Gift from LibraryThing Secret Santa. First book I've been certain I'm keeping in a while. I love it all - the characterisation, the historical knowledge, the psychological impact of being moved around by war, the nice friendly sorts who rally round... It's a happy comforting book but also a little interesting. ( )

This is a great read with a lot of depth. Sally's siblings were separated during the Second World War and sent to various homes, when Sally finds out her father's dying wish is to have them all reunited again, she rents a house and sends for her brothers and sisters scattered all over the country. When they come back, they all realise they've all grown a lot during those years and while they try and find ways to bond as a family again, they all grow into fully fleshed, interesting people. It's a touching and very comforting story with lots of details about cooking, sewing, gardening and housekeeping, which I loved. I also really enjoyed that every child has a personality of his or her own and you can easily tell them apart, which also means that Courtney makes sure all of their different skills are valued. It has some interesting insight about the evacuation of children and the characters are an absolute delight. While Sally is the main character, my favourite sibling ended up being Lucy, a smart bookworm with a good deal of common sense who ends up choosing an unexpected career path. It's a very strong book and while it was my first by Courtney, it certainly won't be the last. ( )

An absolute favourite of mine - one of Courtney's "cleaning up" books as I call them where an amazing amount of cleaning is done and you feel like you have participated without having to put the effort in! As a seagull edition, it's not too expensive either from second hand dealers. ( )