Tag: WW2

#BlogTour #BookReview Ike and Kay by James MacManus @Duckbooks

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I’m delighted to be hosting the first stop on the blog tour for Ike and Kay by James MacManus alongside my tour buddy, Stephanie at Steph’s Book Blog. Thanks to Chaam at Duckworth Books for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my review copy.

I hope you enjoy reading my review of Ike and Kay. Do look out for more reviews by the fabulous book bloggers also hosting stops on the tour.

Ike and KayAbout the Book

It is 1942 and war-battered London plays host to the imposing figure of General Ike Eisenhower on a vital mission for the US army. Kay Summersby, an ambulance driver who survived the horrors of the Blitz, is chosen to be his aide, a role that will change her life forever.

Charmed by Ike’s affable and disarming nature so different from the stiffness of British military convention she accompanies him during the North African campaign against Rommel and the war in Europe against Nazi Germany. Amid the carnage a secret affair unfolds between the General and Kay but rumours of Ike’s infidelity reach across the ocean to Washington – and worse yet, to his wife. In a time where scandal and war threaten to break them apart, can Ike and Kay hold on to their love?

Format: Paperback, e-book (352 pp.)    Publisher: Duckworth
Published: 8th March 2018     Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Hive
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Ike and Kay on Goodreads

My Review

Ike and Kay is a fictionalized account of the real life relationship between General Dwight Eisenhower and Kay Summersby.

Thanks to the author’s insightful portrayal, I could well understand how Kay, assigned to be his driver, might be attracted to the intelligent and charming Eisenhower (whom she refers to from early on as ‘her’ general). The reader witnesses the gradual development of their relationship from mutual regard to easy familiarity (smiles exchanged in the rear-view mirror) to something more, helped along by a box of chocolates, an unexpected invitation to dinner and a puppy. Soon Kay is part of Eisenhower’s wartime ‘family’, a small group of his closest aides, and rubbing shoulders with figures such as Roosevelt and Churchill.

The way their relationship was portrayed felt utterly realistic: the highs and lows, doubts and fears, promises made and broken, hopes raised and then dashed. I found myself rooting for Kay – more in hope than expectation – at the same time wishing she had taken more heed of her friend Charlotte’s wise if down to earth advice.

As depicted by the author, Eisenhower’s superiors initially tolerate the obvious growing closeness between the pair because of his vital role in directing the Allied offensive. ‘Keep the general happy’ becomes the watchword. Yet once the war is over the relationship becomes an embarrassment – not least of which because Eisenhower is a married man – something to be airbrushed (in one case, quite literally) from history.

The book also contains some fascinating detail about the preparations for the Allied invasion of Europe and some particularly poignant and moving descriptions of D-Day. Kay recalls the eve of D-Day as ‘a series of jumbled images’.

‘The sun setting in a paint box of colours that evening, broad brush strokes of red, orange and purple. Faces of the paratroops blackened with charcoal and cocoa. The ghostly features of Eisenhower moving among these men in darkness, shaking hands, accepting whispered messages to loved ones… Camouflaged troops, silky shadows in the darkness, their voices those of the night… Wingtips flashing white lights as the aircraft took off and climbed to join the armada above. The sparkle of distant stars in a crowded sky.’

Ike and Kay is both an intimate, affecting story of a wartime romance but also a fascinating insight into the burden borne by those in positions of power during wartime. Why not make it one of your ‘Summer Reads’.

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In three words: Fascinating, intimate, absorbing

Try something similar:  The General’s Women by Susan Wittig Albert

MacManusAbout the Author

James MacManus is the managing director of The Times Literary Supplement. After studying at St Andrews University he began his career in journalism at the Daily Express in Manchester. Joining The Guardian in 1972, he later became Paris, and then Africa and Middle East Correspondent. He is the author of several novels including On the Broken Shore, Black Venus, Sleep in Peace Tonight and Midnight in Berlin. James MacManus has three children and lives in Dulwich, London.

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Blog Tour/Book Review: Monopoli Blues by Tim Clark & Nick Cook

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Monopoli Blues BT Poster

I’m delighted to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for  Monopoli Blues by Tim Clark & Nick Cook which recounts a son’s journey to uncover the story of his parents service in war-time special forces.  Thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to participate and to Unbound for my review copy.

Watch the trailer for Monopoli Blues here

Praise for Monopoli Blues:

‘Lucidly written, deeply researched and extremely well-structured … a remarkable act of imagination and filial homage’ William Boyd, New Statesman

‘Powerful … this is the reality of war behind the headlines’ Jonathan Dimbleby

‘A gripping tale of wartime exploits, an unlikely love story, and a son’s journey to discover his father’s secret war’ Joshua Levine, author of Dunkirk

Monopoli BluesAbout the Book

In November 1944, Sub Lt Bob Clark, a twenty-year old agent with Britain’s top-secret Special Operations Executive, parachuted into northern Italy.

He left behind the girl he had fallen in love with, Marjorie, his radio operator. Captured by the enemy, Bob’s fate hangs in the balance and Marjorie won’t know for six months whether he is alive or dead…

Monopoli Blues recounts the story of Tim Clark’s journey to uncover the story of his parents’ war – and the truth behind the betrayal of his father’s Clarion mission to the Nazis.

Format: Paperback (288 pp.)    Publisher: Unbound
Published: 13th June 2019  Genre: History, Non-Fiction

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com  ǀ Hive.co.uk (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Monopoli Blues on Goodreads

My Review

The book is clearly the product of painstaking research involving the piecing together of facts from a myriad of sources: contemporary accounts, personal interviews, archive records and historical works. And an unexpected treasure trove that provides a touching insight into the relationship between Tim Clark’s mother and father. I found the accounts of the trips made by Tim in an effort to recreate his father’s journeys particularly compelling.

Along the way, there are portraits of remarkable and colourful characters who served with the SOE; singular individuals whose former experiences ranged from big-game fishing, managing a rubber plantation manager or competing as a world-class athlete. Often the success of operations seems to have been determined by nothing more than charm, ingenuity and bravado – along with, of course, remarkable courage. There’s also fascinating information about the setting up of the SOE and the training of its operatives.

The authors create a compelling picture of the contrast between periods of boredom whilst waiting for operations to commence and intense moments of danger once they’d begun. Often these took place under cover of darkness never very far from the possibility of running into enemy troops and with dire consequences if captured. Not to mention the very chaotic situation they often found on the ground with rival factions of partisans competing for supplies. And one can’t forget the information vacuum endured by those waiting for news of their loved ones.

Monopoli Blues is a touching portrait of a loving relationship, a compelling account of wartime bravery and a fitting commemoration of, as Paddy Ashdown writes in his foreword to the book, ‘perfectly ordinary people’ who did extraordinary things. In its detailed account of SOE operations in Italy the book makes fascinating reading for anyone with an interest in military history and the events of WW2. However, the personal nature of the story makes it accessible to anyone.

I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, Unbound, and Random Things Tours.

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In three words: Painstakingly-researched, inspiring, compelling

Tim Clark and Nick CookAbout the Authors

Tim Clark spent a large part of his career working as a lawyer at one of the world’s leading firms specialising in M+A and corporate work in the UK and internationally, ultimately becoming Senior Partner. Since retiring as a lawyer, Tim has taken on board positions on a number of corporate, arts and charitable organisations, and senior advisory roles at a number of international think tanks.

Nick Cook is an author, journalist, broadcaster and entrepreneur. In 1986, he joined the world-renowned Jane’s Defence Weekly, initially as a reporter, rising quickly to become Aviation Editor, a position he held until 2005. His first novel, Angel, Archangel, was published in 1989 to critical acclaim. In 2001, Cook’s first non-fiction title, The Hunt For Zero Point, was published, reaching Number 1 in Amazon’s Non-Fiction charts. He has also written, hosted and produced two documentaries about the world of aerospace and defence – Billion Dollar Secret and an Alien History of Planet Earth . He lives and works with his wife and two children in London.