by Susan Meissner
4.13 of 5 stars
She stood at a crossroads, half-aware that her choice would send her down a path from which there could be no turning back. But instead of two choices, she saw only one—because it was all she really wanted to see…
Current day, Oxford, England. Young American scholar Kendra Van Zant, eager to pursue her vision of a perfect life, interviews Isabel McFarland just when the elderly woman is ready to give up secrets about the war that she has kept for decades...beginning with who she really is. What Kendra receives from Isabel is both a gift and a burden--one that will test her convictions and her heart.
1940s, England. As Hitler wages an unprecedented war against London’s civilian population, one million children are evacuated to foster homes in the rural countryside. But even as fifteen-year-old Emmy Downtree and her much younger sister Julia find refuge in a charming Cotswold cottage, Emmy’s burning ambition to return to the city and apprentice with a fashion designer pits her against Julia’s profound need for her sister’s presence. Acting at cross purposes just as the Luftwaffe rains down its terrible destruction, the sisters are cruelly separated, and their lives are transformed…
I fell in love with this book from the very beginning. A college student Kendra goes to Oxford, England to interview elderly artist Isabel McFarland. Isabel is ready to give up a secret she's been hiding for decades.
During WWII, Emmy Downtree, a fifteen year old girl with a dream of becoming a bridal gown designer, lives with her single mother and young her half-sister, Julia. Just as she's one step way from an apprenticeship with a fashion designer, she and her sister are evacuated to the countryside with an old lady Charlotte. Emmy, however, is not ready to throw away her chance of realizing her ambition. Coming back to London with her sister, Emmy is caught in the London Blitz and lost everything.
Characters:
Emmy is a perfect heroine, with dreams, spunk, and weaknesses. Her mother always says, "Wishing something doesn't make it come true," and Emmy's definitely not the wishing type; she comes out and grab her chances when they come her way. When Emmy takes Julia back to London, she's prepared to meet the wrath of her mother and the disappoint of Charlotte. That didn't stop her from chasing down her dream.
She's also a caring sister to Julia. Even though they have different fathers, Emmy treats Julia as her lil sister and even her daughter; their mother is more like an irresponsible elder sister to the two, and Emmy has to shoulder much of the responsibility of raising Julia. That's way when Emmy loses Julia she almost goes insane, because she believes it's her duty to look over Julia and she fails.
SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS SKIP DOWN TO THE RED LINE.
This story ultimately has happy ending, although I don't think it should. We all assume Julia is lost forever, but she's not. She reunites with Emmy through sheer chance, because they've changed both their names. Nevertheless, they spent some happy times together, and their story ends with no regrets.
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Emmy also has some street smarts when she steals the identity of her employer's long-deceased daughter, Isabel Crofton. That makes her a legal adult of 18 so that she can search for her sister at the volunteer places. Ultimately she seeks shelter at Charlotte's again, and stays until she marries a nice American reporter stationed in London.
Throughout the story Emmy grows from a half-responsible teenager to a young woman who's been through sorrow and loss. She finds out through a harrowing experience who her father is, as her mother never told her. She learns to open her heart again after all that devastation.
Emmy's mother, Annie Downtree, plays a decisive role in Emmy's choices. She became pregnant with Emmy when she's only sixteen, and this shaped Annie's life and prevented her from living the life she wanted; instead she is a maid in hotels and homes. In some ways she blames Emmy's birth, and Emmy spends her young life trying to make her mother proud. Annie loves a married, wealthy man who she can never have, and when she dies in a bombing she's with the man.
Charlotte is also my favorite character in this book. She's a widow living in Gloucestershire taking care of her younger sister Rose, who sustained from a brain injury and is forever in a five year old mindset. Charlotte takes in the Downtree sisters when they refused to be separated by the villagers who are taking in London refugee kids; she sees how Emmy stands up for herself against a couple who tries to take Julia. Charlotte is kind and non-pushy in the best ways, and she supports Emmy in her pursuit of art, buying her artist's supplies. The most touching part is when she hears Emmy is interested in bridal gowns, she takes out her wedding gown and let Emmy take it apart and do whatever she wants with it. She also gives Julia the best time ever when they're staying in her house: feeding chickens, letting her play with her old tea set and dolls.
Secrets of a Charmed Life is a book about family and dreams in a time when both are especially precious. It involves three generations of women who try to make the most of life when life is a living hell.
