A fascinating glimpse in to a love story that is true and strong despite world war 2. As told through the letters of Eileen as she replies to the love of her life. From friendship at University before the war, an unrequited love initially but time distance and loneliness changes perspectives. An illuminating glimpse in to the social mores of the time, highly educated and enquiring Eileen enjoys a full social life in London whilst desperately missing her beloved. Anyone with an interest in world War 2, social history and a very personal story will not be able to put this book down.

Such a good book for a real insight into the life of one young woman, living and working through the blitz. She writes about everything she thinks, feels and does- all in the vernacular of her class and time, and with great honesty. So many things are 'a solace'! It is a little like opening a window into the past. The issues of shelters and air raids, bombing, rationing and working for the war effort are all described in the letters she writes to her boyfriend, Gershon. And the best part is that these are real letters written during the war, describing real feelings and real events. Fascinating.!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for a fair review. I found it difficult to rate this book as there were things I loved about it and things I didn't. It is a love story between Eileen and Gershon told in one sided letters (from Eileen to Gershon) during world war 2. Eileen had led a very privileged life and had a First from Cambridge, which she mentioned regularly. She was besotted with Gershon and her relationship with him. I could only imagine how oppressive this may have felt to Gershon. It was however an interesting take on the upper class social history of the time. I did find Eileen a little tedious.

I struggled to enjoy this one and I so wanted to love it. I usually love books from this era but I struggled to engage with the style in which this had been written which was a series of letters. Not for me I'm afraid.

A chance discovery, these love letters give a young woman's insights into wartime Britain. The book begins with a history of the letters and a history of the woman and the wartime period. There are many letters, only a few are featured. They are honest and reveal the young woman's beliefs, feelings and motivations.

This educated and privileged perspective of wartime living is intrinsically valuable. The letters ramble in parts and are full of the writer's idiosyncrasies. Rather like a good fictional character, these are flawed but more relatable because of this.

This is a book for those who like wartime history, love stories, personal observations and reflections.

I received a copy of this book from William Collins Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The story of how these letters came to be published is as interesting as the letters themselves.They were never intended for publication,as they were written by Eileen Alexander,a young Cambridge graduate from a wealthy Jewish family,to her fiancé throughout the course of World War 2 on an almost daily basis.The letters are full of her observations and opinions ,and give an interesting account of her life during the 6 years of the war.Because of her privileged background,she came into contact with some well known people but there are also highly entertaining accounts of overheard conversations in cinema queues and on buses.She describes her family members,work colleagues and friends as well as their colourful love lives,and throughout ,her love for her fiancé shines through.It's interesting to note how naive Eileen was about sexual matters in comparison to someone of her age nowadays -definitely a sign of the times!
It was good to read this during the 75th anniversary of VE Day celebrations,as it served as a timely reminder of the hardships ordinary people faced during the war.
It might have been helpful to have the list of characters at the beginning of the book instead of at the end as it's hard to work out who they all are. I read this on a Kindle so couldn't jump to this section as easily as in a paper copy.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinions.

This book was a nice insight into that period of our history.

As someone who has recently got into researching my family tree I found certain parts fascinating.

Some parts were a bit laborious and I'm not sure this would appeal to everyone, but definitely readers interested in history would enjoy it.

Love in the Blitz provides a unique insight into life during the WWII London blitz and beyond. Eileen is a whip smart girl who writes copious letters to her friend/beau/husband during the course of this book. As much as I enjoyed this view into a lost world, I would be very happy never to read again the words 'darling', 'solace', and 'sorrow'. These terms are used endlessly in her missives - clearly the lingo of the time - and possibly more palatable to Gershon who would have read them once every few days rather than in a few sittings, as I did. Beyond that little bother I found the book great fun and a well timed to read during lockdown, another time of personal struggle.

What would Eileen think of her letters being published in a book? Once she overcame the excitement I think she might be embarrassed to have her private thoughts and gossip spread so liberally about for all to see. I would be mortified to have my love letters to my husband available for public consumption. Sweet as her love musings are, they do get a bit soppy, as I suspect we all have done... if we can remember back that far to early love in our courtship.

There is much intelligent thought happening in Eileen's head to offset the occasional silliness. She was a very bright and perceptive young woman. I would absolutely love to see Gershon's replies. A pity Eileen didn't treasure his utterances as much as he did hers. Neigh on 1400 letters in total! My, Eileen, you do have much to say.

Love in the Blitz is fun, entertaining, enlightening and full of sweet love tokens to bring delight to your day. Just what we need to lighten the weight of lockdown.

Firstly I’d like to congratulate the designer of the cover as it evokes the spirit of the story so well.
Such a wonderful edition to WWII work and I can see this being a new favourite to many history lovers

When I first picked this book I thought it was to be another novel based in WW2 but how wrong was i.
Love in the Blitz” is a collection of letters written by one woman, Eileen Alexander, to her future husband, Gershon Ellenbogen, during the time of World War II.
The letter from Eileen are the only ones to survive so its a little one sided but gives an insight into her day to day life.
I found some of the letter long and laborious and some full of wit and humour.
It is well written but not an aimed at a general public. I would only recommend it to a history buff.
Thanks to netgalley for an opportunity to read this advance copy for an honest review. #NetGalley

Absolutely loved reading this book. Very well written. Maybe it was because I read it during lockdown but this grabbed my heartstrings and kept on tugging! Have tissues at the ready.

I read this book during lockdown just before the 75th anniversary of VE Day otherwise I don’t think I would have read it cover to cover as it’s a very long book and in parts extremely repetitive and quite frankly, boring. I really wanted to find out more about day to day life during WW2 but found an over privileged and self centred woman who frittered her youth on lunches and evenings out with equally boring and vacuous friends. She annoyed me with her total belief in her own intelligence and superiority while never commenting on what was really happening in the world. I feel I’ve wasted 3 days of my life. Maybe with better and more judicious use of the red pencil this memoir coyldhVe been better, but I guess we’ll never know.

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I truly wanted to LOVE this story. It sounded just my think, historical, gossipy and a love story. It isn't really a book though, it is more a collection of letters. After I got over that disappointment I found just like the Second World War, it went on and on and on and on. if you pick it up knowing what you are getting - a collection of letters, written by one well-to-do female, rather than a sweeping love story, it probably would have been less of a chore. Don't get me wrong I was really rooting for Eileen but goodness, there was so much gossip that was irrelevant to us the reader as we don't know these people as fully formed characters like we would if it was a novel. The war details left me cold, I thought first hand accounts from someone living through it would have been more moving. I am sorry if this review is too negative but it has been an ordeal to finish this and I found myself skip reading huge parts of it as I couldn't bare another "Today I had lunch at ..." I think in hindsight I should have read it in chunks rather than in one go. Am I glad I read it? Yes because i found it interesting to see how a girl/lady wrote and spoke in that era, it gives a great snapshot.

A lovely insight into the emotions of a woman in love during the war. The letters show us how hard it must have been to have any kind of relationship at this time. Eileen pours her heart and soul into her letters to her love and it is a privilege to be allowed a snapshot into her life. We can only imagine what he wrote back but their love obviously ran the test of this time and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing in their life and love by reading this book.

I started this book during the Corvid-19 lock down and although I enjoyed it, it is one to pick up and read on and off rather than be compelled to read straight through. Obviously there are similarities in Eileen's story that are pertinent to our situation today in that we are cut off from loved ones but the book fells a little drawn out and I found my mind wandering in some of the duller sections as the minutiae of everyday life did become a little tedious at times. However it was an interesting read from a social history point of view.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review

As it almost approaches the seventy-fifth anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, the day of Nazi Germany's surrender, this coming May there are myriad ways in which the population will be remembering those people actively involved in wartime activity yet this book looks at things from a different perspective. I can't help but feel that Love in the Blitz is another way of addressing the stoicism and resolve we Brits upheld as we traversed the difficult times in a brutal and bloody war against an evil enemy. Not only that but in these tough days of lockdown and death parallels can be drawn between our spirit then and now, and I thought this memoir was both intimate and sprawling as the letters’ author, Eileen Alexander, penned her most revealing thoughts to her sweetheart who was, like many men, drafted into the RAF with this being the only means of contact at the time. They went on to become engaged, married and eventually had a child together.

This makes perfect Coronavirus reading to lift your mood and takes us back to a time when everything was simpler. Eileen’s letters to lover Gershon Ellenbogen are particularly interesting due to the place her wealthy family held in society and the ties to prominent members of government and those deemed celebrities at the time; however, we must remember that she led a privileged life compared to the general population. These connections meant she regularly opined on such people, their actions and both their private and public personas. She is also frank and brutally honest about her own thoughts and emotions too. At one of the bleakest times in British and world history, Ms Alexander reminds us that love can endure even the toughest of situations. Recommended to those who are searching for an alternative, original and moving method to look back in time to the days of World War II and the people who were there. Many thanks to William Collins for an ARC.

This is a collection of letters written by Eileen Alexander, to her boyfriend, later husband, Gershon Ellenbogen, starting just before the outbreak of World War II and continuing throughout the war as they are separated.

Eileen has just got a First Class degree in English from Girton College, Cambridge and is due to return there to do research when suddenly the threat and declaration of war upends her plans and social life.

This book has a lot of potential in the detail of social history of this period as Eileen and her family rub shoulders with many influential people of the times that some readers will be familiar with. However, as this is only one side of the correspondence (the replies from Gershon to Eileen not having been found) and also much day-to-day chat about people unknown it is quite a slog to get through. I found myself skim reading just to get a gist of the story and to try and find the interesting bits about life during the war. I didn't really want to read page after page of dull interactions with her family members and friends.

I read this during the 2020 Covid19 lockdown and it was interesting to relate to Eileen's feeling as war turned their lives upside down and how initially they hoped it was for a short time but then it got worse and worse and went on for years. It made me wonder about our own situation as we approach week 7 of lockdown in the UK with no clear exit strategy on the horizon. And every day our expectations of how the future will be have to change a little for the worse. Maybe not the best book to read at this time.

This book could use a lot of editting and more of the commentary about what is happening with the war at times. I enjoyed learning more about the war in the commentary sections but would have liked more of this and less of the minutiae of the letters.

With thanks to NetGalley and 4th Estate and William Collins.for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

These letters give an insight into wartime life for rich Jewish families in England - a marked contrast to that of their poorer counterparts on the European mainland. For the Alexanders and their friends the social round continued and they only carried out war work because it was compulsory. The idea of being able to entertain at home during the war, when so much was on ration, would have been beyond most ordinary people.

This is the background against which Eileen sends endless almost daily letters to her "solace". Some of the letters are just a few sentences whilst others run to pages. To current tastes the language will seem totally OTT. They give an insight in to life for the upper classes during this period, including the expectations of the women. There is also a smattering of well known people mentioned, with Eileen's views of them - she is nothing if not outspoken.

Interesting but hard work at times - maybe something to dip in and out of. Loved the photos at the end and the historical context given at the start of each section.

An interesting and well researched read. It was intriguing reading about someone’s personal experiences in World War 2. I felt though that this book is too long and I started to lose interest in places as a result.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I don't think I will ever tire of stories based in and around the second world war and this book was no exception. I have never read a book set out like a diary and that is what really piqued my interest in this novel. I have studied bits and pieces of what went on at the battlefield and the political aspects, I became interested in how women lived at the home front and how life went on.
As I read on, I did find some issues with the writing that could probably be fine with a good bit of editing. While I was reading some of the diary entries/letters, I found them to be far too long and lost interest in them. I thought this book showed a lot of promise but I found myself rushing through a bit of the book.