Glynis PetersThe Secret Orphan: The heartbreaking and gripping World War 2 historical novel

the book could have undergone at least one more edit, assuming it had already had at least one. Misplaced modifiers galore. Missing punctuation. Transitions? Very few. I could go on. At the end I wondered whether this line of books is supposed to read like the Reader's Digest Condensed version. Or, as I suspect, editors don't edit anymore. The 4 stars are for storyline.

The lack of editing is so bad, it takes what might have been an interesting plot & likeable characters & turns them into annoying exercises in patience. There's a reason it was only 99 cents. If you've got nothing else to read, this might do.

The Secret Orphan is by Glynis Peters. This book is set in England beginning in 1940 during World War II. It also skips to the present, nearly sixty years later, where a woman is dying and she begins to relive her life.Elenor was summoned to her Aunt’s home and reluctantly went. At least she was getting away from being a slave to her brothers. The only affection she had had was when her Mother was alive. Their Dad had a very stubborn opinion that women were only there to take care of their man. Therefore, it was her responsibility to take care of him and her twin brothers. When he died, things just became more difficult for Elenor. Then, their Aunt summoned her to come take care of her. Her brothers simply said goodbye and left it at that. Elenor loved her family farm but knew there was no place for her. At her Aunt’s home, she was expected to take care of her aunt and learn to be a lady. It was difficult for Elenor; but she did her best. Her aunt lived in a house with a housekeeper and her husband and daughter. George, the husband, was a tutor and was gone a lot. Victoria cooked and kept house while raising their daughter, Rose. Other than giving her a place to stay and food to eat, neither paid much attention to Ruth. Ruth and Elenor became good friends as both were lonely. For Rose, Elenor put up with George’s chauvinistic ways. Then, her aunt died leaving Elenor alone. She went back to the family farm for safety and because it was now hers alone since both boys were killed in the war. Can she run the farm by herself?Rose was a darling little girl who was very bright and a brilliant pianist, even at five. Her parents gave her food and shelter but didn’t give her love. Victoria was lucky to be able to find a position which allowed her husband and daughter to live with her. Victoria was careful to keep Rose away from the main house when possible. After Elenor left for the farm, Rose and her Mother stayed at the house, keeping it going. George was in London on a trip and died in the Blitz. When bombers flew over Coventry, their house was hit. Rose was found alive in the ruin but Victoria was dead. Where was Rose to go since her family was wiped out. Of course, to Elenor. Can she survive the nightmares of the raid? Will Rose adjust to the country?The book is great. It shows clearly the complicated life a woman had during

The best parts of the story are scenes of everyday life at the worst parts of the war. The number of people it took to work on a farm, raising food not just for themselves but overseen by officials trying to produce for everyone is fascinating. The fact that the healthy young men that would have been doing this work were away at war or dead, so it was done by women. The Wikipedia article on Coventry has some historical background to explain a few things that probably most British know but most Americans don't - and a particular plot point isn't explained in the book.

The story begins right before the beginning of WWII, and Eleanor who has only been shown love for a brief period before her mother died is left with her twin brothers who she means nothing more than a maid for them. She is made to go live with her Aunt, which at the time she believes is the worst thing that could possibly happen, and it actually turns her life around in all areas. The characters are so developed , some you love, some you despise, but none are forgettable. I highly recommend it, for those who like history, love, and how we sometimes have to form our on families. A book well worth reading..

I ound the characters rather weak and although the parts relating to the farming during the war were interesting I think it failed to show how exhausted most of the workers were. What I didn't like was in fact the ending. I would point out that over 20,000 German POW's stayed in the UK after the war along with over 25,000 Italians that even went home and returned with their families. So to imply that Eleanor would have simply lost the child was totally wrong as we know many Jewish children that arrived in the UK were fostered and later adopted without any problems. Nobody would have considered at that time sending any child back to Germany.

I loved the book. The characters were so real. It was really a good book but I was not happy with the ending, I thought it should of said more. But I still enjoyed it.

It is especially interesting to read what World War II was like for someone living in England. The war was a historic and tragic event and The Secret Orphan gives a unique, dramatic, and spellbinding insight into European life during the war. Peter's is a gifted and interesting writer. Her ample research and dedication to historical accuracy and enjoyable reading are both evident throughout this historical novel. I very much enjoyed reading her work and look forward to some of her other books.

A well written novel set in Cornwall and Coventry, England beginning just before World War II. At the beginning of the book Elenor is a downtrodden young woman, an unpaid skivvy for her older twin brothers who run the family farm in Cornwall.Her aunt in Coventry requests her company to look after her as her health begins to deteriorate. Aunt Maud is an elderly acerbic character whose real character begins to emerge as she and Elenor develop their relationship. The housekeeper and her husband have a young child, Rose, who brings an innocent joy into every life she touches. From a shy young girl Elenor emerges into a confident woman who takes over the running of the family farm with all the regulations of war time constrictions that happen. She makes friends back in Cornwall and unfortunately the enemy is also close. Secrets are discovered and a resolution must be found to keep Rose safe.The characters are well drawn, the details of life in a small farming community where everybody wants to know everybody else’s business are depicted with charm.

I have just finished reading this wonderful book. It is not the genre I would normally read, and I was a bit dubious about reading it but once I had started it I found it difficult to put down. It really brought alive the difficulties people had to deal with during the war. I loved the way the characters were portrayed, and I felt as if I was a part of their lives. It made me wonder if I would have been able to cope the way the heroine in the story did. A great read.

i enjoyed the book, it was an easy read when laid up in bed with flu.The characterisation was excellent, as were details of Coventry. And a well put together plot.Although it was obvious there was a mystery surrounding Rose, George and Victoria, I didn't begin to suspect the truth until it was discovered by Elenor.My only doubts are regarding Jackson. Although he kept saying his unit was moving on, he still seemed to be around tbe minute he was needed And would a pilot stationed in UK be able to down tools and take off just when he wanted?One other point, chapter 2 is set in the present so perhaps another chapter or an epilogue to say what happened to the farm, more importantly the other chardacters. The ending seemed a bit abrupt.

Glynis Peters is a capable writer and she has drawn some lovely characters in this WW2 story. However, she could have made so much more of the story but it has endless loose ends where something revelatory is promised or hinted at. For example, writing in general terms to avoid a ‘spoiler’ she has two of her characters meeting a Canadian, apparently secretly, and passing a white envelope. I tucked that away to see how it came back into the story. It didn’t. She constantly raises the promise of something happening but it doesn’t. Then as another reviewer said the book suddenly closes down in a few short pages as of to say I am bored with this so let us move on.Right early on there is no real development of Elenor’s relationship with Jackson other than that he made eyes at her and she tingles and blushed and then after a couple of shots of this he is kissing her. Nothing tentative it would appear (although we are not told), but bearing in mind this is her first kiss a little exploration of her feelings and lack of experience would not have gone amiss. So, I finished it and enjoyed what there was of it but I will not bother with any more of her writing. Other do this better.

I enjoyed this book but it had a terrible ending.it got so interesting near the end and then just had a rushed few pages bringing the story to an abrupt end.a bit disappointing and anticlimactic