This is a World War II memoir that came about when, following an impulse buy on eBay, David McGowan acquired a large quantity of War correspondence. Among this mixed lot were a series of love letters written by one Eileen Alexander to her boyfriend Gershon Ellenbogen during the Second World War. The letters (some 1400 of them) bring to life what it was like to live through those terrible years through Eileen’s eyes.

Eileen was extremely intelligent (a Cambridge student) and not without wit. In one letter she describes her facial features after a car accident - “My face is now fully exposed to the world and looks like the rear elevation of a baboon”!

Although there’s no question that I liked Eileen’s spirit, I found it difficult to relate to her in any other way, her sense of entitlement came across as arrogant at times. I did find some of the letters interesting, but at other times I became distracted, disinterested, and resorted to skimming through parts of it. I really wanted to love this book, and though it demonstrates the lost art of letter writing beautifully, unfortunately I found it hard going at times, and feel it would have benefited from some trimming.

Any collection of wartime letters should be preserved but these actually give more information about the author than any extra dimension to wartime history. She is in love but clearly nervous of it,at war with her family and unsettled generally. She comes over as having a strong sense of entitlement and considerable arrogance. The letters are long,personal and not likely to make much contribution to war history. They are for storage rather than reading.

This is a book to enjoy at a slow pace, to savour the language and the pictures portrayed with words alone.

Eileen meets Gershon at Cambridge and after a car crash in July 1939, their friendship turns to love.

Distanced during the War, they keep in touch via letters, although only Eileen's have survived.

This is a war seen through the eyes of a young Jewish girl in love and in a strange counrty.

This is life as seen by a young feminist..

This is history written with love..

The story of the letters is interesting too. Read and enjoy.