The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

I have mixed feelings about this book.  On one hand I learned things about WWII that I did not know and the stories were interesting but it was more like a relay of information with no ending.  In this sense it was more like a news story.

Ms. Blake told the story of a doctor in a small New England town who lost a patient and went to both run and discover himself by helping out in London during the Blitz.  He left behind a very young wife who was pregnant at the time but did not know it.

In the small town the postmistress is given a letter to deliver but she decides to hold on to it.

In London, where the blitz is occurring, a female news reporter is the voice of America, reporting what she sees.  I had no idea that London was bombed repeatedly over about 8 months time.  People would leave their homes in the morning and come home to nothing in the evening.  Life was very strange for those poor people.  People who had to get up everyday and put one foot in front of the other and try and get things done while trying to take precautions to save their lives and the lives of their loved ones.  The author does a beautiful job of describing how odd and surreal this life must have been like.

The reporter also takes a train through Germany and France to report on the lives there.  It is very sad and so hard to imagine how rough it must have been to see lives lost so tragically and families changed or even lost forever.

Blake did not finish any of the stories she told, she simply told the story of their lives during a difficult time and how these lives intersected.  It was like a news story.  I suspect she wanted to leave us wondering.

I had heard of the blitz but I had no idea how long it lasted or how devastating it was.  It is amazing to me that London had no defense.  I sure hope that most places have more defense now to know when planes are coming and can have air defense of their own.

I also learned from this book that the killing of jews was kept secret for a long time.  It was a rumor that did not get reported on at first.  I can't imagine that either.

What a terrible time and it happened during our parents lifetimes.  That is really scary.