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The author of A Bridge Across the Ocean and The Last Year of the War journeys from the present day to World War II England, as two sisters are separated by the chaos of wartime...
Current day, Oxford, England. Young American scholar Kendra Van Zant, eager to pursue her vision of a perfect life, interviews Isabel McFarland just when the elderly woman is ready to give up secrets about the war that she has kept for decades...beginning with who she really is. What Kendra receives from Isabel is both a gift and a burden—one that will test her convictions and her heart.
1940s, England. As Hitler wages an unprecedented war against London's civilian population, hundreds of thousands of children are evacuated to foster homes in the rural countryside. But even as fifteen-year-old Emmy Downtree and her much younger sister Julia find refuge in a charming Cotswold cottage, Emmy's burning ambition to return to the city and apprentice with a fashion designer pits her against Julia's profound need for her sister's presence. Acting at cross purposes just as the Luftwaffe rains down its terrible destruction, the sisters are cruelly separated, and their lives are transformed...
Overall, what did you think of A Map to Paradise? (no spoilers, please!)
I have read those books as well all except Secrets of a Charmed Life, and have loved them. This one fell short for me.
-Elizabeth
Have you read other books by this author, and if so, how do they compare to this one? Is there another book or author you feel has a similar theme or style? What audience would you recommend A Map to Paradise to?
I have read nine of her novels beginning with A Fall of Marigolds. As mentioned previously my favorite Is Secrets of a Charmed Life…but really enjoyed the others. My ratings previously were in the 4-5 range. This, for me a 3. She usually has an interesting topic that centers the book. The books I...
-Joan_G
"Rich with vividly drawn characters, places, and events...It's themes of reinvention and redemption will strike a chord with readers." —Booklist
This information about Secrets of a Charmed Life was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Susan Meissner is a former managing editor of a weekly newspaper and an award-winning columnist. She is the award-winning author of The Last Year of the War, A Bridge Across the Ocean, Secrets of a Charmed Life, A Fall of Marigolds, and Stars Over Sunset Boulevard, among other novels.
If you liked Secrets of a Charmed Life, try these:
by Laura Spence-Ash
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by Marie Benedict
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From New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict comes an explosive novel of history's most notorious sisters, one of whom will have to choose: her country or her family?
by Patti Callahan. Henry
Published 2023
When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed.
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