Wives at War

Conway Trilogy #3

by Jessica Stirling

As Glasgow waits for enemy bombers to reach Clydeside and the German invasion to begin, Lizzie Conway's daughters throw themselves wholeheartedly into the war effort and eagerly accept their roles as working wives in Jessica Stirling's enthralling new novel set in the darkest days of the Second World War.

With her husband in the army, mother-of-four Babs sends three of her darlings to the country and goes back to work long hours in an office. Her comfortable routine is disrupted, however, when a charming American news photographer insinuates himself into her life, an American who may not be all that he seems.

Rosie's job as a skilled factory worker is marred by the taunts of her cruel and snobbish coworkers. Eager to start a family but fearful that she might pass her deafness to her children, she blames her ambitious policeman husband for her desperate unhappiness and risks not only her marriage but her future because of it.

Wealthy and self assured, Polly continues to manage her husband's shady empire, trying to forget that her children have been stolen from her and now live with their father in New York. But Dominic explodes back into her life with a plot that involves the Italian resistance, the OSS, and spiriting a fortune out of Scotland. When the bombs begin to fall, Polly is forced to choose between loyalty and betrayal, and to face up to what truly matters.

480 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2003

About the author

A pseudonym used by Hugh C. Rae, initially in collaboration with Peggie Coghlan and later alone.

Hugh Crauford Rae was born on November 22, 1935 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, son of Isobel and Robert Rae. He published his first stories aged 11 in the Robin comic, winning a cricket bat the same year in a children’s writing competition. After graduating from secondary school, he worked as an assistant in the antiquarian department of John Smith's bookshop. At work, he met her future wife, Elizabeth. Published since 1963, he started to wrote suspense novels as Hugh C. Rae, but he also used the pseudonyms of Robert Crawford, R.B. Houston, Stuart Stern (with S. Ungar) and James Albany. On 1973, his novel "The Shooting Gallery" was nominee by the Edgar Award. On 1974, he wrote the first few romance novels with Peggie Coghlan, using the popular pseudonym Jessica Stirling. However, when she retired 7 years after the first book was published, he continued writing more than 30 on his own, and also as Caroline Crosby. His female pseudonyms first became widely known in 1999, when "The Wind from the Hills" was shortlisted for Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Widowed nine years ago, Hugh died on September 24, 2014 at the age of 78.

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Previously appeared in Patty Abbott's Forgotten Friday blog.

After reading a steady diet of dark-hearted noirs and crime fiction, I thought I'd like to read something a little different. Historical fiction has always been a solid bet for me, so I tried out Wives at War by Jessica Stirling. First off, the author Ms. Stirling in actuality is the male Scottish writer Hugh C. Rae.

As a general rule, I shy away from reading the longer novels, and this one that clocks in at 475 pages is a long novel, at least for me. But the story unfolds nicely and at a snappy enough pace to qualify it as a "fast read".

Wives at War is marketed as a historical romance, though I didn't encounter all that much "romance" in its storyline. The narrative chronicles three very different sisters--though all are headstrong and resilient--living in Glasgow, Scotland, on the brink of World War II. Hitler's war planes are bombing London, and they also destroy parts of the Scottish cities, an interesting historical fact unknown to me. The sisters do fall in and out of love, so maybe that's the romance part, though bomb-ravaged Scotland isn't a very romantic spot.

I like the author's prose: accessible, vivid, and skillful. High marks are given also for the settings and characterizations. The ending sort of leaves you hanging, and I suspect there is a sequel, though I haven't researched it.

In sum, I enjoyed my time spent in Wives at War, and that's what reading is really all about, now isn't it?

[Angela Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three sisters, Glasgow blitz. Babs has a responsible position, her three eldest away at a farm, Polly is financially secure although her husband has absconded with the children and Rosie is doing her war effort in a factory. An American press photographer's arrival is about to shake the boat after being taken in as a lodger with Babs and baby April, it is - after all - her job to find accommodation for workers.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook
Although it’s book 3, it’s a good stand alone.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book about 3 sisters who go to work in WWII Scotland. I don't know why I didn't know that, like London, Glasgow was also bombed frequently. It makes sense, given its location. Each of the women are affected differently by their war experiences.

Writing reviews on my kindle is an exercise in futility.

[Rose]

You can tell this was written to appeal to the OAP brigade, but it was entertaining enough to listen to.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyable story