January book club - Crooked Heart

A gem of a book - humorous and heartwarming. A joy to read. Lissa is a wonderful writer and I shall definitely be reading more of her novels.

A great read,thank you Gransnet.
A real mixture of emotions. It was well written holding my full attention to the last chapter.I particularly liked the mixture of characters. Would recommend it to other book lovers.

I admired the way that the two main characters, Vee and Noel found in each other something that the other needed. Vee had a need to nurture and Noel was in dire need of that, after being left all alone in the world. It would have been interesting to know about his parentage and how Mattie became his Godmother and sole carer. Did Lissa deliberately leave that out?

This was a real page-turner, well researched and informative about the home front.

I have just finished reading this novel and really enjoyed it. It is unusual to find a novel about the Second World War and the blitz having so much humour at the heart of it. The precocious evacuee, Noel, was most engaging - in fact he reminded me of several young boys I used to teach at a Grammar School - oozing language and ideas, full of life. His relationship with Vee at the core of the novel was unusual, but strangely credible. I particularly liked some of the earlier sections of the novel when he was with the eccentric Mattie, another character I found fascinating - in fact I wondered if there was a prequel to the novel about this pair and how they came to be together. The way he coped with her dementia was very moving.
I felt that the style of writing was wonderful, perfectly evoking the period in which it was set. Images such as the one when Noel runs out of books to read and the time 'stretched like knicker elastic' or the sky being 'the colour of cold cocoa' - a stunning visual image which perfectly conjured up the sky before a storm. Such wonderful observations.
I wonder if Lissa Evans knew anyone like Mattie or Vee - or Noel?
There were also interesting moral dilemmas underpinning the novel, involving Noel and Vee's 'collection tins' and the warden stealing possessions from Mrs Gifford - another fascinating character. Moral compass spinning in all directions here.
The only criticism I have is that the relationship between Donald and Hilde didn't quite ring true - these seemed to be caricatures rather than characters, but did not detract from what is a superb novel.
Thank you for enticing me to read it. I hadn't heard of Lissa Evans, but will certainly try some of her other novels. A very talented writer.
I'm going off to make a 'glad moment' cake now -what a wonderful idea!

I usually avoid novels based on WW2,(apart from Life After Life by Kate Atkinson which I love), but this is a lovely ,entertaining book.
It was made extra interesting for me, as we live fairly near St Albans, and I read about Vee and Noel's exploits in Harpenden, Bricket Wood and Watford.
I was curious as to what happened to Noel's parents, that he had to live in Hampstead with Mattie. Did it mention that in the story?
I didn't realise there were evacuees in St Albans, as I know that some bombs were dropped on the railways sidings there, and Hatfield was bombed quite heavily because of the DeHavilland factory.
I shall now read the author's other books.

Absolutely loved this book, I do hope that there`s a sequel, and I`ll be keeping an eye open for more of Lissa`s books in the future

Thank you so much for my copy of this lovely book.
Vee and Noel are from totally different backgrounds but are thrown together by war. The story follows their time together and is realistically told and often darkly humorus.
A joy to read.

Great to receive a copy of this book. It was not the type of book I would normally choose, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!!! It was so refreshingly different!!!

I, too, thoroughly enjoyed this book, read it cover to cover, not even glimpsing the end to see what happens. Definitely worth a sequel, I think.

Thank you for the book.

I absolutely loved this book.

My MIL took evacuees (an Irish Catholic family of six - with very different ways!- they were from Poplar in east London I think) and she really struggled with having complete strangers in the house. Her best friend's daughter married an evacuee some years later, who she'd first met at the village school.

It's a very evocative story; I'm passing it on to my 89 year old mum who lived through the Bath blitz as a young teenager. She's often talked about the children she knew who were evacueed from Bath (her father refused to let her and her brother go).

I am absolutely loving this book ! Thank you so much for a great read. It isn't often that you read a book and like all of the characters. I just cannot put this book down.

An absorbing read, that covers many emotions. One was drawn in and hated to leave! As with many other GNs I read it through without cheating! I am looking for more of her books now and hope for a similar reaction to GN!

Senior Moment !!!

I received my free copy of Crooked Heart recently and couldn't think for the life of me why I had received it. I asked my DS who is also a Penguin Author if he had organised it to be sent and he said No.

I realise now I applied for a copy through this thread of Gransnet, never thinking I would receive one.

So many thanks I look forward to reading what looks like an excellent book.

Enjoying it very much not finished yet tho

Can someone please tell me when to look out for the February book? I was lucky enough to get the December one but didn't see any notice to apply for the January one. Thanks!

I loved Crooked Heart, thank you for choosing the book and for introducing me to an author that I have never read before. Lissa Jewell has created believable main characters who were real, vulnerable and resiliant in there unusual domestic situations. The context of the second World War and the Blitz brought the two main characters together and it provided a very interesting and informative picture of how difficult life was at that time.
Where did Lissa do most of her research and where did the idea of two such contrasting characters come from?

I don't want to spoil the book for those not finished but it was gripping
and i felt the storyline was throughly enjoyable.Will look out for this author.

So enjoyed Lissa's book. Was brought up during WW2 but lived in the Midlands, my grandparents had 2 evacuees from London, boys , I'm ashamed to say I did not take much notice of them- thought they talked funny!
The detail of life during the war is spot on, things I had forgotten- lighting grill to toast bread and eating dripping with black bits at bottom of basin!
Will look out for Lissa' s previous book and subsequent ones!
Thank you Gransnet for introducing me to authors I may not have read.

I really enjoyed reading this book, although it too left me wondering a lot about Noel's past life before Mattie and his future with Vera, also of Donald and Hilde. I too hope there will be a sequel and shall be looking out for other Lissa Evans books.

Thank you CariGN!

Love the book very believable characters. Almost finished reading it, wish it was longer as I want to know what happens in the rest of their lives. Thank you for recommending Crooked Heart.

Finished this book a few days ago, I really enjoyed it . I am now feeling almost bereaved .

I thoroughly enjoyed Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans. Thankyou for sending me it. The 2 main characters Noel and Vera should never even have met, let alone get on well and indeed grow fond of one another. Their story is gently funny. The granny's letters to important figures of the day were hilarious and the other characters all had their interesting parts to play. It is the only book that my daughter (who reads books for a living) has accepted from me. I look forward to her opinion. Well done Lissa Evans.

Tank you agan for the "Crooked Heart" , I have now finished reading it and thorougly enjoyed it. Loved how the two main characters met and over time grew fond of each other. What was the reason for the title "Crooked Heart"?

The Crooked Heart rates alongside Goodnight Mr. Tom for a heartwarming story about the trials faced by evacuees. Noel, so wise beyond his years, deserved a happy ending so I'd like to think he found it with Vee despite her chaotic life.

Thanks for a great read.