Member Reviews
A wonderfully written story of a female reporter, Ruby Sutton, moving to London in 1940 to cover WWII. Through friendships, and loves, Ruby finds that war is indeed hell. A lovely historical read.
Thanks Net Galley for the ARC.
I love WW II historical fiction, and I love a good personal story. Jennifer Robson supplied both in Goodnight from London. Our protagonist, Ruby Sutton, was an orphan who lands a job as a beginning journalist at The American in New York. After six months, her boss calls her into his office. He tells Ruby he is sending her to London to write human interest stories about the war for Picture Weekly and to send a weekly story back to The American. She does have a glitch she needs to get over to go to London and this glitch might cause a problem later.
Ruby is met at the station by Captain Bennett who is a friend of her new boss, Walter Kaczmarek. They have dinner, and he delivers her to her new boss, Kaz. Ruby gets off to a good start, meets and likes almost all of her co-workers and gets to work. I thought the Blitz bombings in London were described very well, and Ruby does some very good human interest stories. All goes well until Ruby loses all of her belongings one night in the bombings including her passport. Bennett comes to the rescue and places her with the Tremaine family. Ruby needed a family to love, and they needed her. I loved watching the relationship grow with this family and Captain Bennett who has an elusive job that takes him away for different amounts of time.
This book marks off everything I like in a great book: Great historical fiction, a good love story, overcoming obstacles, a character you hate, and characters to love.
I really enjoyed this book that tells the story of an American woman journalist who travels to London during World War 2. The insights into the nightly bombings, food rationing, blackouts, and war times terrors were enlightening and interesting to read. I truly liked the heroine, Ruby, and was glad for the opportunity to read this book and learn her story.
This is a lovely book full of emotion, with great characters and a tender romance set in London during WWII. I enjoyed the writing and pacing of the story and felt invested in the characters, especially Ruby Sutton, an American journalist sent to London to report on the war. I was so absorbed by her story, her heartbreaking experience through the Blitz, and her growth as a character over the course of the war as she worked hard to establish herself professionally and to make a new home in London with a new love and a warm family of friends. I really liked this book and will definitely be reading more books from Jennifer Robson. Thank you very much to NetGalley and the Book Club Girls for this ARC.
This book grabbed me from page one, I couldn’t put it down. There are so many great books written about WWII and the London blitz and this one is one of my favorites. This is a story of a strong young journalist leaving her New York home to come to London in 1940 to report on the war.
I look forward to reading more Jennifer Robson's books.
I am a huge fan of Jennifer Robson and am always in the mood for a little wartime romance. Goodnight from London is a gripping story of survival and camaraderie set during the dark days of the London Blitz. Ruby Sutton is a lively and likable character, full of American optimism when she arrives in war-torn London on assignment. Robson vividly describes the looming threat of the Blitz in heartfelt detail, drawing the reader into the fear and apprehension felt by the characters. While romance plays its part in this story (because who doesn't love a dashing British officer?), it is the friendships Ruby develops that truly flesh out the story. Through the horror of nightly bombing raids, the staff at the newspaper develop the infamous Blitz Spirit that characterizes survivors of this period. This is a book to which I find myself returning to time and again when I want something gripping and uplifting to read. I'm already excited for my next rendezvous with Ruby.
I couldn’t book this book down. While I always love historical novels, this book managed to find the perfect balance between historical fiction and historical romance. The plot and writing style were so engaging and multi-faceted that I was hooked from the first page.
Jennifer Robson does a terrific job balancing the darkness of war with the enduring hope of humanity. This was a unique take on World War Two. The main focus was on Ruby Sutton, nan American journalist stationed in England for the majority of the war.
Highly recommend and have added all of Jennifer Robson’s books to my to be read immediately pile.
In 1940, American journalist, Ruby Sutton, is sent to London to be a staff writer for a weekly newsmagazine. She settles in quickly, writing about the war and making friends with colleagues (including a secretive man named Bennett). Then the nightly Blitzes begin and she must be brave and remain objective, even after losing everything.
After reading and enjoying the author’s other novel, The Gown, I was looking forward to reading this one. This historical love story grabbed me immediately with its strong, courageous female characters. It was an easy, quick read. Thanks to the Book Club Girls and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.
This was a very enjoyable book. It was obvious that the author had done a lot of background research and I thought it added a great deal to the story. It’s remarkable what the people of London went through during the blitz.
Goodnight from London does an amazing job of engulfing the reader in the atmosphere of WWII London/England, as well as bring you into the hectic and time-crunched environment of a newsroom. It provides a delightful read that spans the gamut of emotions, but always leaves you feeling good.
I loved the characters. Each one added something to the story and let you feel what they were living. Whether it was the good times or the horror of the Blitz. The night after night bombardment that shattered nerves and caused sleep deprivation as well as caused massive deaths, destruction, and devastation was palpable. When the characters were hungry, you knew it, and you could share what little they had to eat. I adored Vanessa for the familial love she created for all who were lucky enough to enter her sphere.
This is a wartime romance where everyone is in jeopardy. It covers love, loss, friendship, family that you make, betrayal, danger, and risk. The romance simmers for most of the book, but toward the very end, the reader is rewarded for their patience. I found one of the best love letters I’ve ever seen in this book.
It’s not just a romance, however. It’s a book of friendship and how it makes like worth living even in the bleakest of times. For Ruby, friendship after a life raised in a dismal orphanage is worth every minute of danger.
The writing of this book was wonderful. It was easy to read and help my interest. I never felt that it bogged down at all. It moved cleanly and clearly from one situation to another and melded them into a cohesive whole. I highly recommend this book.
I loved this book! I really liked reading about London and I thought all of the characters were really likable. I had just read The Gown and I was excited to see some of the same characters show up.
Goodnight From London by Jennifer Robson is a book about a young, female American reporter in London for most of World War II. In many ways it is totally authentic but probably not as bad as it really was during that time. She glosses over 57 straight nights of the Blitz, but it is there. She falls in love and then loses track of her lover, several times. She meets people. She gets in trouble with the authorities, possibly accused of being a spy. It is really a rather charming book. Not full of misery, but not exempt from it either. It is not your typical WWII book, which are largely Holocaust stories. There was misery everywhere in Europe during this time.
Ruby was a really interesting character that was an orphan, worked for years while putting herself through secretarial school at night, lies on her application, but was fearless in living her life. She was friendly and open although there were people she didn't like. She saw and reported the bravery and goodwill of the English people. She felt deeply for her friends and was always there to assist them whenever they needed her. This was pretty much a slice-of-life story, about the four plus years of the war. Many people came through Ruby's life, famous and not so famous. It was a little bit of history that didn't shy away from the truth but didn't glorify the violence, either. I totally recommend this lovely novel.
I was invited to read a free ARC of Goodnight From London by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #goodnightfromlondon
Another story about WWII, but told from the point of view of a woman American journalist posted in London. The author does a good job of describing the horrors of the blitz on the citizens and the traumas of war. The overall theme is how the British people carried on with their lives after suffering devastating losses.
Goodnight from London tells the story of Ruby Sutton, an American journalist with a secret past who goes to London in 1940 to cover the war. This well-researched novel provides heartbreaking, realistic descriptions of the destruction of the London Blitz. Ruby loses all of her possessions in the bombing, but goes to live with a family who become her close friends. She struggles at work with men who resent her competence because she is a woman. She overcomes adversity to become strong and confident. She also falls in love with the mysterious British officer, Captain Bennett. The novel follows the whole course of the war, and by the end all secrets are revealed. This work is highly recommended for readers of historical novels who enjoy the exploits of strong women.
Leaving her job in the United States to work as an associate in London at a small paper, Ruby quickly settles in to her new life, making friends and finding “family” - something she had never known as an orphan growing up in New Jersey. Life as a female reporter isn’t easy by any stretch, but Ruby has a natural knack for talking to people and writing stories people look forward to reading.
As the war progresses, Ruby faces loss but also grows closer to others in the process. The bombings in London bring the war directly to her doorstep, and Ruby’s relationship with the mysterious Bennett adds to her angst in moments of uncertainty.
~~~
It did take me a bit to get through “Goodnight from London” - mainly because my only reading time was just before bed. Stories set in WW2 era are some of my favorites and this one offered a different perspective from that of a female journalist. The author has done some wonderful research as well that is included throughout Ruby’s tale.
There are some areas I feel the author could have explored the difficulty of being a female reporter more in depth, and at time the story seemed to jump and lag a bit since it takes place over five years, but overall a story of courage, determination, and the meaning of family.
I enjoyed this book. The only thing it missed was that the romance could have been played up a little more. Loved the strong female leads and the history entwined into the writing.
For lovers of historical fiction, this WWII era saga of a young woman's coming of age as an American reporter stationed in London is an epic read. The story's protagonist, Ruby Sutton, arrives in London for her new writing position at the onset of WWII. Ruby's journey as a reporter spans the relentless hardships Londoners endured during the Blitz and its destructive aftermath, the entry of Americans into the war effort after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, subsequent freeing of Paris, and finally, the celebrations that took place in London on V-Day. Wow! I learned so much about the war and the people of London's perseverance throughout the war. Interwoven into this wartime backdrop, is a love story that develops between Ruby and a mysterious, handsome soldier whose secretive position with the military often takes him on missions he cannot disclose. I would have liked to see more development of the love story in this book, but otherwise, it is a very well researched book and the author's telling of Ruby's story makes the reader believe we are sharing her experiences firsthand. Highly recommended!
I enjoyed reading this historical fiction novel. During WW2 Ruby is offered a chance to go to London and report on the war, the year is 1940. It covers the Blitz and finishes with the end of the war in the European theater. The author demonstrates the resilience of the British people. There is a romance interest running throughout the book.
Thanks to @bookclubgirl, NetGalley, and HarperCollins Publishers for this free digital copy in exchange for an honest review! :)
Rundown When Ruby Sutton, newer writer for The American is asked to go to London and work as a shared writer between The American and London's Picture Weekly, she jumps at the chance for an opportunity to go overseas and prove herself. It is the Spring of 1940, and England is at war with Germany and the Axis powers. When Ruby arrives in London, she is picked up by the handsome Captain Bennett, a good friend of Kaz, her new editor. This novel follows Ruby in London through the entirety of World War II, including the London Blitz--during which she makes cherished friends, a couple of enemies, and along with finding love, finds herself.
My Thoughts: I absolutely enjoyed this Goodnight From London. I found it to be a quick read, and once I was a few chapters in, I didn't want to put it down. I really liked Ruby's character: she is sincere, strong, kind, and nothing about her felt forced or unbelievable. Bennett is incredibly aloof, and while at times I found his reticence annoying, it all makes sense when you start to figure out his role in war affairs. None of the main supporting characters felt static or boring--I found them all to be endearing. The ending filled me with so many warm, fuzzy feelings that it stuck with me for the rest of the day and I actually went back and reread the ending because it is so sweet! It is also clear that Robson really did her research, which I loved.
Recommendation: If you love a historical fiction story (particularly one set in WWII), with a strong female character and a little bit of romance, I highly suggest this one. I'm definitely going to look up more of Robson's books now, and continue with the historical fiction road I have been on recently.
American journalist Ruby Sutton is a mystery! But a determined young journalist taking the opportunities that come her way and finds a love an family in the process.
A great story from a different point of view of the London Blitz. Just when you think you have read every story there is about WWII - another one comes along that captures your attention and imagination.