A review by paraguaytea
Arctic Star by Tom Palmer
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
4.75
This was a very emotional read for me because my dad was from Plymouth (as am I), served on the Arctic convoys, was on HMS Edinburgh when it sank in 1942, and was awarded the Arctic Star posthumously. So, it's almost as if this book were about him.
This book, short though it is, really helps you understand what life at the time must have been like for people like my dad: the fear, the waiting for action, the camaraderie. It is also factually very accurate, and informative.
Spoiler
I met several of the survivors from the Edinburgh, sister ship of HMS Belfast, including a 'boy' seaman who, at the age of 15, had been locked into the magazine with the munitions when the first torpedo hit. His story moved me profoundly. We had a photo of the Edinburgh covered in ice, as described in the book. Dad also used to talk about the wonderful black bread he had in Murmansk.This book, short though it is, really helps you understand what life at the time must have been like for people like my dad: the fear, the waiting for action, the camaraderie. It is also factually very accurate, and informative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and War