story, with a lot of charm, plenty of humor, and lots of heart-tugging sentiment too. The historical setting is nicely conveyed, and the mood is sincere and sometimes sad, but never so heavy as to make reading it a drag.
patrickwadden's review against another edition
4.0
There's this weird attraction that I get to books where I was so very much intrigued on someday adapting this book to the screen but I wouldn't say I loved it, just very much enjoyed it. Funny how that works huh; like on the other hand, I would never dare touch books I loved. Anyway, very cute!
uwu
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scarletohhara's review against another edition
4.0
If not for the adorable-awwww-feeling Noel inspires in you, when he is being smart or missing Mattie or thinking of what she says, this book is an average book about a boy getting separated from his loved ones and finding family elsewhere. If not for the strong character Mattie is, in spite of her absence through the plot, this is a regular book with a senile old woman in it. If not for Vee's desperation to keep going no matter what, her dedication to her family and her coldness-turning-to-warmth for Noel, this is just another book about a single woman supporting her family.
So yeah, this is a 3 star book, getting an extra star for these three people. And of course, for how the story moves around them, with them and yet not completely about them.
So yeah, this is a 3 star book, getting an extra star for these three people. And of course, for how the story moves around them, with them and yet not completely about them.
guylou's review against another edition
4.0
I forgot I had this book and came across it last week. This is the story of Noel, a 10-year-old orphan boy, which takes place in London during the WWII. Noel is living with his guardian who is suffering from dementia. After her death, Noel moves with an uncle and aunt's house and eventually is evacuated to St Albans during the Blitz on London. Vera will cunningly welcome him in her home and this is where the story really begins. This is a beautiful, moving and funny at times story. I recommend it to all readers who enjoy a good historical novel. You will love it.