My review for you today could be called old-but-new. That is, the book A Stitch in Time by Beryl Kingston (which is coming out November 22nd!) was originally published as Alive and Kicking. New title, new cover, same eloquent book! It's a solid four stars - let me tell you a little about it.

Rose Boniface and company (her friends and siblings) are alive and well but enter WWI and their entire lives are turned upside down. It's been hard enough living in London as orphans together but tragedy strikes and they are forced to figure out how to make ends meet with a war on. Enter the Monks family. They've got it made - their fanciful way of speaking, demanding, and generally being untouched by war doesn't give them the best reputation with those in town. But times are hard, and Rose, among others, will end up crossing paths with the Monks in more ways than one. But Rose is determined to continue on, and it's a delight following the journey.

A Stitch in Time demonstrated strong character building. There were points where I was so sad for Rose and her family and other times where I would have loved to smack Augusta. The characters painted the picture of both the struggling and wealthy during WWI and thereafter. But the strongest and most important message of all was that you are in control of your destiny. Follow your gut, listen to that intuition and take risks. This is advice we should all be striving to follow and this story is surely to inspire that in you.

A wonderful English saga WW1 group of young women Rose Boniface and her friends.Emotional moving their livesi South East London hated to leave these characters.Beryl Kingston at her best, Beryl Kingston at her best. #netgalley #astitchintime #agora books

The author did a great job of capturing not only what life was like in England during World War II, but what it was like to be a young girl coming of age during such a turbulent time in history. This was a quick read that I didn't want to end.

This book was incredible, unputdownable- I loved the rhythm and pace of the story. I enjoyed the perspective of war from a females point of view, the hardship and uncertainty mixed with strong female support systems and exciting opportunities. I loved the twist at the end, not predictable and very satisfying! I have recommended this book so many times already, and it is a relevant read a century on from the end of WW1.

I love historical fiction and this novel did not disappoint. “A Stitch in Time” is focused on a young woman during World War One . It was an emotional page turner that I highly recommend.

A Stitch in Time by Beryl Kingston
 
Blurb~
“Rose’s life is about to be torn apart by war, but can she and her sisters piece together a new life in a rapidly changing world?

London, 1914: Rose Boniface and her orphaned siblings live a small but happy life in South-East London. But when war breaks out across Europe and her older brother enlists, nothing will ever be the same again.

As men leave for the war in droves, the girls must take on whatever work they can find to make ends meet. High-risk work in munitions factories and back-breaking domestic labour seem to be all that’s available to them, but Rose has other ideas…

A tale of love and heartbreak, triumph and resilience, this sweeping saga by best-selling author Beryl Kingston takes the reader inside the extraordinary lives of ordinary women in Wartime London.”
 
The author seems to write effortlessly. Her narrative is evocative, and so descriptive and vivid. It is as if the characters stood before your eyes. The pacing was perfect for the plotline, with each passage, in turn, relevant to the arc of the story. The characters were likeable and dynamic. You became emotionally invested in them and their tragedies and triumphs.
This is a wonderfully written book about a remarkable family enduring through the hard cruelties of life during war. It shows the bonds of family, and illustrates how different members of a family unit can grow and come into their own. Their family ties strengthen during adversity.
While reading, there were moments of heartbreak, and, at times, laughter while cheering on our heroine Rose. The story was a bit predictable, but still enjoyable. The story flowed so well, and that made it an easy and wonderful read. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This review, or portions thereof, will be posted (when able) on Amazon, Goodreads, Kobo, Bookbub, BAM, Litsy, IG, B&N, Pinterest, Facebook, Kobo, and my own blog. Unfortunately, I am unable to provide all links at this time, as I am using my phone.

The writing is sooo vivid and the this is like nothing you have ever read before in your life. Its about the hard times during the war to build your life. The strengthen during adversity. It was amazing.

Excellent book! Loved the characters and it was a great storyline. I would highly recommend this book.

Rose Boniface and her two sisters and two brothers are orphans. At seventeen she has been helping to raise her siblings. Her brothers join the army to fight Germany. Rose is left with her two sister's to raise and no job opportunities. She finds work in the Monk House working for Ms. Monk. Ms. Monk is a hypochondriac who loves the attention from her two brothers and their families. To get this attention, she is constantly changing her will to either inherit or disinherit them. Rose works for her until she quits and starts her own company. Her sisters and some remarkable friends help her see, deliver and make the high quality clothes to sell.
During World War II, women were left on their own. Many of them supported families. These courageous, brave, strong women, did what they had to to survive. Many, like Rose, put their skills and talents to work for them.
This is a remarkable story of a women's struggle to make it at a time when women had no say so. Sometimes they were though to be weak. This is just another story that proves how false that was.
Strongly recommend this story being read.

A tale of survival and growing up with the backdrop of WWII. I enjoyed the setting of London. I liked the characters because they were relatable. It's a good story.

A Stitch In Time by Beryl Kingston, my latest NetGalley title, was both excellent and easy to read!

This historical novel was filled with descriptive prose and emotion. Set during WW1 and the Roaring Twenties, the tale follows one family determined to make their way despite the hardships of life in lower-class London and the intertwining of their lives with an upper-class family full of dysfunction despite their wealth.

Once I could read through the cant (mostly the first few chapters) I was enmeshed in Rose's narrative. In turns heartbreaking, surprising, comical, and filled with grit, it was a remarkable book.

Women were extraordinary through the Great War and the lives they built afterwards were inspiring, as reflected in this work. The determination to keep on - pull up the bootstraps and rely on each other, the resilience of families (as built by blood and by choice), and the hardships faced were unimaginable, but Kingston did well in painting this picture as a complete and colourful portrait of triumph in a rapidly changing landscape.

Note: this title was first published in 1995 as Alive and Kicking.

Published by Agora Books; current publication date: November 22, 2018

I received a complimentary copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and/or the publisher in exchange for my honest reviews. Opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This book was a quick read and was the epitome of all good parts of a book that I enjoyed. Rose is the second eldest of her family and along with her eldest brother, Bertie, she makes up the Matriarchal side. Their mother and father had passed away and now that the WWI is upon them, Bertie decides to enlist in the army to obtain funds for his sisters and brothers which leaves Rose as the sole head of house to take care of her two sisters and one brother. As the story progresses, Rose finds herself as a servant at the Monk house where she keeps a side hobby of mending and creating new clothes for her family and for Augusta Monk, her employer. She quickly gets caught up in the war as her brother continues his journey, rationing, and other horrors of the war take hold of her and her family.

This book was definitely unique from others in its genre, in that the author wasn't afraid to explain in descriptive terms the horrors that occur during wartime. She lays all of it bare to explain how awful it truly was across England and Europe during the time. I really enjoyed reading the book and was glad to have the opportunity. I look forward to looking for more titles by Beryl Kingston.

An extremely well written book! It's a little bit longer, but worth the extra time. Especially if you love a story and wish it didn't have to end, this is that kind of book. Characters who I loved, characters who were deliciously wicked! A very enjoyable book! Lots of characters, but they were very easy to follow and keep up with. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys Historical Fiction in the WWI era, and afterward. I will be reading more from this author!
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.Thank you so much, Netgalley!
All opinions are my own.