Member Reviews
Thanks to @Netgalley and @Bookouture for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
It's 1940 and Bramble Heath is a small village shaken nightly by Nazi bombs because of the location of the local airbase, and Annie worries nightly about the people of their village and their safety. Annie is the village nurse and midwife, so it's logical that if someone needs a safe place to leave a baby, they leave it with her. But Annie knows that since whoever left the baby left their ration book with her, they are in a desperate situation.
So with the help of her friends and neighbors, Annie begins to try and piece together the clues in an effort to reunite this child and her mother. But when social services steps in and forces her to accelerate her timeline, Annie has to really press forward to find the best solution for everyone.
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I really enjoy a WWII Homefront book and this one did not disappoint. It is layered beyond the story of the ration book baby with romance and family drama and community pride.
A theme of this book is the goodness of people beyond status or clout or looks. It's about how you navigate through life based on your principles. I really enjoyed the angst of this novel feeling earned as they moved through loss of people, hope, and security to find what life had to offer them on the other side of grief.
If you enjoy a WWII Homefront novel that ends in a tidy bow, you'll want to check this one out.
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Content Note: War violence (bombings), medical content, burns, child abandonment, prejudice
A beautifully written story of an abandoned baby set during WWII an excellent read. I cried quite a bit!
What a incredible story! Historical fiction and it's addictive, I was so hooked that I stayed up late into the night reading. The questions running through my mind were who is the baby's mother and will she be found?
The Ration Book Baby is an amazing work of art! I could not put this book down! Ellie Curzon did a wonderful job is sharing a story set during WWII and the British participation in the war effort, and her story was full of hope, excitement, action and romance. This books has it all! The main character in the story, Annie, is a nurse who has an integral role in providing care not only for the airman at a nearby base, but also the town residents and the refugee's who are living there. Within her care as a nurse, she comes upon a surprise gift on her doorstep, and the journey with this gift throughout the novel brings you to tears and joy! The camaraderie of the men and women who fought the enemy in WWII was very uplifting and encouraging to see them all working together, without being caught up in the divisiveness of "differences" among them. I am really looking forward to reading more about Annie and her journey, as well as her family, her beau, and her friends in Bramble Heath Village. You will not want to put this book down! Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC copy of this book for my honest review.
The Ration Book Baby is the latest heartwarming historical fiction novel from Ellie Curzon. It is a fantastic historical mystery and the first instalment of the new series ‘A Village At War’.
The structure of the story, with it’s short and snappy paragraphs and good pacing, meant that it was a very easy read. Although there are some tougher aspects to the plot (such as William’s recovery from his burn injuries and the xenophobia experienced by the Polish refugees living in the village from some of the villagers), as much of the plot focuses on the mystery of the baby’s mother it is a much more light-hearted read than many other World War Two historical fiction works which was really refreshing.
I absolutely love the setting of Bramble Heath and all of the wonderful inhabitants. Seeing the whole village rally together to support the baby and the family caring for her was truly heartwarming and I’m so delighted that the village is going to be the focus of a new series.
Annie was a fantastic protagonist. She was selfless, determined and caring, with a complete heart of gold and it was lovely to follow her role as a nurse caring both for her community and some of the men on the local airbase. I also really enjoyed the friends to lovers romance between her and William. Although largely predictable, it added a really lovely aspect to the story and I look forward to catching up with them in the next book.
At the centre of the story is the mystery surrounding who the baby’s mother is. Whilst being mindful of trying to avoid completely spoiling such a major plot point for future readers, I did feel like the reveal of the mother’s identity was quite anticlimactic. It would have been good for there to have been a few more mentions of her prior to the reveal which could have provided further clues pointing towards her being the baby’s mother.
My favourite aspect to the plot was the exploration of Archibald McIndoe’s pioneering work improving the treatment and rehabilitation of badly burned aircrew during the war. This was truly fascinating and I do hope we see more of his work in the future books. I also loved meeting the Polish community living in a hamlet within the village. The discrimination they faced was dealt with very well within the story and I hope we hear more from them and their stories within the rest of the series.
Overall, The Ration Book Baby is a heartwarming and easy read for fans of historical fiction. I’m excited to see where Ellie Curzon takes the rest of the series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I have posted an extended review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk and the post is linked.
I loved this book so much! Little Clara's story made my heart happy and it was wonderfully written. What a great book to see a community come together to support one another. A must read!
What a lovely book - full of realism and demonstrated (without excessive or gory detail) what life was like for ordinary people - and airmen - during the war. I really enjoyed all the characters, even annoying Jamie, and was able to keep up with who’s who despite a large cast. The international angle provided some colour and context too. Overall a good read. 4*
***** I have received and read an e - ARC from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****
I’m normally not a historical fiction reader, but the synopsis for this book drew me in.
While the story fell a little flat and monotonous at times, overall the book kept me reading until I had finished it in one sitting (unusual for me these days).
The characters are well written and the community coming together are all believable and the story doesn’t feel forced in any way.
I unfortunately did not have time to read it but will buy it and read it then. So I will base my stars on the reviews that I read and they seem really great.
1940, Nurse Annie Russell finds a baby on her doorstep one night. She is keen to reunite the infant with its mother but who could it be? Her family resolve to care for the child until the mother can be found but there isn't much time before social services will take the baby for adoption...
The Ration Book Baby is an historical novel set in the Englsih countryside during WW2.
Annie Russell and her parents are at the heart of their community so a desperate mother knows she can leave her baby safely with them. Annie is keen to find the mother to check on her welfare and support her. She has a few clues to work on but isn't sure if it could be a local woman or someone from the Polish refugee network.
Annie's search is supported by her parents and other locals but it is her friendship with Wing Commander Chambers from the local air base that ads another dimension to the plot. I had my fingers crossed that the pair would fall in love but when he mentions he is engaged I thought my hopes were dashed!
There is a lot of emotion in this book from the baby plot thread as we hope for a happy reunion between mother and child. The village celebrates the successes of the airmen whilst also mourning the terrible injuries and deaths. Not everyone is accepting of the Polish refugees and I liked that the author didn't shy away from including unpleasant aspects.
I felt that the historical elements of the book gave an authentic basis for the plot and was fully immersed in the past and plot. The language and dialogue also supported the historical setting and the social conventions of the era.
The Ration Book Baby is an enjoyable, emotional, and warmly toned historical novel.
Thanks to the publisher for this ARC
I adore Saga books, especially WW2 and this is one of the best I’ve read,
It has everything a historical fiction lover enjoys and I can’t wait to die the second book in the series
A World War II historical fiction that was the perfect length and another book I just couldn't put down once I got started. This is the story of a baby left in a box with a ration book and how nurse Annie Russell endeavours to do the right thing by the child and the mother who left the child behind.
This is a very intense read and is so well written it just feels so real and as if you are on this journey through a terrible war trying to find the parents of this poor child that was left behind. I love how the community and everyone pulls together for the good of not only the child but all those who come to care for her.
Apparently this is the first in the series and now I can't wait to see what comes next. Loved this book.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC and ALCs of this book.
This book gave me all the feels. From the very beginning I needed to know what was going to happen to baby Clara. Clara’s mother couldn’t have picked a better family to leave her daughter with than the Russells. Annie is determined to find her regardless of her circumstances.
Throw in a little romance. Nurse Annie makes house calls (the perfect way to ask people about Clara’s mother) and helps at the air base by treating the pilots. She easily develops feelings for Wing Commander Will Chambers, even though he’s engaged to be married. Her and Will team up to find as many answers as they can about Clara’s parents.
The Ration Book Baby by Ellie Curzon is a historical fiction set in the 1940s in a small England village known as Bramble Heath. Bramble Heath, though small, was a very important place due to the airfield and the Polish immigrants who are also pilots.
Annie and her family are in an integral part of this community because Annie is a nurse, her dad is a constable, and her mom is a retired midwife. Annie, one day, suddenly finds a newborn on their stoop in a hat box and a ration book. No one knows who the baby's mother is. The whole community comes together to solve this mystery. There are multiple stories and layers in this book. There's Annie's story woven, too, in this story.
This book is like fuzzy just baked warm chocolate chip cookie. It wraps around your heart, and there are so many feelings coming up after the last chapter is done. Though World War II is the base of the book, the story is more about the community spirit and community stories. I loved every part of the book. I will be looking forward to reading more stories from this series.
Thank you, @bookouture and @netgalley , for this book. All the opinions are my own.
This is the first in a new series about war torn Britain and a newborn baby being left on the doorstep of the village nurse.. This lovely historical saga is going become a great series and will make for a great read. Well worth 5 stars and a good read from the very first page.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC
The Ration Book Baby is the first in the Village at War series by Curzon. Throughout the book there are two threads that seamlessly weave themselves together. The first obviously is the hatbox baby that Annie finds abandoned on her doorstep. Where is the mother, is she well? And who is the father? The other thread is Annie tending to Wing Commander William Chambers when she sees his parachute amid the wreckage of the burning spitfire.
Historical fiction is always a firm favourite with me and The Ration Book Baby didn't disappoint. The story is well written, heartwarming and has some wonderful characters.
I really enjoyed book one and can't wait for the second in this promising series.
Reading a historical fiction book is always a delight & The Ration Book Baby was truly a delight to read. Author Ellie Curzon writing was simple & easy to read, which made this book a quick read. The story was simple, sweet yet heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time.
The main character Annie was a delight to know and she budding friendship with commander William Chambers was very interesting. The baby in this story only brought on more happiness to this story.
Overall, a simple and easy read if you love historical fiction.
Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and the Author for this ARC
This is a good historical fiction, poignant and well written. It moved me and kept me turning pages.
Anne is a great characters and I liked the historical background and the setting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
This is the first book in a brand new series by Ellie Curzon and what a wonderful start it was. Historical Fiction saga is one of my favourite genres and I took this one completely to my heart from the very beginning . An abandoned new born baby and also the horrors of war is what this book is about . It’s an easy but at the same time a read you won’t want to put down . This book brought a tear to my eyes at time . Considering this is the first book in a new series the author has written some wonderful characters and I have no doubt these characters will be developed even more as this series progresses . 4⭐️
A lovely story, set during world war II which highlights some of the lesser known elements of war. A very well written book from 2 authors! I thought the characters were great and loved the community setting and the banding together to unite everyone. It is one of the few stories set in this time which doesn't have a lot of violence or horrendous imagery involved, nor is it in the thick of the war. It tells the story of what a further out community would be going through.
Thanks to Netgalley and the authors and publishers for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review