Ambridge at War takes us back to the 1940s in the village made famous by The Archers. I love books that are written as prequels to well-known and well-loved series and I also couldn't resist what might be described as a saga as it's a genre I love. The fact that I have never listened to The Archers did not matter a jot but I can imagine that long-term fans of the show would relish the chance to go further back and see what the village was like in the war years.

The Archer family and the Pargetter family are at the centre of the story but there are plenty of other characters playing their part alongside them. Dan and Doris Archer run Brookfield Farm and along with family difficulties Doris has to deal with the two young men who have come to help out on the farm. Meanwhile, Alec Pargetter at Lower Loxley is living quite a different life, with far fewer signs that the war is affecting him and his family, but he has his own challenges to deal with.

The central plot is one of poison pen letters, revealing the villagers' secrets and I thought this was a brilliant plot device to also reveal them to the reader. I loved the sense of camaraderie amongst the villagers, combined with a touch of cattiness on behalf of the women and stoic friendship on behalf of the men. There are some fantastic characterisations in this novel and they really stepped off the page for me and put me right there in Borsetshire with them.

The story takes us through 1940 month by month, through love affairs, deceit, a pageant, rivalry, and loss. Quite frankly, Ambridge is a seething hotbed of gossip and I veered from wishing I lived there and feeling relieved I didn't! Ambridge at War is such a gentle story though, and a complete delight. It's the first in a planned trilogy and I definitely want to know what happens to the characters next. ( )