Hist Fic Saturday Blog Tour ~ Homecoming by Ellie Dean

On Hist Fic Saturday

I'm delighted to be part of this Blog Tour

And go back to ...1945

Arrow
23 January 2020

Cliffehaven series #18

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

Peace has finally been declared in the Far East, but for those living at Beach View Boarding House, the news brings mixed emotions.

Peggy Reilly is devastated that her husband Jim will not be coming home for Christmas. And Sarah and Jane, who have lived at Beach View throughout much of the conflict, dread what they will find when they go back to Singapore.

Life in Cliffehaven is in a whirlwind of change as the men return from the war and Peggy’s evacuee chicks begin to spread their wings and start new lives in different corners of the world.

Peggy and Jim have longed to be together after so many years apart, but war has left them profoundly changed. Can they rekindle the loving, close relationship they’d shared before..

What did I think about it..

For those who have followed this popular series from the beginning, reading Homecoming is something of a bittersweet experience as it heralds the conclusion of the story for the inhabitants of Cliffehaven, and for those familiar characters who are picking up the pieces in the aftermath of WW2. However, for Peggy Reilly, and her husband, Jim, life is still very unsettled, as Jim, following the brutal events of the war with Japan, is still stationed in the Far East, with no indication of when he will be allowed home. Never downhearted for long, Peggy sheds her tears in private as she allows her life goes on in Cliffehaven, her unique ability to chivy people along is never far away.

This is a really lovely series and I must admit that I have only read a couple of the books but what I have loved is the author’s care and consideration towards, not just her characters, who are wonderfully authentic, but also to her readership who have invested emotionally with all those diverse characters who call Beach View Guest House Home. Sure there have been trials and tribulations aplenty but throughout the whole of the series, and particularly in this last book, there’s a real sense of  history, and whilst inevitably there’s the knowledge that the author is tying up loose ends, she also allows her lovely characters to have their own special moments in the spotlight.

The Cliffehaven series spans the momentous years of WW2, from 1939, through to the end of 1945, and does so with humour, sadness and love. Teeming with memorable moments Homecoming concludes the series with a fine eye for historical detail and the deep knowledge by the author of giving her readers exactly what they wanted in this touching finale.

If you are new to this author’s exceptional ability to bring history alive, it going to be advisable to start at the very beginning and enjoy the experience of the Cliffehaven series for yourself.

About the Author

Twitter #EllieDean #Homecoming

@arrowpublishing