Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
W. W. Norton & Company (2009), Edition: 1st American Ed, Hardcover, 192 pages
Description
Helen Humphreys draws on history to delve into the lives torn asunder by the German attack of November 14, 1940. Harriet, a widow from World War I, is atop Coventry Cathedral, part of the nightly watch, when first the factories and then the church itself are set on fire. In the ensuing chaos she bonds with a young man, very much like the husband she lost, who relies on her to find the way back to his home where he left his mother. On their journey through a hell of burning shops and collapsed homes, Harriet awakens to emotions she had long put aside. At home, the youth's mother awaits his arrival and rethinks the life that has brought her to this city and her life raising her son alone. Ultimately, together these two women must face a world as immeasurably changed as their own selves.… (more)
Media reviews
Similar to her 2002 novel, The Lost Garden, Helen Humphreys’ sixth novel is concerned with finding one’s bearings in a world made unrecognizable by war. During the Second World War, on the night of the devastating Coventry blitz of November 14, 1940, widow Harriet Marsh finds herself navigating
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the streets of the town as German bombs explode around her.....Humphreys’ poetic language and imagery, though at times seemingly at odds with the narrative, frequently bring to vivid life the brutality and violence of that night in 1940. Show Less
Modest but satisfying, this quietly moving novel of two women's ordeal through hours of fire and fear avoids all showy gestures.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Cariola
This is the third Humphreys novel that I've read, and she has yet to disappoint me. Coventry is a beautifully told story of love, loss, friendship, coincidence, and faith. The time period shifts from World War I to the bombing of Coventry during World War II, then briefly to the dedication of the
It's a simple story, but what makes it so remarkable is Humphreys's spare, understated, but beautiful and moving prose. She is able to convey perfectly an emotion or an insight without broad strokes, and her characters are all the more memorable for it.
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rebuilt cathedral in 1962. Tying the three episodes together are two women, Harriet and Maeve. They meet on the day that Harriet has sent her husband of two months off to war. Harriet stops to admire Maeve's drawings of the cathedral, and the two decide on impulse to take a ride on one of the new double-decker buses. Despite Maeve's promise to call the next day, the two do not meet again until the day after Coventry's destruction by the German bombers. Though their lives have taken vastly different paths, a series of coincidences draws them together again, and this time, their friendship endures over the years and miles.It's a simple story, but what makes it so remarkable is Humphreys's spare, understated, but beautiful and moving prose. She is able to convey perfectly an emotion or an insight without broad strokes, and her characters are all the more memorable for it.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
Using three strong characters whose lives were forever changed, Humphreys chronicles the historical event of the bombing of Coventry England by the Germans on the night of November 14, 1940.
This superb author writes of the visceral, astounding, tragic city under siege. As the Germans unrelentingly
This well researched book reminded me once again of knowledge gained from reading.
I did not know that the cathedral of Coventry was indeed the only cathedral destroyed in England during the war. Humphrey's used the actual descriptions of those who survived as the reference in telling the tale.
Helen Humphreys continues to be one of my favorite authors. I highly recommend this book.
This superb author writes of the visceral, astounding, tragic city under siege. As the Germans unrelentingly
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destroyed Coventry, two middle aged women, Mauve and Harriett, separately witness the horrific destruction and chaos. Years earlier they met fleetingly. Now, on this vivid night, they will reunite as together they search for Mauve's son Jeremy who returned to the city to help those in need.This well researched book reminded me once again of knowledge gained from reading.
I did not know that the cathedral of Coventry was indeed the only cathedral destroyed in England during the war. Humphrey's used the actual descriptions of those who survived as the reference in telling the tale.
Helen Humphreys continues to be one of my favorite authors. I highly recommend this book.
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LibraryThing member brenzi
Harriet Marsh suffered the ultimate loss during WWI but now, November 1940, she’s settled into a satisfying, if somewhat lonely, existence. She’s filling in as fire-watcher on the roof of the historic Coventry cathedral. Across the way is young Jeremy Fisher who’s doing the same job on one of
This complicated relationship provides the basis of the core of the story. It’s a heartbreaking narrative highlighted by Humphreys lovely, spare prose.
”Outside the world blooms and fades, flaring bright and then subsiding. The ground trembles and the noise of the exploding bombs is deep and guttural, something felt as well as heard, something that resounds through Maeve’s body like a heartbeat. There is the cough of the ack-ack guns and the drone of the bombers. They’re flying so low over the city that when Maeve looks up she can actually see, in one bomber, the outline of the German pilot in the cockpit.” (Page 80)
I never cease to be amazed by the courage of the people of England during WWII and Humphreys does an outstanding job of portraying this. I was impressed when reading the acknowledgements to find that Humphreys’ ”descriptions of the burning city are based on the accounts of the citizens of Coventry, as well as on eyewitness accounts of the bombing of Baghdad.”But make no mistake, this is a heartbreaking devastating read and not for the faint-hearted. Even so, I very much recommend it.
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the cathedral’s other four roofs. These two will form a moving yet cheerless bond as the cathedral and the city suffer devastating air raids. It becomes apparent to them that this bombing is so much worse than any they’ve witnessed. There are dead bodies now. Everywhere. Soon they are on the ground, making their way through the debris and body laden streets, Jeremy desperately worried about his mother, Maeve, and whether or not she has survived the destruction and Harriet, realizing that she doesn’t want to let go of him, must stay with him.This complicated relationship provides the basis of the core of the story. It’s a heartbreaking narrative highlighted by Humphreys lovely, spare prose.
”Outside the world blooms and fades, flaring bright and then subsiding. The ground trembles and the noise of the exploding bombs is deep and guttural, something felt as well as heard, something that resounds through Maeve’s body like a heartbeat. There is the cough of the ack-ack guns and the drone of the bombers. They’re flying so low over the city that when Maeve looks up she can actually see, in one bomber, the outline of the German pilot in the cockpit.” (Page 80)
I never cease to be amazed by the courage of the people of England during WWII and Humphreys does an outstanding job of portraying this. I was impressed when reading the acknowledgements to find that Humphreys’ ”descriptions of the burning city are based on the accounts of the citizens of Coventry, as well as on eyewitness accounts of the bombing of Baghdad.”But make no mistake, this is a heartbreaking devastating read and not for the faint-hearted. Even so, I very much recommend it.
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LibraryThing member pmarshall
To set the scene. The English City of Coventry is located in the West Midlands, north-west of London. It is an industrial city heavily involved in the car industry which, during the war, had been converted to armament and aircraft production.
On November 14, 1940 the city suffered from a massive
“Coventry” has four main characters. Hannah and Jeremy met on the roof of the cathedral on the night of November 14, 1940, both were fire wardens. Mauve, Jeremy’s mother, met Harriet September 20, 1914, the day Harriet’s husband, Owen, had shipped out to France in World War I. He was reported missing in action within two months and Hannah never recovered. Mauve was remembered by Hannah as another person who promised to return and didn’t. Because of colour blindness Jeremy is exempt from military duty so his life is on hold. The fourth is Coventry. Humphreys presents the city as a dying entity that is capsulized in the loss of its cathedral and of its people who flood out of the city to escape the bombs. The feelings of the city are expressed through the horror, fear and great sadness felt by Jeremy and Hannah, the noise of the bombs and the brightness of the fires. And the empty skyline where the cathedral spire was earlier in the evening.
Humphreys tells a huge story of grief and destruction in a novella. It is not rushed rather an occasion of a few hours feeling like forever. The mood is set by the noise, the night darkness and the light of a full moon, a bomber’s moon. And by an out of season swallow who dances above Saint Michael’s as if giving it a final salute.
The setting, characters, history, and mood are brought together by Humphreys in a book that will stay with you:
"When you read something you are stopped, the moment
is stayed, you can sometimes be there more fully than
you can in real life."*
Five Stars. Posted review.
* Harriet is watching the library burn and remembering the many, many hours she spent in it reading and researching.
On November 14, 1940 the city suffered from a massive
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German Luftwaffe raid known as the Coventry Blitz. More than 800 people died and thousands were injured and left homeless, 4,000 homes were destroyed, and three-quarters of the city’s industrial plants destroyed in addition to the 14th. century Saint Michael’s Cathedral. Of the 26 medieval cathedrals in England it was the only one destroyed during the war. It was rebuild as a modern building incorporating the ruins and reopened in 1962.“Coventry” has four main characters. Hannah and Jeremy met on the roof of the cathedral on the night of November 14, 1940, both were fire wardens. Mauve, Jeremy’s mother, met Harriet September 20, 1914, the day Harriet’s husband, Owen, had shipped out to France in World War I. He was reported missing in action within two months and Hannah never recovered. Mauve was remembered by Hannah as another person who promised to return and didn’t. Because of colour blindness Jeremy is exempt from military duty so his life is on hold. The fourth is Coventry. Humphreys presents the city as a dying entity that is capsulized in the loss of its cathedral and of its people who flood out of the city to escape the bombs. The feelings of the city are expressed through the horror, fear and great sadness felt by Jeremy and Hannah, the noise of the bombs and the brightness of the fires. And the empty skyline where the cathedral spire was earlier in the evening.
Humphreys tells a huge story of grief and destruction in a novella. It is not rushed rather an occasion of a few hours feeling like forever. The mood is set by the noise, the night darkness and the light of a full moon, a bomber’s moon. And by an out of season swallow who dances above Saint Michael’s as if giving it a final salute.
The setting, characters, history, and mood are brought together by Humphreys in a book that will stay with you:
"When you read something you are stopped, the moment
is stayed, you can sometimes be there more fully than
you can in real life."*
Five Stars. Posted review.
* Harriet is watching the library burn and remembering the many, many hours she spent in it reading and researching.
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LibraryThing member lit_chick
“The planes come in waves and sound exactly like that, like the pulse and pound of sea on the sand, a muffled, rhythmic heaviness.” (82)
Coventry, a prime target for the German Luftwaffe in WWII, is desecrated on November 14, 1940. Hours prior, beneath a “bomber’s moon,” Harriet Marsh, a
Humphreys’ writing is spare and thoughtful, and has a reflective quality to it that completely drew me in. For me, her strength in Coventry is not her brilliant capture of the terrifying bombing raid itself, but rather her meticulous portrayal of the human, emotional experience of those on the ground who lived through it. The novel is full of beautiful passages illuminating the ponderings of individuals caught in rampage. One such passage occurs as Harriet and Jeremy crouch behind a wall of rubble across the street from the burning library. The city falling around them, the cacophony of its demise deafening, Harriet reflects:
“When a building is lost, everything that happened within its walls is lost as well. She wants to know if the world in which she lives, this place where she is using herself up every day, will remember anything of her. Will the buildings that she has carefully studied, walked through, touched – will they recall her footsteps, the weight of her body on the stone steps, the smooth flat of her hand on the banister? Will the cobblestones hold her footfall? Will the river or the rain remember the shape of her body?” (108)
Coventry is my first Humphreys novel, but I will definitely look up more of her work. Highly recommended.
Coventry, a prime target for the German Luftwaffe in WWII, is desecrated on November 14, 1940. Hours prior, beneath a “bomber’s moon,” Harriet Marsh, a
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middle-aged fire-watcher is stationed atop one of the cathedral’s roofs. A young man, Jeremy, stands his post on an adjacent roof. Unbeknownst to Harriet, his mother is artist Maeve Fisher, a happenstance one-time acquaintance of Harriet’s during WWI. This night, Maeve takes her cover in the basement of a local shop. The relationship between the three brings to life into the human experience of the Blitz. The terror that is about to be unleashed upon Coventry will resonate for the remainder of the their days.Humphreys’ writing is spare and thoughtful, and has a reflective quality to it that completely drew me in. For me, her strength in Coventry is not her brilliant capture of the terrifying bombing raid itself, but rather her meticulous portrayal of the human, emotional experience of those on the ground who lived through it. The novel is full of beautiful passages illuminating the ponderings of individuals caught in rampage. One such passage occurs as Harriet and Jeremy crouch behind a wall of rubble across the street from the burning library. The city falling around them, the cacophony of its demise deafening, Harriet reflects:
“When a building is lost, everything that happened within its walls is lost as well. She wants to know if the world in which she lives, this place where she is using herself up every day, will remember anything of her. Will the buildings that she has carefully studied, walked through, touched – will they recall her footsteps, the weight of her body on the stone steps, the smooth flat of her hand on the banister? Will the cobblestones hold her footfall? Will the river or the rain remember the shape of her body?” (108)
Coventry is my first Humphreys novel, but I will definitely look up more of her work. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member tututhefirst
Helen Humphreys is one of the best writers I've come across in recent years. Her words are spare, her images are memorable, her characters are sharply drawn and well-fleshed out, and her stories leave us wanting more. Last year I read her lovely little book The Frozen Thames a book that I didn't
Anyway, this one is the story of two women who meet in 1940, and then remeet years later almost without remembering the original meeting. The years in between have brought both of them love, loss, and remorse. They find themselves ultimately searching for the same man for very different reasons. The personal stories and tragedies are set against the landscape of utter destruction, ruin, terror, and devastation that marked the bombing of Coventry and then against the resurrection of hope and beauty that the citizens were able to create from the ruins. The book is astonishing- sweet, simple, lean of words, but lush of image. The city itself is the same. If you have the chance, visit the city and the cathedral, but if that's not in your budget or timeline, be sure to read the book.
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think could be improved. When several of you posted on LT about this one, I noted that I had actually been to Coventry and seen the damage inflicted by German bombers, how exquisite and uplifting the new cathedral was, and how I just had to go get this one for my library. So my true book friend the Whisperer offered to send me her copy saying she wanted it to go to someone who would love it and appreciate it. Thank you Linda----someday we will actually meet in person to share more book experiences.Anyway, this one is the story of two women who meet in 1940, and then remeet years later almost without remembering the original meeting. The years in between have brought both of them love, loss, and remorse. They find themselves ultimately searching for the same man for very different reasons. The personal stories and tragedies are set against the landscape of utter destruction, ruin, terror, and devastation that marked the bombing of Coventry and then against the resurrection of hope and beauty that the citizens were able to create from the ruins. The book is astonishing- sweet, simple, lean of words, but lush of image. The city itself is the same. If you have the chance, visit the city and the cathedral, but if that's not in your budget or timeline, be sure to read the book.
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LibraryThing member vancouverdeb
Reading [Coventry] almost like spending the night with those who actually experienced the German Blitz on Coventry on Nov14, 1940.
Helen Humphreys draws on many sources for" Coventry" : other written accounts of the event, the memories of those who experienced the Blitz in person , as well as
Coventry is quickly paced as well as balanced.
Harriet Marsh, our narrator, lost her husband in the battle of Ypres in WW1. Prior to her husbands death, Harriet receives a letter from her husband who writes of his love for her and his experiences in WW1. This quote from his letter to Harriet really touched me . " Whatever happens, you must not believe that the Germans are worse than us." Harriet's husband goes on to describe the humanity of the German soldiers towards the injured and dying British soliders. I so appreciated this comment and clear insight on Helen Humphrey's part that War is a dreadful event for all and that soldiers, no matter what side they may fight on, are simply human beings just like you and me.
The main goal of " Coventry " is to give us a clear and hardhitting feel for what the terror of war really is. Among many horrors described are burned dead birds dropping from the sky, comforting dying people on the side of the road , and mistaking a family sittting at a dinner table with a child playing beneath the table as alive - only to find that a bomb blast has collapsed their lungs and the family is in fact frozen in death.
Coventry is a powerful, quick read and one which I highly recommend. 4 stars.
Helen Humphreys draws on many sources for" Coventry" : other written accounts of the event, the memories of those who experienced the Blitz in person , as well as
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eyewitness accounts of those more recently bombed in Baghdad.Coventry is quickly paced as well as balanced.
Harriet Marsh, our narrator, lost her husband in the battle of Ypres in WW1. Prior to her husbands death, Harriet receives a letter from her husband who writes of his love for her and his experiences in WW1. This quote from his letter to Harriet really touched me . " Whatever happens, you must not believe that the Germans are worse than us." Harriet's husband goes on to describe the humanity of the German soldiers towards the injured and dying British soliders. I so appreciated this comment and clear insight on Helen Humphrey's part that War is a dreadful event for all and that soldiers, no matter what side they may fight on, are simply human beings just like you and me.
The main goal of " Coventry " is to give us a clear and hardhitting feel for what the terror of war really is. Among many horrors described are burned dead birds dropping from the sky, comforting dying people on the side of the road , and mistaking a family sittting at a dinner table with a child playing beneath the table as alive - only to find that a bomb blast has collapsed their lungs and the family is in fact frozen in death.
Coventry is a powerful, quick read and one which I highly recommend. 4 stars.
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LibraryThing member Copperskye
Coventry follows two women and a young man through the streets of Coventry during the bombing raid on the night of Nov. 14, 1940. We also, of course, get their back story. The horrors that the civilian population experienced that night are unimaginably tragic. Helen Humphreys’ style is spare and
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poetic and I apparently like that as I now have another favorite author. Although parts of it seemed a little contrived, as a whole it worked for me. In fact, I may have liked it more if there was more to it, but again, I’m not sure that’s Humphreys’ style. Her notes at the end are very interesting. Along with using historical accounts of the bombing on Coventry, she also used eyewitness accounts from the bombing of Baghdad. She also incorporated a letter written by her grandfather who fought at Ypres in 1914. Show Less
LibraryThing member mrstreme
Sparce but lyrical prose, impressionable characters and vivid imagery - all of these mark the small but powerful book, Coventry by Helen Humphreys. I was captivated with this book from its first word.
Coventry is the story of two middle-aged women, Harriet and Maeve, during the German bombing of
Humphreys' depiction of the bombing - the sheer physical brutality of it - is unmatched by writers who have written about similar subjects. You can feel the heat of the fires, the smell of burning buildings, the feel of someone's blood on your arm. Humphreys doesn't write in a gory way, but you still feel the power of what the bombs did to this English town.
I wish I could write this review as beautifully as Helen Humphreys wrote Coventry - to do the book's language and diction the appropriate justice. I hope this review is enough to convince you to read Coventry just the same. I believe you too can be swept up in the beauty of this little book.
Coventry is the story of two middle-aged women, Harriet and Maeve, during the German bombing of
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Coventry on November 14, 1940. The women had met just once before - very briefly during World War I - and were reunited in their search for Maeve's son, Jeremy, who was helping the wounded during the bombing. Their friendship continues past World War II - each a reminder of love, hope and loss. Indeed, their friendship is unique but necessary.Humphreys' depiction of the bombing - the sheer physical brutality of it - is unmatched by writers who have written about similar subjects. You can feel the heat of the fires, the smell of burning buildings, the feel of someone's blood on your arm. Humphreys doesn't write in a gory way, but you still feel the power of what the bombs did to this English town.
I wish I could write this review as beautifully as Helen Humphreys wrote Coventry - to do the book's language and diction the appropriate justice. I hope this review is enough to convince you to read Coventry just the same. I believe you too can be swept up in the beauty of this little book.
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LibraryThing member posthumose
This is my first novel by Helen Humphreys, I have read her previous book, The Frozen Thames, which deserves its place as a #1 national bestseller in non-fiction. This woman certainly knows her history.
In deceptively simple language Humphreys here portrays the night of November 14, 1940 and the
Humphreys writing is beautiful, as when Maeve, rushing home from the bomb shelter hoping to find her son there, sees tin soldiers in formation on his bedroom windowsill and realizes that they are young Jeremy's " last station of childhood ". He had tried to enlist but was turned down because he is colour blind. He was on fire watch with Harriet and they spent some hours helping with the injured where they could and dodging falling incendiaries and collapsing buildings in an attempt to get home. The details of the history are accurate and the novel ends with an epilogue about the dedication of the newly rebuilt cathedral some twenty years after the war. I wanted to begin reading this book again as soon as I'd finished it, not something that usually happens with me. I will be rereading it to enjoy the way language is used in the story, and I look forward to reading her other novels. A very satisfying read that I can recommend to everyone.
In deceptively simple language Humphreys here portrays the night of November 14, 1940 and the
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bombing of Coventry , England during World War Two. Harriet has been a widow since the First World War. Through her eyes we experience unending hours of destruction and terror, but there is kindness and love too. She starts out on fire watch on the roof of Coventry Cathedral, which does not survive, and ends up with Maeve who searches for her son throughout the city that is burning and reduced to rubble. This is a novel with heart, a story of shared tragedy. So much is lost to the people of Coventry, life will never be the same for any of them.Humphreys writing is beautiful, as when Maeve, rushing home from the bomb shelter hoping to find her son there, sees tin soldiers in formation on his bedroom windowsill and realizes that they are young Jeremy's " last station of childhood ". He had tried to enlist but was turned down because he is colour blind. He was on fire watch with Harriet and they spent some hours helping with the injured where they could and dodging falling incendiaries and collapsing buildings in an attempt to get home. The details of the history are accurate and the novel ends with an epilogue about the dedication of the newly rebuilt cathedral some twenty years after the war. I wanted to begin reading this book again as soon as I'd finished it, not something that usually happens with me. I will be rereading it to enjoy the way language is used in the story, and I look forward to reading her other novels. A very satisfying read that I can recommend to everyone.
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LibraryThing member acornell
In the novel Coventry, by Helen Humphreys, we are told the story within the story. We read of the bombs being dropped by the Luftwaffe on the industrial town of Coventry during WWII and the meager yet magnificent story of human life unfolding in the bombed out city below. Two women are struggling
The book trades back and forth between the stories of Maeve and Harriett as they move through the horrors of the city—dodging bombs and fires and trying to understand what to do to survive. They form and bond through love and loss that is quite simply poetic. The short novel takes place largely on the night of November 14, 1940--the worst night of bombing on that city.
Look for two moving elements in this story: the gift that that the boy gives Harriett in the midst of the night of terror and the beautiful exchange of letters and postcards that evolves between the two women after the war as they keep in touch. Both moments are good examples of how Ms. Humphreys has created not just a compelling narrative but a nuanced and loving tribute to all losses and discoveries people make while experiencing the horrors of war.
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to find themselves and take care of themselves. One has lost her son and the other has found him.The book trades back and forth between the stories of Maeve and Harriett as they move through the horrors of the city—dodging bombs and fires and trying to understand what to do to survive. They form and bond through love and loss that is quite simply poetic. The short novel takes place largely on the night of November 14, 1940--the worst night of bombing on that city.
Look for two moving elements in this story: the gift that that the boy gives Harriett in the midst of the night of terror and the beautiful exchange of letters and postcards that evolves between the two women after the war as they keep in touch. Both moments are good examples of how Ms. Humphreys has created not just a compelling narrative but a nuanced and loving tribute to all losses and discoveries people make while experiencing the horrors of war.
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LibraryThing member labfs39
I confess that my knowledge of the bombing of Coventry has been shaped in large part by Connie Willis' books, [Fire Watch], [Blackout], and [All Clear]. This novel by Canadian author Helen Humphreys is quite different in that it is less historical (and lacking time travel), however, her ability to
The book begins on the eve of the Great War with the separation of newlyweds Owen and Harriet. Owen has enlisted and is proudly off to France, and Ypres. They are both very young, and their sweet relationship becomes a sticking point in Harriet's perspective of life. When the novel jumps forward to WWII, Harriet still seems to be emotionally stuck in 1914.
Harriet agrees to fill in for her injured neighbor as a fire warden on the roof of Coventry Cathedral, expecting the usual distant bombing and tense boredom. It is November 14, 1940, the day the Germans firebomb Coventry. When the cathedral catches fire, she escapes with her fellow fire warden, Jeremy, and over the next day or two they form a close bond. Jeremy's youth and innocent bravery remind her of Owen.
In another parallel relationship, Harriet meets a women in 1914 and, although the two never exchange names, the two spend a glorious, carefree afternoon riding on the top of one of the new double-decker buses. During the bombing of Coventry twenty-five years later, the two meet one another once more. As these relationships spiral into increasing tension, the book moves toward its denouement.
A short novel at less than 200 pages, the plot moves quickly, but in that short amount of time, the author is able to recreate the look and feel of the place, and the terror and resignation, fear and bravery of the city's occupants.
"Do you think the bombing will last all night?" asks Harriet.
"How should I know?" says the woman.
The war has not improved people's tempers. All this talk of how it brings out the best in people is simply rubbish, thinks Harriet. Miserable people are made more miserable by the war's deprivations and dangers. Happy people can still return to being relatively cheerful. But everyone, regardless of temperament, is weary of the fighting, and nervous that they are losing the war...
A solid read, I was inspired enough to pick up another book by Humphreys, also set in WWII, called [The Lost Garden].
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create a sense of time and place and her relationship mirroring are well-done.The book begins on the eve of the Great War with the separation of newlyweds Owen and Harriet. Owen has enlisted and is proudly off to France, and Ypres. They are both very young, and their sweet relationship becomes a sticking point in Harriet's perspective of life. When the novel jumps forward to WWII, Harriet still seems to be emotionally stuck in 1914.
Harriet agrees to fill in for her injured neighbor as a fire warden on the roof of Coventry Cathedral, expecting the usual distant bombing and tense boredom. It is November 14, 1940, the day the Germans firebomb Coventry. When the cathedral catches fire, she escapes with her fellow fire warden, Jeremy, and over the next day or two they form a close bond. Jeremy's youth and innocent bravery remind her of Owen.
In another parallel relationship, Harriet meets a women in 1914 and, although the two never exchange names, the two spend a glorious, carefree afternoon riding on the top of one of the new double-decker buses. During the bombing of Coventry twenty-five years later, the two meet one another once more. As these relationships spiral into increasing tension, the book moves toward its denouement.
A short novel at less than 200 pages, the plot moves quickly, but in that short amount of time, the author is able to recreate the look and feel of the place, and the terror and resignation, fear and bravery of the city's occupants.
"Do you think the bombing will last all night?" asks Harriet.
"How should I know?" says the woman.
The war has not improved people's tempers. All this talk of how it brings out the best in people is simply rubbish, thinks Harriet. Miserable people are made more miserable by the war's deprivations and dangers. Happy people can still return to being relatively cheerful. But everyone, regardless of temperament, is weary of the fighting, and nervous that they are losing the war...
A solid read, I was inspired enough to pick up another book by Humphreys, also set in WWII, called [The Lost Garden].
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LibraryThing member Beamis12
A new author for me and one in whose writing I quickly fell in love. Her sentences are so fluid, her words almost lulling, just wonderful. This provides a sharp contrast to the heartfelt descriptions of the bombing and destruction of Coventry during WWII. Can goods bursting, Windows shattering,
Helen, only 18, during the last war, newly married, would shortly loose her young husband at Ypres. She has never remarried and stayed in the house in Coventry that they had shared. She would be one of many who would loose everything that night. Love the story of her and Maeve and of course Jeremy, they added a very real face to this tragedy, a shared experience that would connect them always.
Real people who had to start over in a time when things were not easily replaceable and government agencies were not expected to rescue one. I loved this quote, "I don't feel alive," says Maeve, and Harriet knows what she means. The world they left is unrecognizable, not a place they want to inhabit. It feels like a sort of afterlife. They are their own ghosts."
This is an author I definitely want to read more of, so if anyone has any suggestions please share them.
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broken glass raining down, potatoes rolling on the now crooked floor, a man shaving one minute but gone the next, people running through the streets with metal pots on their heads, and of course houses no longer standing, piles of rubble and the bodies laying wherever they fell. The Cathedral which was the towns pride and joy would be the only Cathedral in Britain to be destroyed during the war.Helen, only 18, during the last war, newly married, would shortly loose her young husband at Ypres. She has never remarried and stayed in the house in Coventry that they had shared. She would be one of many who would loose everything that night. Love the story of her and Maeve and of course Jeremy, they added a very real face to this tragedy, a shared experience that would connect them always.
Real people who had to start over in a time when things were not easily replaceable and government agencies were not expected to rescue one. I loved this quote, "I don't feel alive," says Maeve, and Harriet knows what she means. The world they left is unrecognizable, not a place they want to inhabit. It feels like a sort of afterlife. They are their own ghosts."
This is an author I definitely want to read more of, so if anyone has any suggestions please share them.
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LibraryThing member cameling
During the bombing of Coventry, England on November 1940, 3 people fight to survive.
The story begins with Harriet, who has lived in Coventry since the first war, having moved there a month before she saw her husband of 2 months off at the train station after he enlisted to fight. She meets Maeve
The story jumps to November 1940 when Harriet finds herself on watch duty just as the Germans started to bomb Coventry. She meets Jeremy, a young watchman, new to Coventry, and together, they flee to bomb shelters, stopping to help some of those injured in the blasts along the way, watch over some who are dying and provide each other with support to live through the night. Maeve spends the night in the bomb shelter in the cellar of a pub but leaves to look for her son. As she makes her way home, she thinks back to moments of her life and memories of her son. She has to decide if she should evacuate the city with others or stay in case her son comes to look for her. Another chance meeting with Harriet brings her the help she needs.
Even as their lives move on after the war is over, that long terrifying night is the tie that binds them together.
The story begins with Harriet, who has lived in Coventry since the first war, having moved there a month before she saw her husband of 2 months off at the train station after he enlisted to fight. She meets Maeve
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who was in Coventry to visit a friend, and spends a day with her, but never sees her again.The story jumps to November 1940 when Harriet finds herself on watch duty just as the Germans started to bomb Coventry. She meets Jeremy, a young watchman, new to Coventry, and together, they flee to bomb shelters, stopping to help some of those injured in the blasts along the way, watch over some who are dying and provide each other with support to live through the night. Maeve spends the night in the bomb shelter in the cellar of a pub but leaves to look for her son. As she makes her way home, she thinks back to moments of her life and memories of her son. She has to decide if she should evacuate the city with others or stay in case her son comes to look for her. Another chance meeting with Harriet brings her the help she needs.
Even as their lives move on after the war is over, that long terrifying night is the tie that binds them together.
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
I read this book in just two sittings—yes, partly because it's very short, but also because it made for compulsive reading and was very difficult to put down. It's my first book by Helen Humphreys, and I think the others currently on my wishlist will end up on the TBR sooner rather than later.
I found this short review by the Guardian, which I thought did a better job at resuming the book than I ever could, though I should say that it's written from the perspective of a British person who is familiar with the history of the war as it happened in her own country, unlike myself, to whom the events of that night were formerly mostly unknown and therefore did not seem quite as inevitable, which took nothing away from the story—quite the contrary in fact:
"To set a character on the roof of Coventry cathedral on the night of 14 November 1940 leaves no doubt about the path the narrative will take. The inevitability of the firestorm sounds ominously from the first sentence of Coventry, but Helen Humphreys makes of that certainty a subtly crafted, surely paced novel. From Harriet Marsh looking up at a "bomber's moon", we slip back to a meeting between her and another young woman on a tram at the outbreak of the first world war. Long before either Harriet, Jeremy, the young man with whom she shares firewatching duties, or his mother, fleeing the desperate bonhomie of drinkers in a pub cellar, realises, the reader is aware that the bombing of Coventry will tie up the loose ends of that earlier encounter. Bleak images of death are counterpointed by moments of escape. As Harriet and Jeremy pick their way through collapsed buildings and burning streets, a fleeing horse embodies the possibility of survival. Coventry hauntingly depicts the nightmarish power of chance." (Isobel Montgomery, The Guardian, 12 September 2009)
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Two women and a young man are at the heart of this novel which mostly takes place during one terrifying night, during the worst and most destructive of a series of German blitzes on the city of Coventry, UK, this one occurring on November 14th 1940. Our first glimpse of Harriet Marsh, the lead character, is when she is perched on the roof of Coventry cathedral on firewatching duty just before the bombs start raining down. As a woman, she shouldn't really be there, but she's replacing her injured neighbour that night, which is how she meets the young Jeremy Fisher, another firewatcher who, unbeknownst to her at this point will end up spending the better part of the night with her, as they both try to reach their homes, which are located close to each other and where Jeremy hopes to find his mother Maeve. As they make their way through the city, the are forced to walk through the burning inferno that Coventry has become, with the constant pounding of bombs, buildings toppling at every moment, trying to help victims who are instantly buried in the detritus in front of their very eyes, and hoping not to get exploded to bits themselves, or to find their homes annihilated either. Harriet had already lived through the first war twenty-six years earlier, to which she lost her young husband, both only eighteen years-old and just married at the time. He'd gone missing and probably killed a few weeks after he'd enlisted and left for the front on September 1914, just one month into the war, and Harriet has never gotten over the grief of her loss. He only had the chance to send her one letter, and she holds onto this relic like a talisman, and when the novel begins, she is convinced that this second war with the Germans can't possibly have such a devastating impact on her as did the Great War. But in this she is mistaken of course, and at that point she can't possibly know that Jeremy is the son of a woman she'd casually met 26 years before, on the very day she'd seen her newlywed husband off at the train station. I found this short review by the Guardian, which I thought did a better job at resuming the book than I ever could, though I should say that it's written from the perspective of a British person who is familiar with the history of the war as it happened in her own country, unlike myself, to whom the events of that night were formerly mostly unknown and therefore did not seem quite as inevitable, which took nothing away from the story—quite the contrary in fact:
"To set a character on the roof of Coventry cathedral on the night of 14 November 1940 leaves no doubt about the path the narrative will take. The inevitability of the firestorm sounds ominously from the first sentence of Coventry, but Helen Humphreys makes of that certainty a subtly crafted, surely paced novel. From Harriet Marsh looking up at a "bomber's moon", we slip back to a meeting between her and another young woman on a tram at the outbreak of the first world war. Long before either Harriet, Jeremy, the young man with whom she shares firewatching duties, or his mother, fleeing the desperate bonhomie of drinkers in a pub cellar, realises, the reader is aware that the bombing of Coventry will tie up the loose ends of that earlier encounter. Bleak images of death are counterpointed by moments of escape. As Harriet and Jeremy pick their way through collapsed buildings and burning streets, a fleeing horse embodies the possibility of survival. Coventry hauntingly depicts the nightmarish power of chance." (Isobel Montgomery, The Guardian, 12 September 2009)
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LibraryThing member InfoQuest
Coventry is in many respects a lovely little book, both moving and understated. The author simply and yet poetically relates the inner lives of her two female speakers as they encounter love and loss; she handles both themes gracefully, without resorting to shock tactics or flamboyance. The scenes
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of Coventry's destruction display her thorough research and understanding without giving in to didacticism or self-congratulation. A very fine literary short novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carolee888
oventry by Helen Humphreys is an almost poetic depiction of the devastation of the bombing by the Germans in WWII upon that town.
I felt very close to one of the main characters, Harriet Marsh and her reaction to her husband's death in WWI. I could understand why she felt the way that she did. The
Coventry was targeted by the Germans because of the munitions factories but so much more was destroyed than that. On the cover of the book is a picture of the shell of the only cathedral in Great Britain that was destroyed. That is what drew me to this book. I talked about to my friends who live close by and they remember going to see the ruins. The author puts Harriet as a firewatcher and Maeve’s son, Jeremy at the cathedral on November 14, 1940 on the beginning of the horrible night and the main part of the book focuses on that night.
So we see the people move into the bomb shelters and hear the ear piercing sounds of the bombs, smell the fires that were set off by the flares and made worse by the bombs. I really felt that I was walking around in the dark with Harriet and Jeremy. Hearing the moans of the trapped people and not sure where to go.
I highly recommend this book to people who love historical fiction. I want to read more of Helen Humphries books.
I felt very close to one of the main characters, Harriet Marsh and her reaction to her husband's death in WWI. I could understand why she felt the way that she did. The
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only thing that keeps this book from getting a five star rating from me is an act by Harriet that just did not did believable. I also enjoyed reading about Maeve but didn't feel close to her. Coventry was targeted by the Germans because of the munitions factories but so much more was destroyed than that. On the cover of the book is a picture of the shell of the only cathedral in Great Britain that was destroyed. That is what drew me to this book. I talked about to my friends who live close by and they remember going to see the ruins. The author puts Harriet as a firewatcher and Maeve’s son, Jeremy at the cathedral on November 14, 1940 on the beginning of the horrible night and the main part of the book focuses on that night.
So we see the people move into the bomb shelters and hear the ear piercing sounds of the bombs, smell the fires that were set off by the flares and made worse by the bombs. I really felt that I was walking around in the dark with Harriet and Jeremy. Hearing the moans of the trapped people and not sure where to go.
I highly recommend this book to people who love historical fiction. I want to read more of Helen Humphries books.
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LibraryThing member AMQS
This is such a beautiful, reflective, personal story set right in the heart of a fiery, brutal, devastating night of utter terror and destruction. The night of November 14, 1940 was a night that the Germans fairly leveled the city of Coventry. It is a night that begins with a late swallow
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flickering and diving around Coventry Cathedral, and ends with scores dead, a city destroyed, and a woman whose life is changed not just by the bombing, but by the connections forged that night. I really like Ms. Humphreys's voice here -- nothing is softened for the reader, but neither is the story sensationalized. She follows two women who have two chance encounters, telling their very small stories against a near-epic backdrop in spare, lovely words. Show Less
LibraryThing member bksgoddess
Lovely little book. Wonderful writing.
LibraryThing member texasheartland
Witnessing Germany's November 14, 1940 attack on Coventry from her watch position at the cathedral, widow Harriet bonds with a young man during the ensuing chaos who reminds her of her late husband, while at home, the young man's single mother waits in agony for her son's return and remembers the
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circumstances that brought her to the city. While the characters didn't have a lot of personality, you could tell there was some there. But you wanted to be like Harriet and Jeremy- heroes. You wanted to help anyone and everything. But what really got to me was how she painted the bombing. It was almost as if you were there yourself, ducking for cover. Its like you could hear the bombs going off, and all the crying/screaming. It wasn't terrible disturbing but it might be for some readers. Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
My husband gave me this book for our 14th anniversary, September 24, 2008. I had been wanting to read it since I read a review in the Globe and Mail. I told him about the book and he remembered the title when he went to McNally Robinson. The reason I told him about it was because we spent one night
I absolutely loved this book. Humphreys conveys so much emotion that it is hard to believe the book is only 175 pages. Harriet is a woman who lost her husband in World War I and has never been close to anyone since. Maeve had an illegitimate child, Jeremy, in World War I whom she kept despite the opprobrium of family and friends. Harriet and Maeve met briefly in 1914 on the day Harriet saw her husband off to the war. Maeve and Jeremy have moved around England with Maeve finding employment in many different jobs. Harriet stayed put in Coventry, working for a coal merchant and writing descriptions of things that take her fancy. They had never seen or heard of each other since the afternoon they rode the first double decker bus in Coventry. Is it fate that brings Harriet and Jeremy together? They both are volunteer fire watchers at the cathedral on the night the German bombers target Coventry. As they stumble through the ravaged city trying to get home they form a close bond. Harriet's house has been destroyed by a bomb but Jeremy and Maeve's house is still standing. Maeve however is not there having decided to go out into the country with neighbours. After seeing so much death and devastation it is not surprising that Harriet and Jeremy cling to each other and make love. Then they separate and Jeremy goes back into the centre of town to help the wounded and Harriet walks out into the country.
I'll leave the synopsis there as I don't want to ruin the ending. I will mention one more item that gave me a frisson of recognition. Long after the war Maeve is living on Innismor, one of the Aran Islands. That was also one of the places we visited on our honeymoon. This description of the island in 1962 still describes the countryside:
Maeve begins to walk up the road again. Slowly the houses fall away and she is walking with green fields on either side of her. Each field is bordered by a wall made of the stones that had been cleared from the field. The walls have no gates. If a farmer wants to shift his cows and sheep to another field, he simply removes some of the stones from a section of wall, replacing them when the animals are safely away in the next field.
Humphreys foreshadows frequently but it wasn't until I started writing this review that I realized it so it is done deftly. For instance, in World War I after leaving the station Harriet realizes she doesn't know how to get home because they have only been in Coventry a short time. When she meets Maeve, although Maeve is only visiting the city, Maeve shows her the way home. In the next war, it is Harriet guiding Jeremy home because Jeremy has only been living in Coventry a short time. The book is like a magnificent weaving with threads from the beginning reappearing throughout the tapestry.
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in Coventry on our honeymoon trip to Europe. We toured the old cathedral the ruins of which have been left standing, adjoined to the new one. We found it very moving to wander around inside the walls which are open to the elements.I absolutely loved this book. Humphreys conveys so much emotion that it is hard to believe the book is only 175 pages. Harriet is a woman who lost her husband in World War I and has never been close to anyone since. Maeve had an illegitimate child, Jeremy, in World War I whom she kept despite the opprobrium of family and friends. Harriet and Maeve met briefly in 1914 on the day Harriet saw her husband off to the war. Maeve and Jeremy have moved around England with Maeve finding employment in many different jobs. Harriet stayed put in Coventry, working for a coal merchant and writing descriptions of things that take her fancy. They had never seen or heard of each other since the afternoon they rode the first double decker bus in Coventry. Is it fate that brings Harriet and Jeremy together? They both are volunteer fire watchers at the cathedral on the night the German bombers target Coventry. As they stumble through the ravaged city trying to get home they form a close bond. Harriet's house has been destroyed by a bomb but Jeremy and Maeve's house is still standing. Maeve however is not there having decided to go out into the country with neighbours. After seeing so much death and devastation it is not surprising that Harriet and Jeremy cling to each other and make love. Then they separate and Jeremy goes back into the centre of town to help the wounded and Harriet walks out into the country.
I'll leave the synopsis there as I don't want to ruin the ending. I will mention one more item that gave me a frisson of recognition. Long after the war Maeve is living on Innismor, one of the Aran Islands. That was also one of the places we visited on our honeymoon. This description of the island in 1962 still describes the countryside:
Maeve begins to walk up the road again. Slowly the houses fall away and she is walking with green fields on either side of her. Each field is bordered by a wall made of the stones that had been cleared from the field. The walls have no gates. If a farmer wants to shift his cows and sheep to another field, he simply removes some of the stones from a section of wall, replacing them when the animals are safely away in the next field.
Humphreys foreshadows frequently but it wasn't until I started writing this review that I realized it so it is done deftly. For instance, in World War I after leaving the station Harriet realizes she doesn't know how to get home because they have only been in Coventry a short time. When she meets Maeve, although Maeve is only visiting the city, Maeve shows her the way home. In the next war, it is Harriet guiding Jeremy home because Jeremy has only been living in Coventry a short time. The book is like a magnificent weaving with threads from the beginning reappearing throughout the tapestry.
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LibraryThing member terrybanker
Sadly, while I was looking forward to the concept of this book, I found the book to be unsympathetic, and I could never find familiar territory to attach to. The first half of the book is 90% backstory, and fails to drive the plot forward.
The narrator is vague and fairly two-dimensional.
Limited
I get the feeling this book wasn't ready to be published, as it feels as if it's in a second or third draft stage.
The narrator is vague and fairly two-dimensional.
Limited
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(at best) sympathy for the protagonist. I get the feeling this book wasn't ready to be published, as it feels as if it's in a second or third draft stage.
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LibraryThing member zibilee
On the evenings of November 14th and 15th, 1940, a massive bombing raid destroyed the English city of Coventry. German attack planes flew over the city dropping hundreds of bombs, decimating most of the architecture and killing roughly 600 people and wounding many more. What was left standing was
This is a slim book, but one of tremendous power. The author has a way of being very understated and subtle in her choice of words, but somehow this makes the narrative both more haunting and evocative. There were many things about the book that seemed subdued, from the way in which she portrayed her characters to the situations that she chose to illustrate, but there was something that was extremely poignant in the way that she juggled this huge amount of confusion in her story with restraint and quietness. Had she chosen to construct the narrative in a more hypersensitive way, I think the story would have been somewhat directionless and less focused.
Another thing that I appreciated about the book is that the author used the show and not tell method of storytelling. Instead of trying to explain all of her situations and characters and the reasons for their actions, I felt that she let the characters' actions and reactions speak for themselves. It was not hard to see why Harriett behaved as one wounded, or why Maeve was so headstrong. Their characters grew into these emotions as the book progressed, and instead of laying it all out there in a repetitious and elementary way, the author chose to close all those gaps with the growth of her characters and the emotive power of her situations.
As far as the characters go, I preferred Maeve's character to Harriet's because Harriet at times seemed a bit too detached for me, and her remoteness in the main portion of the book was something that I felt was a bit hard to relate to personally. Despite this, I felt that, as a character, Harriet displayed much more growth than the others did. It was illuminating to watch the shifts in her personality and to see her mentally become more cognizant of her emotions and behavior. The growth that Harriett evinced was one of the things I liked most about this character and this book. There was a type of internal monologue running through her that was both plausible and satisfying to witness.
Of the three characters highlighted in this book, Maeve was my favorite. She was very independent and spirited, and I liked the way that her love of drawing and art was infused into the very fiber of her character. I thought that she showed tremendous courage in raising her son alone. During that time period, I am sure hers was not the most popular or acceptable decision. Her love for her son was touching, but it was not an overpowering force in the story; instead it showcased the bond between the two characters in a tender and gentle way.
I also liked Jeremy. He was very young, but he seemed to show a mature and sound emotional capacity, and was endowed with many characteristics that are rare finds in the men of literature. I found him to be an extremely sensitive and compassionate person while still being somewhat of an innocent. Although he could have left Harriett behind to face the odds alone, he willingly took on her presence and agreed to guide her safely through the maelstrom towards safety.
There was a an interesting chemistry between these three players; they were all so very different, but in the end, they all manifested some of the same characteristics, albeit in different ways. Though the force of the war was huge, the force of their personalities were bigger, and that was something that elevated this from your typical war story.
I really enjoyed this book, and think it would be perfect for those who enjoy character driven novels. Whether or not you are a war enthusiast, this book will probably strike a cord in you because there is a great deal to focus on in the story. The characters and situations in the book feel authentic, and although this is a sad story, it is not permeated with bleakness throughout. If you enjoy books that focus on the people surrounding an event and their reactions towards that event, you might really enjoy this book. Recommended.
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barely recognizable as a once flourishing and beautiful city. In the novel Coventry, Helen Humphreys weaves this tragic time in history into the story of three people who begin that fateful evening alone but somehow end up finding each other. Harriett, a young woman who lost her husband in the first World War, is quiet and unassuming. While she still misses her husband desperately, her emotions have been somewhat calloused and atrophied from the years spent alone. When she agrees to take over a shift on the local fire brigade, she gets more than she bargained for when the bombing causes massive fires to break out in her area of patrol. While she is simultaneously fighting the fire and eventually running from it's destruction, she meets Jeremy, a courageous young man who will be her guide and companion through the burning city. Jeremy is also part of the fire brigade, and after the bombing he and Harriett begin to search for his mother Maeve, the third player in this arresting drama. Maeve, an artist, has raised Jeremy alone and is caught in a pub when the bombing begins. When she makes her way home she wishes to stay there and wait for Jeremy but is persuaded by her neighbors to flee the city for the countryside, where it is safer. As the three players move closer to their reunion they witness terrible havoc and bloodshed throughout the once remarkable city. While they are busy dodging the falling bombs they each discover the hidden sides of themselves that they never expected to find, and become enmeshed with each other in astounding ways.This is a slim book, but one of tremendous power. The author has a way of being very understated and subtle in her choice of words, but somehow this makes the narrative both more haunting and evocative. There were many things about the book that seemed subdued, from the way in which she portrayed her characters to the situations that she chose to illustrate, but there was something that was extremely poignant in the way that she juggled this huge amount of confusion in her story with restraint and quietness. Had she chosen to construct the narrative in a more hypersensitive way, I think the story would have been somewhat directionless and less focused.
Another thing that I appreciated about the book is that the author used the show and not tell method of storytelling. Instead of trying to explain all of her situations and characters and the reasons for their actions, I felt that she let the characters' actions and reactions speak for themselves. It was not hard to see why Harriett behaved as one wounded, or why Maeve was so headstrong. Their characters grew into these emotions as the book progressed, and instead of laying it all out there in a repetitious and elementary way, the author chose to close all those gaps with the growth of her characters and the emotive power of her situations.
As far as the characters go, I preferred Maeve's character to Harriet's because Harriet at times seemed a bit too detached for me, and her remoteness in the main portion of the book was something that I felt was a bit hard to relate to personally. Despite this, I felt that, as a character, Harriet displayed much more growth than the others did. It was illuminating to watch the shifts in her personality and to see her mentally become more cognizant of her emotions and behavior. The growth that Harriett evinced was one of the things I liked most about this character and this book. There was a type of internal monologue running through her that was both plausible and satisfying to witness.
Of the three characters highlighted in this book, Maeve was my favorite. She was very independent and spirited, and I liked the way that her love of drawing and art was infused into the very fiber of her character. I thought that she showed tremendous courage in raising her son alone. During that time period, I am sure hers was not the most popular or acceptable decision. Her love for her son was touching, but it was not an overpowering force in the story; instead it showcased the bond between the two characters in a tender and gentle way.
I also liked Jeremy. He was very young, but he seemed to show a mature and sound emotional capacity, and was endowed with many characteristics that are rare finds in the men of literature. I found him to be an extremely sensitive and compassionate person while still being somewhat of an innocent. Although he could have left Harriett behind to face the odds alone, he willingly took on her presence and agreed to guide her safely through the maelstrom towards safety.
There was a an interesting chemistry between these three players; they were all so very different, but in the end, they all manifested some of the same characteristics, albeit in different ways. Though the force of the war was huge, the force of their personalities were bigger, and that was something that elevated this from your typical war story.
I really enjoyed this book, and think it would be perfect for those who enjoy character driven novels. Whether or not you are a war enthusiast, this book will probably strike a cord in you because there is a great deal to focus on in the story. The characters and situations in the book feel authentic, and although this is a sad story, it is not permeated with bleakness throughout. If you enjoy books that focus on the people surrounding an event and their reactions towards that event, you might really enjoy this book. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member birdsam0610
Coventry may be more aptly described as a novella, given its slim silhouette, but its content certainly punches well above its weight. It is the story of two women who meet initially during World War I, but the majority of the plot takes place during the night of the Coventry bombing during World
I read this book in only a couple of days, but its impact is much stronger. The author has an excellent use of language in re-creating the scene of the bombings, right down to the fear, smells and sights in only a few words. It’s incredibly visually descriptive. It also captures the emotions very well – from fear to anguish to confusion during that night. The characters are well written and the reader bonds with them, crossing our fingers with Maeve that Jeremy makes it home, and feeling Harriet’s loneliness. There is an allure and mystery to their backgrounds, but not so much so that it leaves a gap in their character.
I wasn’t familiar with the Coventry bombing before reading this book but after doing some research, I found that this book is very accurate, down to the names of buildings that were destroyed.
If I had to sum up this book in a single word, that word would be powerful. This skinny little book brings to life a page from history. It’s definitely one to be taken off the shelf and read, preferably in a single sitting. It will haunt you for a long time afterwards, with the terror of the bombing and fires and the power of the Coventry people to survive and grow from that night.
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War II on November 14, 1940. This is the story Harriet, a widow from WWI, now a substitute firewatcher on the roof of the cathedral who meets Jeremy while trying to escape the city. Their night of near misses and helping out complete strangers is in contrast to Maeve, Jeremy’s mother, who anxiously awaits his turn before going out to look for him herself.I read this book in only a couple of days, but its impact is much stronger. The author has an excellent use of language in re-creating the scene of the bombings, right down to the fear, smells and sights in only a few words. It’s incredibly visually descriptive. It also captures the emotions very well – from fear to anguish to confusion during that night. The characters are well written and the reader bonds with them, crossing our fingers with Maeve that Jeremy makes it home, and feeling Harriet’s loneliness. There is an allure and mystery to their backgrounds, but not so much so that it leaves a gap in their character.
I wasn’t familiar with the Coventry bombing before reading this book but after doing some research, I found that this book is very accurate, down to the names of buildings that were destroyed.
If I had to sum up this book in a single word, that word would be powerful. This skinny little book brings to life a page from history. It’s definitely one to be taken off the shelf and read, preferably in a single sitting. It will haunt you for a long time afterwards, with the terror of the bombing and fires and the power of the Coventry people to survive and grow from that night.
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LibraryThing member icolford
Not bad, but this book could have been much longer, deeper, and more affecting. As it is, it seems written in a kind of emotional shorthand.
Awards
Evergreen Award (Nominee — 2009)
Language
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
192 p.; 8 inches
ISBN
0393067203 / 9780393067200