Sisterhood and Resilience in WW2: A Review of If I Were You
About the Book
From bestselling and eight-time Christy Award–winning author Lynn Austin comes a remarkable novel of sisterhood, self-discovery, and romance set against the backdrop of WW2.
1950. In the wake of the war, Audrey Clarkson leaves her manor house in England for a fresh start in America with her young son. As a widowed war bride, Audrey needs the support of her American in-laws, whom she has never met. But she arrives to find that her longtime friend Eve Dawson has been impersonating her for the past four years. Unraveling this deception will force Audrey and Eve’s secrets―and the complicated history of their friendship―to the surface.
1940. Eve and Audrey have been as different as two friends can be since the day they met at Wellingford Hall, where Eve’s mother served as a lady’s maid for Audrey’s mother. As young women, those differences become a polarizing force . . . until a greater threat―Nazi invasion―reunites them. With London facing relentless bombardment, Audrey and Eve join the fight as ambulance drivers, battling constant danger together. An American stationed in England brings dreams of a brighter future for Audrey, and the collapse of the class system gives Eve hope for a future with Audrey’s brother. But in the wake of devastating loss, both women must make life-altering decisions that will set in motion a web of lies and push them both to the breaking point long after the last bomb has fallen.
This sweeping story transports readers to one of the most challenging eras of history to explore the deep, abiding power of faith and friendship to overcome more than we ever thought possible.
My Thoughts
I have been reading Lynn Austin’s books for over 20 years now, and she never ceases to amaze me with each new novel. Her ability to weave a story that has me glued to every page is unlike few other authors in the Christian fiction genre.
If I Were You was yet another foray by this author into the history of World War II, this time from London. I’m ashamed to say that I think this may have been the first time I’ve read WWII book set in England, and I gained a whole new perspective that I didn’t expect. From the opening chapters, I was immersed into the panic and dread of the constant bombings during the Blitz, as well as the regular occupation of the underground bomb shelters with their close quarters and fear that regularly hung in the air.
In the midst of this horror and tragedy were the two stories of Eve and Audrey. These two girls could not have been more different, but life kept allowing their paths to cross. I was struck by the way that both girls wished that their life was like the other, longing for things that were always out of reach. It took many years of maturing for them to realize that what they’d been given independently was worth more than they’d realized. Their journeys were not without grief and heartache, both personally and occupationally because of their efforts during the war.
I mistakenly read the follow up novella to this book – The Wish Book Christmas – before knowing that it should have been read after If I Were You, so I had a tiny inkling of how Eve’s and Audrey’s stories would end up. In spite of that, my journey through If I Were You is not one I’ll soon forget, and I’m eager to read Lynn Austin’s next novel from this era in history.
5 Stars
**I have a couple of ideas in mind for designs from this book! They’re not based on any particular passage, but on themes throughout the entire story. Stay tuned!
