“The War That Saved My Life” is heart wrenching, masterful
Bea’s Books
TW: This article and the book recommended mentions and contains parental abuse.
A few weeks ago I found myself in a reading slump, and although Goodreads still has me many books behind on my reading schedule (don’t ask, it stresses me out as well), I found myself devouring a certain book I would like to recommend. As I was perusing the historical fiction section at my library, a librarian approached me and noted my interest in the genre. The librarian pulled out a hardcover titled “The War That Saved My Life” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and, while acknowledging that it would be below my reading level, suggested I give it a try.
I brought it home that very day and started on page one, finding myself in the midst of a heart wrenching story about a girl, Ada, living in a small London flat with her mother and brother, Jamie. Ada had a clubfoot, which affected her movement and subsequently became the source of her mother’s abuse, convincing Ada that she was shameful and revolting. Ada’s sole comfort was in Jamie, whom she cared for and aided at home, but as he began to shift his interest to the outside world, their relationship shifted, as well.
As the thick of World War II approached England, the English feared there would be a bombing of London and began evacuating children to towns in the country. Ada’s mother sent Jamie away, but Ada, afraid of being left alone with her mother and wanting to care for her brother, snuck on a train with him headed to a small town. There, they were sent to live with a Miss Smith. The book unraveled from there into a story of growth rooted in following passions and protecting those you love most.
I absolutely adored “The War That Saved My Life”, and although it was told at a reading level lower than my own, I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it extremely sweet and heartfelt. The way Ada’s adventures combined and interconnected was masterfully done and the author was an expert at curating Ada’s unique perspective. World War II looming throughout the book served as an integral part of the storyline and strengthened the lessons learned by Ada, Jamie and Miss Smith. The theme of found family is extremely prevalent throughout the story and I would recommend this to anyone looking for any bit of tenderness. As mentioned at the very top, this book does contain some intense scenes of parental abuse that could be triggering or difficult for younger readers to grasp, therefore I would recommend it to ages 10-12+, depending on maturity and reading level.
