V for Victory

by Lissa Evans

Paperback, 2021

Status

Available

Call number

823.92

Publication

Black Swan (2021), 304 pages

Description

Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. Humor (Fiction.) HTML: In this witty, charming follow-up to the acclaimed Crooked Heart, the life of lies a small time scammer and her adopted son have constructed in London becomes endangered during the tumultuous final months of World War II. It's late 1944. Hitler's rockets are raining down on London with vicious regularity and it's the coldest winter in living memory. The Allies are gaining ground, but victory is certainly dragging its feet. In a large house next to Hampstead Heath, Vee Sedge is barely scraping by with a herd of lodgers to feed and her young charge Noel, almost fifteen now, to clothe and educate. When she witnesses an accident and finds herself in court, the repercussions are both unexpectedly marvelous and potentially disastrous. Because Vee is not actually the person she's pretending to be, and neither is Noel. Victory is coming. Yet the end of the war won't just mean peace, but discovery . . . With caustic wit and artful storytelling, Lissa Evans summons a time when the world could finally hope to emerge from the chaos of war. As witty as Old Baggage and poignant as Crooked Heart, V for Victory once again reveals Evans to be one of the most original and entertaining writers at work today..… (more)

Media reviews

Library Journal

With warmth and humor to spare, this book is a balm."

— 2 more

Daily Mail - UK

“[A] brilliant comedy drama … packed with wonderful characters and so full of wartime atmosphere you can practically hear the sirens.

National Public Radio (NPR)

“I try not to say, ‘If there’s one novel you should read this summer..’ but Crooked Heart tempts me to say it.

User reviews

LibraryThing member edwardsgt

The third book recounting the story of Noel, abandoned by his teenage mother in the care of irascible Mattie initially, then informally adopted by Vee. This volume covers the years 1944-5 and includes a series of well-drawn, interesting characters lodging with Vee and Noel in Mattie's old house in

Hampstead. The author also reintroduces one of Mattie's proteges, Winnie, working as an Air Raid Warden, drawing on contemporary reports to provide an insight on these unsung heroes.

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LibraryThing member Twink

I've always hoped Lissa Evans that would write a follow to the absolutely wonderful Crooked Heart. And she has! V for Victory has just released.

I fell in love with Vee and Noel in the previous book. Vee, aka Mar, has left the scamming behind and instead runs a lodging house, giving Noel a stable

home. Their lives are as good as they can be, given the times. But when Vee is called as a witness to an accident, their carefully constructed life may come crumbling down.

Evans has created such tangible characters in Vee and Noel. I like them both very much, but I must admit that my heart belongs to Noel. He's clever and kind, a teenager now, but inside he's still the boy without parents. That need to know propels one of the plot lines in this latest. There are other characters, each with their own plotlines as well - Winnie the local air raid warden, her twin sister turned author, and the myriad lodgers. And slowly but surely, the disparate threads start to weave themselves together. The wartime setting is also a character in Crooked Heart. The rationing, the attitudes, the bombings and more all shape, direct and change the course of each and every character.

Now, yes, there are sad situations, but.....Evans has a wickedly dark sense of humour that's quite appealing. Her sly wit is visible in a description, a look or a snippet of dialogue, or a passage from a book.

I love books that speak to the human condition - life, love, death and everything that comes in between. Even more poignant in wartimes. Evans easily captures all of the above.

V for Victory is heartwarming, heartbreaking and so very good. Heartily recommended!

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LibraryThing member Beamis12

A terrific view of London in the last months of WWII. Was glad to reunite with Vee and young Noel as they try to make slim resources stretch enough to feed their lodgers. Bombs keep raining down, but by now people are used to this and though they care where they fell they also no look over panic

and the building once there, now gone has become commonplace. A new threat to the real identity of V and two visitors for Noel, cause a small panic.

Also Winnie, who is a warden and sees all the horrors of the war. Worried about her husband who is in a prisoner of war camp. This is a follow-up to [book:Crooked Heart|19546111] and though this can be read alone, I think knowing what came before, how Noel and V came together, make this story richer.

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LibraryThing member vancouverdeb

This is the third in the Noel Bostock series. I've read the two previous books, but it has been such a long time since I read them, this could certainly be read as a stand - alone novel. It's a heartwarming and engaging tale. The story takes place in 1944 London during the Blitz. Noel's " aunt" Vee

is getting making do by running a lodging home known as Green Shutters. A group on interesting characters lodge there, and in exchange for tutoring Noel part- time , they pay a slightly reduced fee. Mr Jepsen works as a reporter for the North London Press, and teaches 14 year old Noel Latin, Dr. Parry-Jones tutors in Science, Mr Reddish teaches Math, and Mrs Appleby mixes her French tutoring in with more personal lessons about the heart. ARP Winnie Crowther is a senior Warden at Warden Post 9, where she and her colleagues deal with the aftermath of the bombings. All of these memorable people combine to create a fascinating story.

4. 5 stars

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