I really wanted to get into this, but sadly I found this really rather lackluster. Also, I didn't think this was correctly promoted, really not what I was expecting. It greatly saddens me as I am a massive world war one fiction lover. Read the other reviews that have been given, we are all thinking the same thing...

Thanks netgalley for letting me have a go at reading this.

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting as it did not really cover the wartime experiences of William in detail. It seemed to be more a family history or record which, while interesting, was not in line with how the book was promoted. Nonetheless, it is interesting and offers insights from a a range of perspectives.

William’s War is an account of the author’s father’s life. Although moving, it does not really go into great detail of William’s wartime experiences. Instead the book chronicles the period of William’s life from age 6 to post WW2.

Although an interesting enough read it felt more like a personal family history and this the rating I have given.

Thanks to Beverley Tucker the author and self publisher, and to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All options are my own.

“William's War,” by Beverley J. Tucker (ISBN 9781803139418), publication date 28 July 2022, is a self-published E-Book that earns two stars.

This book is a loving tribute to the author’s family centered on the period just before, during, and after WWII. It is a very light, quick read. The title would have one believe it is largely about the wartime experiences of the fellow on the cover, but it isn’t. Instead, it is mostly a set of coming-of-age stories about the various children and close friends of the family woven around their parents’ experiences and challenges.

In that, the title and the cover are misleading since William’s wartime experiences are lightly and only cursorily covered largely, I would think, because the specifics of his service with the British Army are not known in detail. Even postwar, when William joins the Royal Air Force, little is revealed. In sum, this book seems more an effort to put a face on a family’s genealogical record which, as an amateur genealogist, I understand.

Sincere thanks to the author and self-publisher, and Matador, for granting this reviewer the opportunity to read this Advance Reader Copy (ARC), and thanks to NetGalley for helping to make that possible.