She wants to tell him how women that she loves seem to be dying like cut flowers.

from The Midnight News by Jo Baker

I was driven to turn pages! Atmospheric and moody, the tension of war and the agony of loss, the building paranoia, the evolution of love all told in fine writing, I couldn’t put this book down.

1940’s London during the Blitz is vividly brought to life, the horrible human tragedy, how some are spared while others are pulled piecemeal from the wreckage, various body parts laid in coffins. During the air raids, some settle in their kitchens, sipping tea, while others take refuge underground, or are caught outdoors, incendiary bombs bursting around them.

Charlotte’s beloved brother died in the war. She lives in a boarding house and works as a unskilled typist, estranged from her wealthy minister father and stepmother. Her best El friend is busy, and she tries to forge friendships at work.

One person brightens her day. A boy who comes to the park to feed the birds. It is illegal, but still he brings his crumbs to surreptitiously feed them. The boy has a limp, keeps his withered hand hidden. He notices Charlotte, taken by her beauty, and one day turns to find her sitting next to him on the park bench, talking to him.

When the Blitz begins, Charlotte faces a series of losses. First, the death of a school acquaintance. Then, Charlotte loses her oldest, best friend. The funeral is open casket, which puzzles her; if El died in an air raid, why was she so perfect? And last, her beloved godmother is found dead. In her grief, Charlotte hears their voices in her head, speaking to her.

Then, there is that gray man who keeps following her. Charlotte imagines he is killing those she loves. She turns to the boy, Tom, as the only one she can trust. She responds to his kind gentleness, his intelligence. His undertaker father and mother are proud that he earned a scholarship to university, but classes are delayed because of the war. Carlottee enlists his help in tracking down the truth of the death of El and her aunt. But someone doesn’t want her to discover the truth.

What happens to Charlotte is shocking, what she learns about her father and aunt’s activities disturbing, but with wonderful twists, she is saved and finds a home, love, and safety.

Believe the hype, this is a totalling engrossing book.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book. ( )

A detailed and very interesting account of life in London during the WWII bombings as seen through the eyes of Charlotte Richmond as she tries to live an independent life away from her privileged but overbearing family. Hints tell us that Charlotte has struggled with mental health and as the bombings escalate and friends of hers are dying, Charlotte becomes convinced that these deaths are somehow related to her. She is filled with grief and suspicion when in walks her family and they cart her off to “ Summer Fields”.
A good story that is well written and historically interesting. ( )

It’s 1940 in London and Hitler’s blitz has begun; the bombs are falling. Although Charlotte’s father is a man of means and power, Charlotte is estranged from her family and has chosen to live in a small lower-middle-class apartment by herself while working as a typist in a job as menial as her flat.

She’s mourning the one family member she was close to – a brother killed in France whom she thinks about every day.

Still, she is enjoying her independence and making her own way; she’s enjoying old friendships and making new ones.

Her unease increases when her best friend is killed in a raid – especially as the family is being less than forthright about how it happened and she finds out she died without a mark on her body. Shortly afterward, three other women Charlotte knows, including her beloved and quirky godmother, also die. Can someone be targeting the people around her? Is there more death than that what Hitler causes? She begins talking to the dead women in her mind … and also spots a mysterious man who seems to be tailing her.

There are lots of twists and turns. The reason she is estranged from her family is shocking and adds to the mystery of what exactly is happening.

This is a unique portrait of London during the Blitz, illustrating a mind under an unrelenting and seemingly never-ending stress. There are lots of twists and turns. 3.7 stars ( )

Twenty-year-old Charlotte Richmond, daughter of a high-ranking Minister, belongs to an affluent family but now lives on the other side of London, as a boarder (the reasons for which are revealed later in the novel). She mourns the loss of her brother, who died on the front and works as a typist in the Ministry of Information and spends her free time checking up on her friends and colleagues, though doing so is becoming increasingly difficult on account of restrictions imposed as the war rages on. She meets Tom Hawthorne, a young man she notices daily feeding the birds in the park, and befriends him. Tom, unable to serve on the front due to his physical limitations, works with his father in their family’s undertaking business and is waiting to start classes at the University to pursue higher education, which he believes will enable him to strike out on his own. The sudden deaths of people close to her raise Charlotte’s suspicions, and when she notices someone following her in the streets, Charlotte senses that there are sinister forces in play. But everyone around her doubts her suspicions and her sanity. Alone with her thoughts, dealing with her personal losses and the devastation all around, unable to determine whom to trust and dealing with the strained relationships with her family members, she struggles to keep it all together.

The author combines elements of historical fiction, drama and mystery into a masterfully woven narrative that touches upon themes of war and its psychological impact, mental health, love and survival and much more. The narrative is shared from the perspectives of Charlotte and Tom. Needless to say, this is a layered novel with complex characters and a complicated plotline, but at no point does it feel overwhelming. The narrative flows seamlessly and is perfectly paced to allow us to absorb the story as it progresses. The novel is set in WWII London during the Blitz, and the author employs vivid imagery to depict how the war impacted the lives of civilians trapped in war-torn London and how they tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy and survive the air raids, blackouts and bombings that have become a part of their daily lives. The author describes Charlotte’s state of mind, her self-doubt, uncertainty and her inner resolve with much depth and honesty. The suspense and psychological tension are palpable and I couldn’t wait to see how the story eventually played out. The author also sheds light on how mental health issues were perceived during the time, especially how easy it was for families to institutionalize women who were considered a “nuisance”. The mental health practices described in this novel are disturbing to read. I appreciate that the author chose to end the novel on a hopeful note and though a few aspects of the mystery remained somewhat unresolved, the ending does not feel abrupt or unrealistic in any way. Heartbreaking yet hopeful, insightful and thought-provoking, The Midnight News by Jo Baker is an exceptionally well-written novel that I would not hesitate to recommend to those interested in a story set in WWII England told from a unique perspective.

This is my first Jo Baker novel and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future. Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.


Connect with me!
Instagram
My Blog
The StoryGraph ( )

[Midnight News] is a highly enjoyable, though rather straight ahead and familiar, homefront WWII novel. The main character, Charlotte Richmond, is living in a small apartment in London and working for the war effort transcribing documents. When the Blitz begins, she starts losing her female friends. Four in a row die in bombings - though suspiciously. Charlotte also begins to feel she's being followed. Slowly her background is revealed, including that her family had her committed to an insane asylum in the recent past for promiscuity. As her friends die, she begins hearing their voices in her head and believes less and less that their deaths were simply a result of the Blitz. While this is happening, Charlotte also begins developing a relationship with a young man with a physical disability. It's clear that if they develop a relationship, he will be a grounding, steady force in her life.

This is a plot-driven novel that clips along enjoyably. Charlotte is an interesting and engaging main character. I had fun reading this, but I didn't get some of the compelling themes and insights that I look for in Jo Baker's novels. I also thought the conclusion was wrapped up a little too neatly and quickly.

In the afterward, she credited her reading of [[Elizabeth Bowen]] to the ideas behind this novel. That got me a little more interested again and I felt I could see what she was trying to do. But despite having read several Bowen novels, I didn't make that connection on my own.

I think most people will enjoy this novel, but I don't think it's the best example of what Jo Baker is capable of. ( )