Quirky and engrossing, My Name is Eva, is about a woman in her 90s, Evelyn, who is placed in a nursing home after a bad fall. However, her true past is a secret from those that know her. After her husband's death in World War 2, she joins the ranks and hatches a plan to serve her own justice. The 90 year old Evelyn spends her time making everyone believe that she is losing her marbles as her story unfolds to the readers.

While mostly lighthearted and comical, there are some dramatic and emotional moments, which I found to be very interesting of a WW2 historical fiction novel. I definitely enjoyed it and it was very hard to put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel.

This was a brilliantly written historical novel that had characters that were intriguing and kept the reader invested. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and highly recommend it!

Evelyn Taylor-Clarke is one smart lady, and playing a forgetful old biddy in her later years as a resident at Forest Lawns Care Home is quite a challenge. But then, Evelyn has led a challenging life, and she hasn't forgotten a single minute.

As a young woman, awaiting her husband's return from the war, Evelyn is itching to "do her bit" for the war effort. When Hugh doesn't return, then her mind is made up. After training, she is fully versed in the silent kill, the art of subterfuge, and her observational skills are perfectly honed. She ready to go into enemy territory, but then the war ends, and her skills see her going elsewhere - to a facility in Germany where she works as a translator, using the name Eva. What goes on there, she cannot tolerate. The "suspects" brought to the facility are badly mistreated in order to exact information they are supposed to have. And the man in charge - Colonel Stephen Robinson - is the same officer responsible for sending her husband to his death.

Her next job is more to her liking, as she helps displaced prison camp survivors to return home, or to get visas to move elsewhere, and rebuild their lives. When she returns to England herself, once more as Evelyn, she has a secret that it pains her to keep, but one she must. Besides, she has another job to do - and it involves dealing with the Colonel once and for all.

When she assumes ownership of the family home - Kingsley Manor - upon the death of her mother, she is able to put her plan in motion, using all the skills she has learnt over the years.

In her twilight years, she is compelled to move to the care home, and she is fairly certain she has covered her tracks ... that is, until her niece, Pat, finds two suitcases on top of a wardrobe, with plenty of potentially incriminating evidence. Police interviews follow, and Evelyn's performance is Oscar-worthy. She plays them like a virtuoso, giving contradictory comments, acting as though she has a bus to catch, and even arguing over the type of biscuits they're given. Her niece is perplexed, the detective is bemused, and Evelyn is an innocent old lady ... until she chooses not to be ;)

Told in multiple timelines and through letters to her husband, this story is fascinating, intriguing, uplifting, and hugely engrossing. I rooted for Evelyn from start to finish;  tiny details outlined her frame of mind and her intentions - it was sublimely addictive and entertaining. Suzanne Goldring is an author I will definitely seek out again.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the author for my copy, and this review is given voluntarily.

‘You can’t pretend you don’t know anything about the guns,’ hisses Pat. ‘I’ve looked all through those cases. They’re full of your stuff. There’s clothes, documents, and passports. You’ve got to tell the police where the guns came from.’ ‘Well, dear, I would if I could remember.’

Evelyn Taylor-Clarke, is a surprising woman. On the surface, she seems like an even-tempered and respectable ninety-something-year-old woman who does crossword puzzles in the Forest Lawns Care Home, but her past holds unsettling secrets.

Evelyn, or Eva, as she called herself when working in Germany after the war, lost her husband under unimaginable circumstances and sets out to avenge his death. The events told in present and past unfold into a heartbreaking and remarkable story about courage, heartbreak and what a woman will do for the love of her life.

This startling read will transport you into the harsh reality of post-war Europe and throw you back to the present with secrets kept for 70+ years. Recommend highly.

Thank you to Ms. Goldring for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

This book is one of those reads that will make you glad for books all over again. I read this mostly in one sitting, as I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what happened next. The story is told from the perspective of an elderly woman, who is reflecting on her life and her time during the post-war period. She is determined to right a wrong that was committed against her family and will endanger herself to do so.

I thought this was a very moving story, with a realistic main character that was easy to love and compelling enough to keep me interested for the duration of the novel. This is the kind of book that keeps you thinking about it even after it is over. I found myself still pondering it when I went to sleep the night I finished it.

I love stories where a female lead does not seem contrived, and this is one of those books where the main character is very natural and seems effortlessly realistic. (A good author, obviously.)

The ending is not all sunshine and daisies, but it works for this type of book and is rather stunning. I would definitely recommend this book to others who enjoy modern historical fiction.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

EXCERPT: 'What I'd like to do this time,' says Inspector Williams on his second visit, is ask you a bit about your time in the forces. I believe you joined up after you lost your husband, when he was killed in action. In 1943, wasn't it?'

'Is that when it was? I can't remember dates. Hugh wasn't at all keen for me to join. He wanted me to wait for him, but I so wanted to do something useful.' She looks across the room at Pat, who is sitting with her arms crossed looking irritated. 'Can you remember, dear? When my poor Hugh was killed?'

ABOUT THIS BOOK: You can pay a terrible price for keeping a promise…

Evelyn Taylor-Clarke sits in her chair at Forest Lawns Care Home in the heart of the English countryside, surrounded by residents with minds not as sharp as hers. It would be easy to dismiss Evelyn as a muddled old woman, but her lipstick is applied perfectly, and her buttons done up correctly. Because Evelyn is a woman with secrets and Evelyn remembers everything. She can never forget the promise she made to the love of her life, to discover the truth about the mission that led to his death, no matter what it cost her…

When Evelyn’s niece Pat opens an old biscuit tin to find a photo of a small girl with a red ball entitled ‘Liese, 1951’ and a passport in another name, she has some questions for her aunt. And Evelyn is transported back to a place in Germany known as ‘The Forbidden Village,’ where a woman who called herself Eva went where no one else dared, amongst shivering prisoners, to find the man who gambled with her husband’s life…

MY THOUGHTS: Right off, I have to say that I loved the character of Evelyn. She is perceptive, clever and oh so manipulative! She runs rings around everyone else. I hope that if I make it into my nineties, I shall be as sharp as she is.

While I loved the story of Eva/Evie/Evelyn/Hildebrand, and applauded her and rooted for her throughout, I did have a few issues with the writing. I felt that the author repeated herself a little to often, and that the moving backwards and forwards between the war days and afterwards, and the present (2016) could have been handled a little better. It didn't flow in parts and a few times I wondered when and where I was.... I felt that Evie's letters to her husband added little to the plot, and were often a cause of the repetition.

But overall I enjoyed the story (enjoyed it enough to read it in one sitting) and plan to read more by this author.

****

THE AUTHOR: This is the debut novel for Suzanne Goldring, who has previously published Powerless - The Year the Lights Went Out.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of My Name is Eva by Suzanne Goldring for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage

First, I love the cover of My Name is Eva which gives you the feeling of the story. Evelyn (Eva) is telling her story through flashbacks to WWII and her role during the war and after the war. I read a lot of WWII fiction historical fiction, and I find that each book fulfills information about this time period. One interesting section that personally affected me was about her efforts in helping Polish prisoners enter back into life either by obtaining visas to the U.S., finding relatives, or getting them ready to go back to Poland. My sister-in-law’s parents might have been one of these couples. I know they were in labor camps as teenagers, married at the end of the war, and were in Germany before they were granted visas to come to the U.S. in 1949. They were very hard workers and raised a family of seven children.

The author provides intrigue, need for revenge, loss of love for a husband during the war, a child she could not keep. This book will stay with me for a long time. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A seemingly unremarkable old woman named Evelyn Taylor Clarke has now reached the stage in life where she needs to live in a care home. She doesn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary having spent most of her life living at the family home - Kingsley Manor in Surrey. But scratch beneath the surface and Evelyn/ Evie or Eva, as she is called depending on the circumstances you are reading about, has an awful lot to hide. She has kept so many secrets for years and now she knows her time is drawing near and that some of those secrets will come spilling out whether she likes it or not. But she is still in control of her destiny and would like a say as to the terms of these reveals.

So begins the impressive début novel from Suzanne Goldring – My Name is Eva.The reader is instantly lulled into a false sense of security thinking Evelyn is a harmless old woman who is going a bit funny and experiencing memory loss. Well her niece Pat who is currently sorting out Evelyn's estate certainly thinks so and pays scant attention to some of the things Evelyn says. But look a little closer and you will soon find that Evelyn very much has all of her senses even if physically her body may be letting her down. Now she understands the final piece of her game or puzzle is about to slot into place and she is very much looking forward to being the main operator and having control as to how the final curtain may fall.

Immediately within the first chapter Suzanne Goldring has the reader in the palm of her hands and this grip is not relinquished until you reach the very last sentence. This was not your typical war time historical fiction novel instead I felt as if the author had breathed fresh air into a genre I don't hesitate to call my favourite. Yes there is a dual timeline of sorts but it all focuses on one woman and the different names she has gone under in her life for different reasons. We observe the many personas of Evelyn and although she is one person I felt we truly got to know the many layers and depths to her. As we progress through the book we come to understand what has driven and motivated her since World War Two and that she is not all sweetness and light and if people truly understand the depths to which she plunged and the tactics she used they would certainly in for the surprise of their lives.

Evelyn in her old age pretends she is elusive and doesn't understand what is being asked of her or where she truly is but she is one clever cookie and there are so many questions raised within the first few chapters that the reader is desperate for answers. They will come with time but allowing the story to unfold and to follow the many strands of Eva's life are more than worth the pay off as you race towards the deeply satisfying and surprising conclusion. What is Eva hiding? Why is she letting on that she can't remember important things when questioned and why is there a photo hidden in her bedside locker that she takes out every night?

I loved how letters were interspersed between each chapter as they really helped the pace of the story and aided the reader in learning more about Evie and her situation. The letters written by Evie are to her husband Hugh who alongside the group he was with were betrayed by someone important in the war which led to their subsequent death. Evie is fuelled by anger once she learns the true cause of Hugh's death she wants revenge through any means possible. Through the letters we get a deep insight into her mind and heart and they are written in such a conversational style to Hugh. I would have loved to have had a little bit more about how Evelyn met Hugh and what their life was like before it was torn apart by war but on reflection this book is more about the aftermath of a major event in Evie's early life which directs the course of the remainder of her years.

The hatred Evie has for the man who took her beloved Hugh away from her only intensifies with time not lessens and the way she sets about seeking vengeance is truly remarkable. Never would one have thought Evie could be so sly, cunning and manipulative. The plans she weaves and the circumstances she brings about are riveting and horrifying in equal measure and her cool, calm and collected nature really belies how conniving and calculating she truly is. I don't think Evie is a character whom you are meant to fall in love with and root for all the way. I liked her as an older woman and I thought those scenes in the care home and the conversations she engages in with people who are questioning her upon the discovery of something best kept hidden were fantastically written. But in her earlier years working in Germany towards the end of the war and for several years following its conclusion well there was a totally different side to her where she became known as Eva and at times there I didn't like her and even more so when it became clear what she did.

Yet everything happens for a reason and she is spurred on to fight for the many injustices she has seen taken place but also there is something hidden even deeper that motivates her. This particular scene upon its revelation was difficult to read but I felt it was very much necessary to include it in the book as it helped me understand Eva even better. If Eva is ever to find peace in this life her mission needs to be fulfilled at whatever cost. One questions throughout and this is what would make this book a great selection for a book club is that can her actions when all the strands merge together ever be condoned? As a reader you go back and forth and your opinion is swayed more than once and in the end I remained firmly stuck in the middle torn between moral beliefs and obligations whilst thinking of a woman who was just so brutally affected and changed by one event.

Eva will go to any length to achieve her objective and all the plotting and planning is expertly revealed at just the right time. The line on the front cover says – you pay a terrible price for keeping a promise and this could not be more true the further you delve deeper into Eva's story. Eva's actions will prove divisive to many readers. Some are wrong, some are right but her agile and watchful mind has been playing a game for so many years that as she draws nearer to its conclusion she is maintaining a balancing act. She has carefully curated every strand of her life since the war and kept so many things close to her chest. Is she willing to reveal all and relinquish the control she always had over her carefully constructed life?

My Name is Eva is a haunting and brilliant read and a stand out book in the historical fiction genre. Some may find the going back and forth across the various timelines slightly confusing but I found it worked wonderfully and was written in such an ingenious way that you are constantly left wanting to read more of a particular time period as the time-line does not run concurrently. This is a cleverly constructed, well paced and plotted novel that strikes up many tones and perceptions of Eva depending on the point of her life that you are reading about. As for those crossword clues, well that angle was just brilliant and I'll say no more. The ending was simply sublime and it could not have ended in any other way. Suzane Goldring is definitely a real talent and I will certainly be looking out for more books from her in the future. My Name is Eva was an exceptional read with a main character you will not forget in a hurry.

A really fascinating read. Set today when Evelyn is in a care home and the years during and post WW2. Why when we know she is still sharp minded is she feigning memory loss? The story is told from letters written and then in her mind to her lost husband. We find Evelyn/Eva's background. A story of love, loss, revenge and bravery. I found the jumping to different years a little confusing sometimes but did not stop me enjoying this book. A great historical fiction.

I really enjoyed this book. A great war storyline. Evelyn is 90 and in a care home but remembers! I liked how the story jumped from time to time. It kept the story rolling nicely. Highly recommended read.

Amidst the heartache and devastation of World War II, Evelyn Taylor-Clarke makes a promise to her husband and to herself. Decades later, she keeps it.
By all appearances, Evelyn is just another nonagenarian, slowly fading into the shadows of dementia. No one knows or even suspects that her mind is as sharp as the pencils she keeps ever by her side . . . pencils she was trained to use for much more than crossword puzzles. When her niece uncovers a passport in another name, mysterious photographs, and a collection of guns, Evelyn must call upon her wartime training to keep hidden the secrets she has kept for so long.
Unfolding in split time, Evelyn’s—Eva’s—story alternates between the war years and present day and is interspersed with letters to her husband, giving a unique glimpse into her motives and motivations.
Suzanne Goldring introduces readers to the lesser-known aftermath of World War II in Germany, a time when perhaps everything wasn’t quite so black-and-white as we would like to believe. My Name Is Eva will challenge you to look past the gray hair and the wrinkles and wonder at the lives of those we too often so easily dismiss.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Evelyn might be 90 and in a care home but she knows exactly what's going on around her, despite appearing to have dementia. Her niece Pat, with whom she's never been close, cleans out her home and discovers a gun, blood stained clothes, photos and other things that are so alarming that she contacts the police. Good luck interviewing Evelyn! This moves back and forth and back in time over multiple years (it can be a tad distracting) to tell the story of a woman whose husband Hugh died and that death led her join the WWII war effort. This touches on some lesser known things from WWII and there are spots that are uncomfortable but that's the reality of the war. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. Evelyn aka Eva aka multiple other names is an interesting character.

This was a different WWII read for me it was a point of view after the the war ended with the fall of Germany in the hands of the Allies. The life story of Evelyn '' Eva"". The pathway she went through to seek revenge on the death of her husband Hugh at the hands of the Colonel.
She got her revenge finally. But, after being violated and becoming pregnant she knew she"d had to leave the child painful decision to make. She never saw her once she left Germany and the child never knew her.
Evelyn joined her husband,
I enjoyed this book but jumping around the years was not fun. I felt a bit lost sometimes. That is why I am giving this book a 3 1/2 stars,
I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and Suzanne Goldring for an early copy in exchange of an honest review.

You had me all the way to the end and I couldn’t wait to find out the ending which unfortunately at least to me was a terrible let down. This book is a very interesting story set during and in the aftermath of WWII. I have always enjoyed historical fiction and this was no exception.
There were a few ups and downs throughout but not enough to detract from the story.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Evelyn Tayor-Clark is well into her nineties, with a mind as sharp as it was 60 years ago but with a body that gets more brittle as every year passes. After a fall at home, Evelyn had broken her hip and had become a permanent resident at Forest Lawns Care Home. Evelyn's estate has been left in the hands of her niece Pat to sort out but this huge mansion set in its own grounds holds some deadly secrets.
Evelyn has had to lead a double life more than once in the past and now she takes on the role again. Evelyn plays the part of an old lady with dementia readying herself for questions that are bound to be asked but can't be answered. The story then jumps back to various timelines throughout her life both during the war years and her continuing service after the war ends too.
This is a huge love story for a man she was only with a very short time but a man that was the love of her life. I loved that she wrote to him, I loved that she sent her 'letters' through her thoughts when she had to and I loved that it felt he was still with her in so many ways. Most of all I liked that it portrayed some of the characters as being in the war for the glory not the good. The twisted ones, on both sides, that took too much pleasure interrogating their prisoners and the heartless sacrifices of men's lives they made.
Evelyn was a patient woman, cleverly planning and being a chameleon when she needed to be. What an amazing story and what terrible secrets she kept. I so felt for this lady who only had her special letters to be able to share her feelings with. I don't think I have ever felt like a character was so lonely surrounded by people as she was. Beautifully written I felt instantly connected to Evelyn. Very powerful! Loved this story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book, which I have reviewed honestly.

I received and e-arc of this book from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review of My Name is Eva.

I am rating this book 3 stars, there were parts I enjoyed and other parts that I rushed through to get done with.

I enjoyed reading about Eva’s work during the war and wish these parts of the story would’ve been told in greater detail. I also wanted to know more about Hugh. I loved the decision to have Evie’s letters to Hugh as part of the narrative, but I really was curious to know more about him and his role during the war.

Eva’s time in the nursing home was amusing at first, but then got a bit carried away in my opinion. I almost wanted her to be caught in her own game because I felt bad for all of the people she was toying with. Even though Pat probably deserved it, she was definitely not an enjoyable character.

Overall, 3 stars. Parts of this story were very well-done and interesting to read.

This book was a good historical novel that bounces back between wwii and 2016. It was interesting and I enjoyed it. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

My Name is Eva is a wonderful novel, detailing some of the lesser known female occupations during and following WW2.

Evelyn Taylor-Clarke is in her nineties, living out her last days deliberately getting crossword answers wrong at Forest Lawns Care Home, and observing those around her for her own entertainment and picking up tips on how to appear to others that she is losing the plot...

She is doing a marvellous job in convincing her fellow care home residents that she fits in perfectly with them and is starting to lose her memory. The care home staff and her close family members must believe the same if Eva is to keep her promise.

When Evelyn's niece Pat finds an old biscuit tin with some photographs in, Evelyn is forced to confront her past and some of the more difficult decisions that she was forced into making, due to the aftermath of the War.

Eva, as she was known back then, is grieving the loss of the husband when she is enlisted with the ATS, and later with their intelligence service. She is sent to Bad Nenndorf in post-war Germany to do important work.

But her motive for taking the role is purely personal - to avenge the death of her husband at the hands of Colonel Robinson. Eva has no specific plan, but she knows that she must act carefully and discreetly - as this is what she is employed to do, she sees no issue with this.

What she hasn't bargained for, is that the aftermath of a World War can be just as unpredictable as the actual War, and her life is changed forever after an unfortunate set of circumstances. Told from alternate time points of our main protagonist, My Name is Eva, does require an element of concentration - but it is worth it!

I must confess to looking up the forbidden village, Bad Nenndorf interrogation centre and Colonel Robinson (presumably based on Robin Stephens) as I wasn’t familiar with them, and I feel that this novel may have benefited from a brief description of this either at the beginning or the end, as it is truly fascinating stuff

This haunting story takes us back and forth through time to find out what secrets the elderly Evelyn Taylor-Clarke has kept hidden for so many years. Now in a care home, Mrs T-C’s niece discovers old photos in a suitcase whilst clearing out her house which could mean that the secrets that Mrs T-C has been hiding may about to be revealed.

I love World War II books, so jumped at the chance to read this one. This author is a new one to me, but I shall be keeping an eye out for more books by her in the future. I did initially wonder where this book was going though. Evelyn Taylor-Clarke (Mrs T-C to the care home staff) appeared to be faking how much she could remember about the past, when it was obvious that she was a sharp as a tack. The chapters were interspersed with letters from her to her late husband Hugh, who was tragically killed in the war. As the story moves you, it takes us through Mrs T-C’s past when she was known as Eva, working in a newly liberated Europe, vowing to revenge her husband’s early death.

I loved how Mrs T-C wasn’t necessarily the sweet grey haired old woman that she comes across as! I certainly didn’t expect her story to end up as it did though! Her story was a difficult and sad one to read, knowing that whilst this is a work of fiction these atrocities really did happen and women like Mrs T-C did actually go through these things. Mrs T-C was a very clever lady who was obviously feigning dementia for some reason and whilst I tried to work it out as I read, it’s not until much later in the story that it all becomes apparent.

This was a completely different book to what I thought it was going to be. Other WWII books that I have read focus on the people left behind at home and the camaraderie between them to help them get through those war years. This story however, was focussed mainly on Mrs T-C, on what she experienced and how it affected her whole life right through to her being an old lady. It made me cry at so many points throughout the book, and shamefully, made me thankful that I didn’t have to go through anything like Mrs T-C did!

The story twists and turns throughout time and provides us with a different view than what other wartime books do. Beginning as a bit of a slow starter, this book certainly turns up the suspense and mystery as the story moves on. It left me completely hooked and towards the end I just couldn’t put the book down! Would definitely recommend.

I absolutely loved this book! This is really different from the usual WWII Historical Fiction books that I love to read. The story starts out with Evelyn Taylor-Clark who is in her 90s and in an assisted living facility being visited by her Power of Attorney niece, Pat. Pat is in the process of disposing Evelyn's possessions and comes across some pictures in a biscuit container that she does not recognize. Evelyn seems to have dementia, or does she??? The book proceeds in a then and now format where it takes us back to Evelyn's early life when she is married to Hugh who is in the service in 1939. There are lots of twists and turns in this truly fascinating book and it definitely is a page turner. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this great book that I highly recommend to anyone who loves Historical Fiction.