“Is it ever too late to say you’re sorry”. Maybe yes and maybe no! But who is it for, the one who was hurt or the person that caused the hurt.
For those that enjoy historical fiction, this story told in dual timelines, is based on real events. Dick Stevens is found by his daughter Billie, after suffering a devastating stroke. Unable to speak, he is visibly distressed by old photos and newspaper clippings, of a horrendous flood in 1950’s England. Billie sets out to determine the source of his distress, by tracing his story as a child sent from London during the  Blitz to wait out the war, in the peaceful countryside. 
This is a very sad story, beautifully written by Suzanne Goldring, recounting the difficulties and experiences of young children, living with strangers, away from their families, wonderful writing and interesting characters. 
It is a story of tragedy, struggle, loss, sacrifices and the suffering of war. We follow the stories of Ruby and Stevie, the bond that they shared and the lives they lived during wartime and the years that followed. 
My thanks to #NetGalley, #BookouturePublishers  #SuzanneGoldring for the ARC. I loved it! All opinions are my own!

With thanks to Netgalley for a digital arc of this book, all opinions expressed here are my own.

The Girl Without a Name is the first book I have read by Suzanne Goldring and definitely won’t be my last. Told in dual timelines from 2004 and the Second World War this was a riveting read. The main characters were very well written and I enjoyed following them through their life. We follow Stevie and Ruby as they grow up, then Dick and Billie later to see how trauma and PTSD can bring changes to people’s lives. I loved the way the story wove together and just when you think it’s done, there’s more.

A solid 4 star read and very recommended.

This is the first novel I’ve read by Suzanne Goldring, and it will not be my last! Her writing is smooth and easy to read but does not lack depth and development. 

While this novel is rot with deep and dark elements of trauma, PTSD, and other mysteries, there remains an element of love and hope that protects the reader from total despair. 

This dual timeline, heartbreaking WWII novel is poignant and mysterious with eloquent writing and gripping lines. Goldring leaves little to the imagination as this story unfolds. It will sit with you for a long time and provoke periods of reflection on this devastating story. 

Thank you Suzanne Goldring, NetGalley, and Bookouture for a copy of this book for review.

I’m a big fan of this author (here are my reviews of Burning Island and My Name is Eva).  I love her writing style, and she relates a story in a way that makes it real. Her writing is well-researched and heartfelt…this book is no exception. 
I will say that I expected something completely different than what I thought the book was going to be focused on, so that was a nice surprise. Actually, there were two surprises, because after the introduction, I still thought the story would be different. It went way beyond my initial perceptions. 
The set-up of a current-day tragedy spurring the flashbacks and recollections that make up the bulk of the story was very effective. I like how Billie (the daughter) took it upon herself to try to solve the mystery of what was aggravating her father. 
The story is told mainly in flashbacks, from 1939 all the way up to 1952. There are chapters set in 2004 (the current time) as well as some letters interspersed as well. But everything moves seamlessly through the shifting times and perspectives. 
The story of the children who were evacuated from London to the countryside during WWII has been a common theme lately, but this time it only took up the first part of the book. It was important to understand the connections that were made at this time, as they had direct bearing on later events. 
I thought the author did an admirable job with both Stevie and Ruby’s characters. It was easy to see their personalities and character arcs that led from childhood to adulthood. I also liked how Joan was included to help propel the plot and give foreshadowing to past events. 
I know that sounds weird, but her recollections in the present gave the reader an idea as to what happened back during the war (and after the war was over). That made reading the events of the past even more exciting to me. 
Once I realized (by the dates at the headings of chapters) that the climax of the story was approaching, the feeling of dread I had grew. I had an idea of what had happened, but it didn’t lessen the impact of the actual event. 
The author also is very clever in how she refers to the characters. I won’t say more than that, because I don’t want to ruin what I thought was an excellent (albeit small) twist, but it turns out that Stevie and Ruby had more in common than meets the eye. 
Okay, I’ll give you a hint. Pay attention to how Billie refers to her father. And make the connections. It was a great attention to detail that actually spoke volumes about her father’s state of mind and attitude toward the pivotal event. 
I’m not saying more. But once again, Suzanne Goldring has produced a story that will stay with me for quite a while. Another excellent addition to the Historical Fiction genre.

It wasn’t until the ending of The Girl Without a Name by Suzanne Goldring did I understand the title. It’s another historical fiction taking place in London during WWII. The country is just starting to recover from the bombings of WWI when it the bombs start falling again. Parents send their children with their school in a more remote town to live with families in the farmlands to protect them from the despair.

Sending my child to live with a family I don’t know sounds so scary to me. I cannot imagine being that child nor can i imagine being the parent. It might have been easier for children with siblings whereas an only child, Ruby Morrison seemed to take it in stride. She seems to keep a lot of thoughts and emotions to herself for the most part and is able to work around her challenges to get what she wants. Her aunt comes to bring Ruby home after a bomb killed her mother. Life with her aunt isn’t the easiest, but she learns to adjust.

I envy the strength of character Ruby has in this story. She proves to be a hard worker and strong-willed. Being able to stand on her feet working all day long at a retail store then go home to help out at her aunt’s pub all evening and night, day in and day out sounds like a harsh life. It leaves little time for herself. Ruby manages to get to the library to borrow books and to secretly visit the cinema with her love, Stevie. Her sheer grit to do all that is so commendable!

On the other hand, Stevie, shows his strength and willpower in his own way. Not only does he survive the abuse of the family on the farmland, but he finds a way to return home on his own. Stevie earns extra cash by helping out his father in his garage as well as scoping out the areas that were recently bombed to look for life and clean up a bit. He later goes to Palestine and Jerusalem when he joins the National Service, but returns conceited and full of himself, as if he’s better than everyone else. What Stevie has seen during the clean ups and during his National Service, while honorable, leaves him with difficulty to get away from the nightmares and continuous thoughts of the loss of life he’s seen. It’s similar to what I know the Army soldiers I’ve worked with struggle with and need to cope with day to day.

When Stevie begins meeting up with Ruby again, her heart feels full. But Stevie’s married and has a few children. He makes empty promises to Ruby until he decides to meet her for holiday in the area they both lived with other families on the farmland. Ruby really loves the area and dreams of returning there. During their time at a fancy hotel, eating fancy meals, and seeing fancy shows, there’s a tragic flood. Two rivers, both overflowing, gushed together and damaged homes, businesses, overturned cars, and many lives were lost. It would be the last time he saw Ruby, but definitely not the last time he thought of her.

A digital advanced copy of The Girl Without a Name by Suzanne Goldring was provided complimentary by Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I give this book 5 tiaras because I was captivated by Ruby’s will to more than survive and to finally capture the love she dreamed of for so many years.

The Girl Without a Name is the third book from Suzanne Goldring and her best since her debut My Name is Eva. I enjoyed Burning Island but for me this new book is a return to form for the author. As soon as I began this story I was quickly engrossed in the trials and tribulations and ups and downs that Ruby Morrison experiences that ultimately led to a brilliant twist and cliff hanger that I didn’t see coming until the last possible moment. For the majority of the novel I was questioning how does the title fit in with the overall plot and themes of the book but when this becomes apparent, I thought it was pure genius. Only before the big reveal did I sense what was going to unfold and I like books with a satisfying plot twist to remain a mystery for as long as possible so I was really glad this was the case with this book. 

The story moves back and forth between 2014 and the war years and on into the early 1950’s. The author moves seamlessly between the two time periods although the aspect of the story set in the past slightly edged it out for me in terms of me being hooked. The scenes and storyline set in 2014 were interesting and informative with well written characters who act as a go between linking the past and present. But I was always left wanting to get back to Ruby in the past in order to uncover her secrets and many connections to the modern day story. It was the inquisitive side of me that raced through Billie attempting to uncover what tormented her father Dick so much in order to go back in time and see how the threads of the story would eventually weave themselves back together to hopefully come full circle.

The book opens in August 2014 as Dick Stevens, a widower for the past three years, watches the events of the Boscastle flooding unfold before his very eyes on a news report on the TV. This catastrophic event stirs something in him, and not for the better as he has a stroke and his daughter Billie finds him on the floor. Dick is taken to hospital and survives but his recovery will be a slow and laborious process if he is to ever return to his full self. Billie constantly frets over Dick as she is the sibling who cares for him in his day to day life and this added burden does nothing to ease her conscience that she is not doing enough. To make matters worse, Dick’s speech is impeded and no matter how hard he tries to communicate something Billie cannot understand him. All she knows is she needs to decipher what he is trying to communicate or he will not rest and recover like he needs to. This sets in motion a series of events that will see Billie delving back into her family history and as she does so some startling revelations come to the fore. The father she knows was not always the man he is today and his experiences during the war have deeply affected him and these struggles and the deep scars he conceals can influence behaviour and relationships for decades.

Billie wonders if she pries into the past, will her opinion of her father be altered forever? Is it worth taking the risk to dig up secrets or perhaps best left lying well enough alone? Or is it worth embarking on the journey in order to sate whatever causes her fathers great upset. I thought Billie attempting to discover what tormented her father bridged the gap between the past and present perfectly. I loved how she showed such loyalty to her Dad and the love she had for him never dwindled. She hated seeing him reduced to a shell of his former self because of the stroke and if she could do anything to ease that pain and suffering she would. But would she reach the core of the problem and if she did would she be happy with what she discovered? Would the fall out of the revelations be too great to overcome?

In September 1939, Ruby is evacuated to Devon into the care of Miss Honey who has a lovely cottage and does her utmost best to care for Ruby and also fellow evacuee Joan. Ruby’s father had died at sea several years before and her mother Hilda feels it is best for her to get away from the dangers posed by the war in London. Joan’s brother Stevie is put up on a farm not too far from the girls and soon they settle into an idyllic existence in the countryside where food is plenty and the threats of bombs and destruction seem very far away. Ruby begins to feel guilty that she is enjoying her time away and thinks perhaps she does not want to go back. She is learning new skills and friendships are forming in particular with Stevie. 

Despite her young age she seems totally enamoured with him. But Stevie doesn’t have as perfect a time of it as Ruby and Joan and soon he escapes back to his parents in London. As for Ruby, things don’t always go the way she wants them to at many junctures in her life and when her mother is killed in the blitz she is made return to London to live with her Aunt Ida and Uncle Reg who run a pub. She would give anything to stay with Miss Honey but sadly this is not to be. I think this return to London needed to happen for Ruby otherwise the events that unfold over the remainder of the book would never have happened.

In 1941 Ruby reunites with Stevie and their friendship deepens and they start taking trips to the cinema together. Stevie now acts as a messenger for the ARP bringing important information between them and the police and fire services after bombing raids. Stevie witnesses unspeakable horrors and his fears grow by what he has seen at bombsites but Ruby does her best to allay his worries and concerns. Suzanne Goldring highlighted that right down from the men away fighting on the front down to the person who thinks they are doing the most insignificant role in the war were none the less affected by what they had to go through. People could not recover from their experiences that quickly and they needed all the help and support that they could get. Ruby offered that to Stevie and when war was declared over she believed things could get even more serious between the pair.

I enjoyed seeing Ruby grow up and face the challenges that came her way. She didn’t lead the life she wanted instead having to work and help out in her Aunt’s pub but yet her devotion and loyalty to Stevie remained steadfast. Even though national service tore them apart for some time, it’s when Stevie returns from that duty that I felt the tone of the story altered in a dramatic way whether for the good or better you would have to read this story for yourself to discover. I was taken on a journey in the latter half of the book with both Stevie and Ruby very different from what I had expected upon initially starting this book. There was so much that happened that I never thought possible because initially I thought the entire focus would be on World War Two, it’s events and how the characters coped and amidst it all would be a sweet love story. Instead we are taken beyond this point and what unfolded made for a very surprising yet gripping read.

The opinions I had of certain characters vastly changed, I found myself swaying between having loved them and cared for them at the beginning to being repulsed and hating some of them. Ruby too changed, her actions disappointed me but I suppose love is blind. She became almost gullible and like a slave to her devotion. All Ruby was searching for in her life was security, love and devotion but was she looking in the right places? Did she see just what she wanted to see and not what was really lying in front of her? Would her devotion prove fruitful or in vain? What price do we pay for our experiences as we move into the future perhaps thwarted by the past? All I really wanted to know was did Dick’s reaction in the present intertwine with the past? I would definitely recommend The Girl Without a Name, it is a great mystery packed full of surprises with a deeply gratifying ending.

A story told over two timelines, we start in 2004 with Billie at her father's side after he'd suffered a stroke. A photo found in his wallet causes him distress but he's unable to tell Billie why, and who the girl is. 
Sept 1940, we start Ruby's story. A child evacuated from London, her peaceful and sheltered new life in the country is cut short by the impact of the bombing in London. 
The two stories interlink nicely as we learn more about Stevie and Ruby and the impact of war on their lives and characters. I found Ruby's character the more compelling as she matured. 
I usually like dual timeline stories but this one fell a little flat for me and maybe the characters were a little difficult to become emotionally attached to.

The Girl Without A Name by Suzanne Goldring is a dual timeline book that weaves present day with world war 2 times perfectly. It is woven so skilfully that I was equally hooked by the story of Ruby, from the war as I was with Billie's present day search.
2004, Billie discovers her father having suffered a stroke. He seems to be trying to speak to her bit Billie is unable to understand. The ambulance gets him to hospital and once he is stable Billie gets hus things together, she notices an old picture in his wallet but Billie has no clue who this woman is and wants to find out.
Then we slip back to 1939, children from Christchurch school are being evacuated to the country. We meet Ruby who is on the train with Joan and Stevie Stevens. They are all a bit excited but nervous as well. When they arrive in Devon, Ruby and Joan are kept together with a nice lady and Stevie isn't qs lucky.
The story slips bqck and forth and we diacover what happens to Stevie during the war years and we visit the 1950s. We discover not every evacuee had a safe haven. I have now read a few books that highlight the damage that was done during the war with the children and it always breaks my heart. 
Back in 2004 Billie is determined to find out if the woman in the picture is Ruby and if she had a relationship with her dad before her mum came on the scene. The question is can she find out what happened so long ago?  
A book that is about love, friendship, betrayal, fear, being strong and having fresh starts.A captivating read that I found heartbreaking and thought provoking too. How well do we know our parents as people and not just our mum and dad. Billie went on a journey and discovered her dad was much more than just dad, never thinking about him as a person till the day she started her search for the woman in the picture. A great book with well developed characters who were mainly likable. A story that I found emotional too at times. If you enjoy dual timelimes and a war story then this could be a book for you. 
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of the book so I could give you my thoughts today.

August 2004: Billie has rushed to her father's hospital bedside. He's had a massive stroke that's robbed him of his speech. But when Billie finds a photo of a dark haired girl she doesn't recognise, her father, Dock tries to talk. But all he can mumble is a name, Ruby. 

September 1940: Thembombs of the blitz are falling on London and childhood sweethearts, Stevie and Ruby are falling in love. But Stefie is sent abroad to a dangerous place. Ruby waits desperately for his letters, but they never come. When Stevie does return, he's changed and Ruby has a difficult choice to make. As Billie uncovers Ruby's tragic story, she's determined to find out what happened tomthe girl who went away for the weekend and never came home.

I wondered how the two stories were going to connect, but the two timeliness flowed together seamlessly.  There were a few loose ends that still needed to be ties up. I also thought the ending felt a bit flat. The story is descriptively written and intriguing.  The characters are well rounded and believable. 

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author #SuzanneGoldring for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Yes, I'm swept away by this novel #thegirlwithoutaname. This novel has dual timeline which flows between 2004 and 1939-1952. 

A story starts with Dick Stevens (Stevie) slumped in his lounge chair while his TV airing about the flood disaster which the scene seems stress him out. His daughter, Billie, found an old crumpled photo on her father's wallet, a woman photo and certainly it's not her mum, and everytime she shows this photo to her dad, he seems trying to say something but the stroke just made it hard for Billie to understand. 

On 1939, Billie's father and his sister, Joan, were evacuated during the war, and this was when Stevie met Ruby. The friendship grows to love and even when Stevie went for National Service to Palestine, the love letters between both of them keeps flowing. 

A sad story of how far you'll love someone. The ending is a huge shock which I didn't expect it at all, but made me happy.

DEEP AND REFLECTIVE HISTORICAL FICTION ABOUT TRAUMA AND PTSD

When I started this book I was certain it was just going to be a run-of-the-mill mystery book with some WWII scenery thrown in for the heck of it. Which is fine, I enjoy those books as well. But this one surprised me in a good way because it offered something more, something deeper.

"Some people manage to bury the damage, but it can still break through."


👍 What I Liked 👍

Ending: I was pretty certain I had the ending all figured out. And in large part I did. But there was still a big surprise that not only really moved me but also felt extremely fitting.

Writing: Normally I don't often comment of writing unless something really sticks out - and here something did stick out. Because the writing was so easy and had such a great flow to it. It made reading through this book a comfortable and enjoyable breeze.

Research: As a historian I always care a lot about the amount of research that goes into a historical fiction novel. It was very obvious to me that Goldring did a lot of work when researching this book, which made it a lot more engrossing to read. I loved how how she illuminated a different aspect of WWII with focusing on the evacuated children of London. It made this a lot more original and engaging.

Mental health: Mental health is something I care deeply about and which is often left out of books or glossed over. Especially WWII books seem to neglect this, even though it is pretty clear, that many people, who were deeply affected by the war in one way or another, but have suffered from some kind of mental health issues. Here I really enjoyed that Goldring illuminated the effects of constant terror, bombings, death and war and focused on PTSD.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Ruby: Sadly, Ruby was not my favourite character. She was passive, meek and naive and that just doesn't appeal to me. I understood why Goldring wrote her that way and the story wouldn't have worked if she was any other kind of character. They just aren't traits that I like in a character, so I never really warmed to Ruby.

This is a lovely dual time line (well, it really takes place in three time frames) tale of the impact of war on civilians.  It's 2004 and Billie is surprised when she discovers her father must have had some sort of relationship with a dark haired woman named Ruby.  But who was she?  Turns out, Ruby was evacuated during WWII, along with her friend Stevie.  Stevie struggles after the war but she remains devoted to him.  Billie's dad, though, never forgets.  This is a complicated plot to explain=and it's best you read it on your own to appreciate the nuance.  Know that the characters are well done and sympathetic.  Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.  Fans of historical fiction will appreciate this one not only for the storytelling but also for the niche subject matter.

An interesting book and I very much enjoyed Ruby's story, especially when she was evacuated and lived with Mrs Honey. So often we hear horror stories from evacuees, so I was pleased that Ms Goldring didn't take this, easy path. Once Ruby was back in London and she and Stevie had found each other again it seemed like there was going to be a happy ending. However, Stevie goes to do his National Service and returns with an entirely different personality. That aspect felt somewhat contrived to me, along with the fact that his sister wouldn't get involved. Anyway, no spoilers here but I didn't feel an ounce of sympathy for Stevie and couldn't have cared less whether he felt guilty or not. I wasn't sure what drove his daughter Billie to investigate, but she did and the unpleasant story revealed did nothing to endear me to Stevie's character. I quite enjoyed the story if I didn't think about it too deeply but felt the situation was too manufactured to be credible.

This dual timeline novel blends wartime history with present-day perfectly so that the reader becomes equally involved in both Ruby's story and Billie's search to find out more about her. I liked the way this story highlights the position of women in society and the hardships they had to endure. It would have been remarkable with the ending I expected but the twist makes it even more memorable and leaves the reader with a sense of satisfaction that I honestly wasn't expecting.

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Suzanne Goldring's latest heartbreaking historical novel THE GIRL WITHOUT A NAME.

"She left home, with the man she loved, and was never seen again..."

Wow! Where do I even begin? Suzanne Goldring never fails to disappoint. As with all her books, I was captivated from the very first page right up until the very last...and even then the story will remain with me. THE GIRL WITHOUT A NAME has a little of everything - history, romance, mystery, tragedy, love, loss - all woven together by the deft hand of its author. And it is hard not to be touched by Ruby's story.

August 2004: Seventy-seven year old Dick Stevens sits down with his lunch when the news flashes on the TV. A devastating flood has hit the West Country not seen since 1952 and Dick is transfixed to the images on the screen as he is suddenly drawn back into the past. He points to the screen and cries "Ruby!" before an excruciating pain in his head renders him limp and lifeless, his eyes still seeing the horrifying images before him - both past and present. This is how his eldest daughter Billie finds him, slumped in his chair, the images still playing out on the screen. He points to them but all he manages are the unintelligible sounds "Roo...eey".

Whilst her father recuperates from his stroke in the care home, Billie discovers some old black and white photographs...one of which was of a young woman secreted in the back of his wallet. She doesn't recognise her and her father is unable to speak clearly enough to identify her, but it is not her mother. The photographs, some of which she has seen before but knows nothing of the story behind them, are from a time before her parents met. Some when her father was a child and some from his time in the National Service, something he never speaks of.

When Billie shows her father's sister, Joan, the photos she is able to determine one of them as a school photo taken just after they were evacuated to Devon during the early part of the war. The young woman in the other photo from her father's wallet Joan identifies as Ruby Morrison, a young girl she was billeted with in Devon and whom her father (known as Stevie) had befriended. She estimated that Ruby was about 16 in the photo which would have been around the time Stevie served in Palestine with the National Service. But why did her father still carry a photo of a girl he used to know? Had she been a girlfriend? And where was she now?

Billie knows nothing of her father's early life and with these photos in hand, she decides to try and uncover the mystery.

Devon 1939: The beginning of World War II saw children evacuated to the country to protect them from the impending onslaught of German bombs and ten year old Ruby Morrison was amongst those being relocated. Disappointed that her two best friends Grace and Joyce were not joining her, she found herself clinging to a friendly older girl who took her under her wing. Upon reaching Devon, families from far and wide came to view the children and choose the ones they wanted but still Ruby clung to her new friend Joan who assured her they would be billeted together. Joan's younger brother Stevie was picked off by a grumpy looking farmer's wife with another strapping young lad and they rode off together on the back of the farm truck, excited by their new adventure. But Ruby remained by Joan's side and the two girls were taken in by the kindly Mrs Honey.

Life in Devon was in complete contrast to that which Ruby had known in London. Here they had the vast countryside, fresh air and green hills as far as the eye could see. Mrs Honey even kept chickens that kept them in ample supply of eggs which were otherwise rationed and replaced by the powdered kind. Despite rationing, food was fresh and not in as short supply as it was in London and Ruby grew used to the fresh vegetables they had daily in stews and soup Mrs Honey cooked up. So when her mother came down to Devon for Christmas and suggested she return home as there had been no bombs, Ruby feared that she would have to leave her new home behind. But Ruby didn't want to return to London.

But sadly the following year, Ruby's mother was killed in the Blitz and her aunt Ida came down to Devon to collect her and took her back to London without even saying goodbye to Joan. Her aunt Ida and uncle Reg ran a pub called the Victoria and Albert so there were none of the home comforts she had known in Devon living above the pub. Before long, Ruby becomes an unpaid skivvy to her aunt as she is expected to wash and dry glasses and sweep the sticky floors on a daily basis. However, things seemed brighter when she runs into Stevie, whom she'd met in Devon, and together they would sneak off to the pictures on the afternoons her aunt thought she was at the library. And what began as friendship soon turns to love.

When Stevie joins the National Service at the end of the war and is sent abroad to Palestine, Ruby writes to him constantly and his replies are filled with anecdotes and love. But then his letters begin to dwindle and he no longer signs them with "all my love" or "your Stevie". Then Ruby discovers he has returned and never came to see her, but nothing would prepare her for what she was about to witness. Her Stevie, her one true love, the one she was saving herself for...broke her heart. Ruby walked out and never saw him again for some five years.

And when she did, it was like the flame had never gone out. Her Stevie was back. But was he really? Was he the same man that had left her for Palestine five years ago? The same boy she met in Devon? The same boy who had promised to build her a doll house? But Ruby believes that only she understands Stevie like nobody else can.

And all she wanted was the boy who promised to build her a dollhouse. But war changes people.

Alternating between the past and the present, THE GIRL WITHOUT A NAME is a heartwrenching story of Ruby's coming of age through wartime Britain, her first love and all the emotions and experiences that come with it. But it is also Billie's journey for the truth in her desperate need to uncover the secrets her father has kept buried for over 50 years. When she comes across some old newspaper clippings her father has kept in a box at the back of her wardrobe detailing a devastating flood in Devon in 1952, she begins to wonder if the more recent flood has brought up memories of her father's past.

Contrary to its title, THE GIRL WITHOUT A NAME is kind of a misnomer because you only discover the reason behind the title towards the end of the book. It isn't the main story as such but it is an important link.

I never tire of Suzanne Goldring's beautifully told historical novels and I thought it would be tough to top her debut "My Name is Eva" which was beyond brilliant, but I have to say that THE GIRL WITHOUT A NAME comes pretty damn close.

As well as being a well written and beautiful historical tale, the book also illustrates what was then known as "shell shock" or "battle fatigue" but what we now call PTSD. Men didn't talk about their experiences or their emotions that went with them, and instead they turned to alcohol, women or violence. This was illustrated early on in the book with the farmer who violently abused Stevie, scarring him both physically and emotionally. The farmer had suffered in the Great War and as a result became an angry violent brute. Stevie's experience with "battle fatigue" was different, but it was brutal all the same.

Suzanne Goldring's writing style is easy to read and all of her characters are well developed. It is so easy to get swept up into the story and lose yourself completely within the pages. I laughed, I cried and I cheered along with the characters. I even wanted to smack a couple.

The two timelines are woven together seamlessly bringing the reader to a surprising and thought-provoking ending which I did not see coming. THE GIRL WITHOUT A NAME is captivating, compelling and heartbreaking at times but on the whole is a heartwarming read that will be sure to evoke emotion.

Absolutely brilliant read, I thoroughly recommend THE GIRL WITHOUT A NAME to fans of historical wartime fiction.

I would like to thank #SuzanneGoldring, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGirlWithoutAName in exchange for an honest review.

August 2004. Dick Stevens is found slumped in his chair by his daughter Billie, he can’t speak, he’s desperately trying to tell her something and Billie can’t understand him. He’s had a stroke and taken by ambulance to hospital, once her dad’s stable Billie gathers his things and she notices he has an old crumpled photo in his wallet. Billie is Dick’s eldest daughter, she knows the young lady in the photo isn’t her mum and who is the mystery woman? 

September 1939. The children from Christchurch school are being evacuated to the country, Ruby Morrison is on the train with Joan and Stevie Sevens, the children are at first rather excited going on a trip and then they start to feel very anxious and nervous. They haven’t been to Devon before, Joan and Ruby stay together with a lovely older lady and poor Stevie isn’t as lucky.

The Girl Without A Name has a dual timeline it flows well between 2004, 1939 and into the early 1950’s in England. Billie is determined to discover father’s connection to the young woman in the photo, is she his friend Ruby and did they have a relationship before he married her mum? Stevie had a terrible experience as an evacuee, he returned home to London, here he worked as a teenage messenger during the bombing raids and when he turned 21 he was sent to Palestine to do his national service. 

I haven’t read a lot about how people coped with what happened to them as children during WW II, it must have had a huge impact on the rest of their lives; by reading the book it makes you very aware of how a series of traumatic experiences can change a child, especially their behavior and morals! The Girl Without A Name, is a story with a very different perspective or insight into children evacuees experiences during WW II, what damage it did to a child’s soul and it’s so sad it happened to a whole generation of English children. The plot had so many twist and turns and the ending took me totally by surprise and five stars from me.

I am in love with this story. That's all I have to say. I was taken on a rollercoaster of emotions to the point that I feel like I need closure. Right from the start, this book gripped me. I couldn't put this book down even though my eyes couldn't stay open any longer. You just need to read this book. I don't know how else to express this feeling I am feeling right now.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and review it. 
#TheGirlWithoutaName #NetGalley

Told in dual time lines, the girl without a name begins in 2004 when Billie finds her father after he has suffered a stroke, he is trying to say a name and her interest is even more piqued when she finds an old black and white photograph in his wallet. Who is this dark-haired girl?  She looks happy in the picture.  Why has her father secretly kept her picture in his wallet?

In 1939/1940, the bombs have fallen on London and many are sending their children away. Ruby has met Stevie and they form a close bond which turns to romance. When Stevie is sent abroad, they communicate via letters but Ruby soon finds that Stevie has changed.

As Billie tries to piece together her father's past, she becomes intrigued with Ruby, the dark-haired girl in her father's picture. With her Aunt's memories, she learns the girl’s name is Ruby and she begins to get an inkling about who Ruby was and what she meant to her father.

The book piqued my interest from the very beginning. I found all the women to be interesting characters except for one. If you read this, you may have a good idea who I am referring to.  The book also looks at the effects of trauma, PTSD, abuse and war.  This book is also about love, friendship, hope, fear, bravery, betrayal and new beginnings.  You may not like the actions of some of the characters. You may not approve of their choices or behaviors.  Will you be moved by the trauma these child evacuees endured?  Will it affect how you feel about the actions they take as adults?  Will you admire the courage that some show?  Will you be moved by other character's kindness? 

I also appreciated how Billie's character learned that her father was more than just her father, he was a man with a past which she knew nothing about.   I liked this aspect of her realizing that she really did not know her father at all.  She knew what type of father he was, but did she know what kind of man he was?  

I found this book to be well written and I thought she did a wonderful job weaving the two timelines and did not see the ending.  Thought provoking, captivating and heartbreaking at times, it was an enjoyable read which evoked emotion.

This was my first book by Suzanne Goldring and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

I received a copy of this book from Bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I enjoyed this
Easy to read - the twist at the end was great

Would recommend

I am sad to say . This book was just ok for me. I liked that IT was a little bit more realistic about what happened under the war. You get the more.gory glimps about ww2. I did not like the Main characters well except when they were young. I thought the female character was too weak and the male character was a douchebag. I liked the surprising ending  Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion and thank you to the publisher bookouture