Lone Star Book Blog Tour: Wickwythe Hall by Judithe Little

I confess, I’ve been reading more and more historical fiction lately and I’m particularly interested in World War II history with female protagonists. Much of what I’ve been reading (and loving) has been from the perspective of children, evacuees, and women struggling to survive.

Wickwythe Hall presents a view of the war from the side of privilege and yet keeps it grounded, relatable and engaging.  While the struggles they come against are not comparable to the relative masses, their emotions and fears and anxieties are altogether real  and palpable.

The story is told from a 3rd person perspective from three people: Mabry, a resourceful American heiress married to a moneyed British man with ties to Winston Churchill, whose country estate becomes a place of safety for a variety of British upper-crust and children evacuated from London; Annellle, a French refugee who was trying to get to Algeria to find her brothers fighting with the French Foreign Legion (but instead she was evacuated to London after disaster strikes), and Reid Carr, an American whose work for a French champagne company provides him an excellent cover to work as a liaison between President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, whose idiosyncrasies are colorfully documented in the story.

Author Judithe Little does a wonderful job of weaving together their three storylines. My favorite character however, was Mabry. She was complicated, resourceful, layered, and my heart broke for her more than once. She shares a complicated history with Reid Carr and was blindsided by his arrival at her estate. The losses she has suffered slowly come to light and illuminate the cause of the turmoil within her marriage.

Mabry could have been a fluttering dilettante, dabbling in the war effort, but she turned out to be a roll up her sleeves and get things done woman. She called in every favor when needed,  and I don’t have an issue with someone making use of their connections when it benefits the greater good.  She felt connected to Annelle in their mutual losses, and used her own history and pain to stand up for Annelle and protect her when it was needed. She was, in every sense, a spunky heroine, and while the writing styles differed, Mabry reminded me of another favorite WW2 era heroine, Maisie Dobbs.

Wickwythe Hall was an engaging page-turner.  In the latter part of the story, tension builds as Churchill’s plans for Operation Catapult are revealed, the horror of the plan balanced with the British needs to ensure survival. It’s a dreadful plan, shocking in concept.

What I appreciated, however, is how carefully Little wove this piece of history into the storyline instead of it being the story. (That is a different book for a different author, and one that I would read as a non-fiction tale.)

Author Little has also drawn up the expected cast of supporting characters: a stiff-upper-lipped, dependable butler Federling; Aunt Freddy, a manipulative, over-bearing and over-involved wealthy aunt; Mrs. Smithson, a ruddy-faced, unimaginative cook; Lila, a spunky four-year-old evacuee staying at Mabry’s estate; and Dorothy Santiago, an old friend of Mabry’s from boarding school who is now a war correspondent, and one privy to Mabry’s full story.  Each provides the story with details of the time and place marvelously without becoming caricatures, adding atmosphere, balance and detail.

All-in-all, Judithe Little has an engaging voice and has created a wonderfully visual world for the reader.  This book was definitely difficult to put down! If you are a fan of historical novels, Wickwythe Hall is a must-add to your reading list!