coops456's review
4.0
London 1944. The Luftwaffe may have been defeated but now the capital shudders under the impact of V2 rockets arriving without warning. Other, more personal, cataclysms also threaten the stability of young Noel and the residents of Green Shutters.
Having become quite attached to Noel - now a strapping 15 year old - and with the well-researched WW2 setting I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially air raid warden Winnie's stoicism in the face of the terrifying V2s.
Evans neatly draws together the stories of Noel, Vee, and the indomitable Mattie. Best read in short succession from both Crooked Heart and Old Baggage.
Having become quite attached to Noel - now a strapping 15 year old - and with the well-researched WW2 setting I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially air raid warden Winnie's stoicism in the face of the terrifying V2s.
Evans neatly draws together the stories of Noel, Vee, and the indomitable Mattie. Best read in short succession from both Crooked Heart and Old Baggage.
drannieg's review
5.0
Bloody brilliant, of course. I adore all of Evans' books, and this is no exception. Pointed prose which makes you laugh out loud, poignant moments which make you weep, and a story so human is at, at times painful, yet overwhelmingly joyous. Also, Noel is a delight, and it is nice to encounter some of the Amazons again. Glorious, glorious, and now I want to re-read all of the others.
steph1rothwell's review
4.0
Having enjoyed the previous books in this series, Crooked Heart and Old Baggage, I was looking forward to catching up with Noel, Vee, Winnie and also meeting up with some new characters. Many fascinating people feature in this novel and all try their hardest to cope with living in a war battered London.
It takes place during the last year of the war. Noel is fifteen, is doing well in his studies and is starting to develop feelings for a friend, Genevieve. Winnie is a warden, brave, funny, patient with her twin sister despite feeling hurt and frustration and uncertain how to feel about the husband she barely knew who was a POW. Vee is battling on, trying to feed a house full of people, maintain a sense of humour and look after Noel. Her friendship with Mario was good for her, and seeing how the house benefited from that friendship was lovely to read. I loved seeing the enjoyment that peanut butter and Florida orange juice brought.
The hardships, the rations, the bombings are all described perfectly and show how Londoners suffered. But this isn’t a depressing novel. Yes, there is sadness, especially towards the end, but there is also plenty of humour. Especially from Noel and Winnie, my two favourite characters in the book.
Whilst I feel this will probably be the last book in the series I would love to see it continue. With the strength of the characters, even the minor ones, there is definitely potential for this series to carry on into the 50s and 60s.
It takes place during the last year of the war. Noel is fifteen, is doing well in his studies and is starting to develop feelings for a friend, Genevieve. Winnie is a warden, brave, funny, patient with her twin sister despite feeling hurt and frustration and uncertain how to feel about the husband she barely knew who was a POW. Vee is battling on, trying to feed a house full of people, maintain a sense of humour and look after Noel. Her friendship with Mario was good for her, and seeing how the house benefited from that friendship was lovely to read. I loved seeing the enjoyment that peanut butter and Florida orange juice brought.
The hardships, the rations, the bombings are all described perfectly and show how Londoners suffered. But this isn’t a depressing novel. Yes, there is sadness, especially towards the end, but there is also plenty of humour. Especially from Noel and Winnie, my two favourite characters in the book.
Whilst I feel this will probably be the last book in the series I would love to see it continue. With the strength of the characters, even the minor ones, there is definitely potential for this series to carry on into the 50s and 60s.
verityw's review
5.0
*****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review*****
This is the third (and final?) book about this group of characters and ties together the story of Noel and Vee as we saw them in Crooked Heart, with Mattie from Old Baggage. I’ve written several different sentences to explain that fact and have settled on that slightly vague one as being the way not to give too much away about the other two. Now you could read this standalone, but you’ll get so much more from this if you’ve read the other two. And why wouldn’t you want to read the other two – Crooked Heart is Goodnight Mr Tom but if Mr Tom was the female equivalent of Private Walker and Old Baggage is about a feisty but ageing former suffragette looking for a new cause to fight for.
V for Victory is funny and warm and moving and made me cry at the end. I mean what more could you want from a book? It also does really well at capturing the shades of grey of wartime - and of people in general. It's just wonderful and a perfect read for a grey and miserable day. And we've had a few of those recently!
This is the third (and final?) book about this group of characters and ties together the story of Noel and Vee as we saw them in Crooked Heart, with Mattie from Old Baggage. I’ve written several different sentences to explain that fact and have settled on that slightly vague one as being the way not to give too much away about the other two. Now you could read this standalone, but you’ll get so much more from this if you’ve read the other two. And why wouldn’t you want to read the other two – Crooked Heart is Goodnight Mr Tom but if Mr Tom was the female equivalent of Private Walker and Old Baggage is about a feisty but ageing former suffragette looking for a new cause to fight for.
V for Victory is funny and warm and moving and made me cry at the end. I mean what more could you want from a book? It also does really well at capturing the shades of grey of wartime - and of people in general. It's just wonderful and a perfect read for a grey and miserable day. And we've had a few of those recently!
riverwise's review
4.0
In this third of Lissa Evans’ loose trilogy we have moved on to 1944, and are offered a strong depiction of the London home front in last full year of the war, a city bearing a resigned but stoic acceptance. The story revolves a house in Hampstead that will be familiar to readers of the previous books, its landlady and her ward (ditto) and a new supporting cast of lodgers who are well drawn and provide some excellent colour. There is a sense of danger throughout, with death unexpectedly coming out of the sky and a smaller, more personal, calamity for Vee and Noel, but there is also humour and good companionship. The charm of Crooked Heart and Old Baggage is still here, and this is a fitting capstone to the trilogy (if indeed it is a trilogy - there are, not loose ends, but throughlines to future novels at the end of this one).
bookmadjo's review
5.0
This book is the third in the series following on from Crooked Heart and Old Baggage, but it can easily be read as a standalone. I’m ashamed to admit the other 2 books are actually in my tbr. However, although I may have got more from the characters, I did not feel it was detrimental to read this without reading the others. I will be reading the others as soon as I can, and if you do have the opportunity to do so, I’d recommend that you do.
I loved the way the book flows, ambling through the timeline towards the end of the war in London. It was a gently progressing story, at odds with the violent explosions of the V2 rockets that intermittently hit London and changed lives forever. As someone who is drawn to novels set in the Second World War, I really enjoyed reading about London, as the majority of the books I read are set in mainland Europe. I loved the way I learned about the role of the ARP Wardens, in the character of Winnie, who I must admit was my favourite character, she was so strong, and capable in such difficult circumstances, undaunted by every new situation and so completely unlike her twin Avril. I also think I felt an affinity with Winnie because my late grandfather was a fire warden, who spent his nights on the roof of the woodworking factory where he worked in Manchester.
Vee and Noel were such wonderfully complex characters, who felt very real to me. I also adored the lodgers at Green Shutters, particularly Mr Jepson, and together with the vivid descriptions of wartime London, I really felt transported into the book. Although the book felt like an ending, I was left wanting to know about what happens next to Vee and Noel and Winnie.
I loved the way the book flows, ambling through the timeline towards the end of the war in London. It was a gently progressing story, at odds with the violent explosions of the V2 rockets that intermittently hit London and changed lives forever. As someone who is drawn to novels set in the Second World War, I really enjoyed reading about London, as the majority of the books I read are set in mainland Europe. I loved the way I learned about the role of the ARP Wardens, in the character of Winnie, who I must admit was my favourite character, she was so strong, and capable in such difficult circumstances, undaunted by every new situation and so completely unlike her twin Avril. I also think I felt an affinity with Winnie because my late grandfather was a fire warden, who spent his nights on the roof of the woodworking factory where he worked in Manchester.
Vee and Noel were such wonderfully complex characters, who felt very real to me. I also adored the lodgers at Green Shutters, particularly Mr Jepson, and together with the vivid descriptions of wartime London, I really felt transported into the book. Although the book felt like an ending, I was left wanting to know about what happens next to Vee and Noel and Winnie.
smehra's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
graceemreads's review
4.0
‘V for Victory’ is the much-anticipated sequel to ‘Crooked Heart’ by Lissa Evans. We follow Vee and Noel from the first book and their experience of living in London towards the end of WW2. In this novel we also follow Winnie, an air raid warden, whose twin sister Avril has started writing war fiction which seems to be a crude caricature of Winnie’s own life.
I found this just as readable as ‘Crooked Heart’. Lissa Evans has a lovely gift for talking about the most mundane aspects of a persons life but making it seem so interesting. These are not action-packed books but rather character explorations and studies of relationships. With another excellent novel she’s really cementing herself as a go-to author for historical British fiction. There’s no doubt I’ll be picking up her next text, she always delivers a heartwarming story.
✨Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the eARC ✨
I found this just as readable as ‘Crooked Heart’. Lissa Evans has a lovely gift for talking about the most mundane aspects of a persons life but making it seem so interesting. These are not action-packed books but rather character explorations and studies of relationships. With another excellent novel she’s really cementing herself as a go-to author for historical British fiction. There’s no doubt I’ll be picking up her next text, she always delivers a heartwarming story.
✨Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the eARC ✨
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