Joanna Toye

A Store at War is a charming historical novel. Lily Collins is fortunate to secure a position as a junior at Marlow’s, but it is a different type of environment for her. She needs to think before she acts (that is going to be a challenge). Lily also tends to speak her mind and is headstrong. She makes friends with Gladys and Jim. Jim stumbles upon a scheme and confides in Lily. They want to find a way to stop the enterprise before it ruins Marlow’s. I liked the various characters in the story, and we see that people put on appearances. We do not know what is going on in their lives until we take the time to get to know an individual. I thought A Store at War was nicely written and it proceeded at a gentle pace. It was interesting to learn what happened when an air raid siren went off while one is shopping in a department store. There were also a number of rules for shop assistants to follow (including appearance and proper etiquette). They had to know their merchandise and where it was located. We get a glimpse of what life was like during World War II in England (rationing, air raids, blackouts, bombings). During and after the war, they had to make do and mend (new and used clothing were hard to come by). We see at the end of the book that there is more to come. I wonder what will happen in Wartime for the Shop Girls.… (més)