The English Girl begins at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in 1989, as the wall is coming down. Tiffany travels from West to East with a letter in her hand and only an address to begin her search for someone important.
Most of the book takes place in 1946/47 in Norfolk, at the end of the Second World War. German soldiers in a Prisoner of War camp are being used to clear mines and make the beaches safe and the book centres around the camp and the people who are helping to run it. Fran begins work in the office in the camp and quickly meets and falls for Thomas, one of the German prisoners.
Fraternising with a German is strictly against the law, and so Fran and Thomas have to hide their love for each other from everyone else but continue to see each other at any snatched opportunity they can. Only time will tell whether there is any future for their forbidden relationship and Sarah Mitchell keeps the reader guessing throughout the book.
Inspired by a true story, The English Girl was a beautiful read and opened up my eyes to the fact that people who fought in the war weren’t just allowed to pack up their bags and go home as soon as it was over. For many, it continued for years without them knowing what had happened to their families back home. The story also told of how wartime events affected not only the soldiers who fought but those who were left behind, both men and women, and how society treated them.
If you enjoy historical fiction with a difference, then I would recommend The English Girl, you never know, you might learn of events that you didn’t realise had happened. I definitely need to read more by Sarah Mitchell!
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