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Daisy's War

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Member Reviews

This was the first book I have read by this author. Although it is the second book in a series it read well as a stand alone story. Daisy is a 17 year old from a loving family who are adapting to the death of their mum and living through the start of the war. Life is changing massively and Daisy wants to help the war effort but isn’t sure what she can do. She has to grow up fast and becomes a probationer nurse but can she cope with the horrors of war?
An enjoyable read.

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I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel in late September 2019 from Netgalley, Rowena Summers, and Agora Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to add Rowena Summers to my author's list. She gives us a clear picture of a slice of life during wartime England, with all the angst and joy of family interactions as well.

Daisy's War, completely stand-alone, is the second of a series about the life and times of the Caldwell family in England. It has been two years since the untimely accident that took their mother Frances. Imogen is now in the military, chauffeuring an officer around London. Teen son Baz is working his dream job on a fishing boat in the Atlantic, Elsie is married to her soldier John, and expecting their first child. Elsie is still living with their father in Bristol, but eight-year-old son Tommy and 17-year-old daughter Daisy are with their Uncle Bert and Aunt Rose in Weston along with three youngsters farmed out from the London area for safety's sake.

In the long lead-in to the war on their shores, people are beginning to get restless with the wait. Many of the children farmed out to 'Aunties' in the north of England have been taken back home after months of inactivity in the south. It is, of course, a misstep - within just a month or two German planes will be bombing London, but people will be people. Daisy, too, is restless, but perhaps has found her niche. Training to be a nurse, she is working with the wounded as they filter into the hospital in Weston from the battlefields in France. It is fulfilling work, work she is proud to be able to do, and she is seeing life now as the grown-up she will soon become. But she envies sister Elsie, her surety that love is hers, that John is the man she will always love, the father of her child, the other piece of her heart. How do you know it's a forever love and not just a passing infatuation?

Transferred temporarily to a hospital ship, Daisy has an active part in the withdrawal of troops from Dunkirk. She is fortunate enough to be able to help her brother-in-law John, who was wounded in France, but she is soon back at the hospital in Weston the routine of which now seems almost boring. She needs more in her life. But more of what?
pub date August 28, 2019
rec late 2019
Agora Books
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A wonderful novel a novel about life home living during ww11 .This is the second book in the series a wonderful series.An author I will be following ,Her characters come alive bring you into their time in history their lives world.#netgalley#agorabooks

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Daisy's War is the second book in the Caldwell saga, that focuses on three sisters experiences during WWII.
Imogen works for the AVS as a driver, Daisy is a nurse and Elsie the last sister is a young married mother. I really enjoyed this series of books and look forward to reading the next instalment in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

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Many thanks, NetGalley for Daisy's War. Although somewhat predictable, a good book that will keep you intrigued, especially lovers of historical fiction! I enjoyed the story of Daisy and her siblings throughout the war!

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This is the second book in the series. I have previously read the first book and was hoping that this book was an improvement but unfortunately that wasn’t to be.
This book lacked depth and the storyline just seemed weak.
A disappointing read

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This was a coming of age story set in WWII. This made for a pleasant read on the beach as I enjoyed the storyline and the characters.
Many thanks to Agora Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Daisy's War is a coming of age story centered around the Vietnam War. As a HIstory major, I appreciated the historical details, however, I found the writing to be choppy, and difficult to understand due to some of the sentence structure. Despite the very real angst of the time period and the very real emotions of the time, I found that I did not connect emotionally to the characters as I thought I might. Thank you to Net Galley for a free copy for this honest review.

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Actual review 3.75⭐

I have struggled with my review on this, mainly because I think this is better than a 3 stars. I liked this book, and though it was slow in the beginning, it did pick up and finished strong.

This book is about Daisy the youngest daughter of 5 kids. Daisy is 17 when this book starts and is having to grow up quick due to losing her mom and WW2. You watch Daisy struggle with decisions about what she should be doing with her life and all the emotions that go with that. I also enjoyed the little forays into the other children's lives and how they dealt with the war.

This book was a little predictable in spots, but I expected that and enjoyed it in spite of that. I enjoy a good story and that is what this was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Books for the chance to review this book!

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I didn't realise this was the second in a series but it was still enjoyable. This is the story of Daisy, an older teen, trying to figure her way through WWII, living in a house of evacuees with her aunt and uncle, nursing and dealing with all sorts of personal issues - family, boyfriends, death, wounded soldiers. The story was a little too slow and plodding for my taste however this might have been deliberate to reflect the pace of life back then. A nice addition to the library of those seeking fictional accounts of social history nevertheless.

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Historical Fiction is my favourite genre, especially novels that pertain to WWII. Daisy’s War is a historical fiction novel but different from many that I have read. Rowena Summer has invited the reader to become a member of Daisy’s family. The reader experiences the precious few joys, the heartaches, the fears and the sacrifices of this family and many more families in the early years of the war.

This memorable novel is part of a series but can certainly be read as a stand alone novel. I look forward to reading more books by this talented author.
Thank you to Net Galley and Agora Books for a digital copy in return for my honest review. 4 stars

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Another war time story, this time following young, impressionable Daisy. Whilst it is the second of a series, you can easily read this as a stand-alone – which is exactly what I did. The book itself isn’t that ground-breaking but if you like a story set in the war, then this is probably to your tastes.

I was hoping for a bit more drama than what Summers has created. However, this is rather “safe” and there isn’t anything too daring within the story. Daisy is quite a sweet character, but I found her gutlessness a bit irritating. Her other sisters, particularly Imogen, appear to have a bit more to them; when they appeared in the narrative, I thought it added more variety to the plot.

Daisy is a young girl who is trying to grow up and find her place in a chaotic world. Struggling to find her calling during the Second World War, she settles to nursing. When she finds herself on the medical boats, shipping between the French and English coast, Daisy witnesses things she will never forget. I think this is the making of her and reflects her moving from a girl to a woman. Personally, it was the most interesting part of the story and I enjoyed the grittiness that this part carried. Inevitably, Daisy moves on and over the course of the book, still struggles to feel that nursing is what she should settle for.

The novel’s title reflects how the reader’s follow Daisy’s experiences during the war. However, it is not just the conflict that Daisy is having to deal with, but also her inner turmoil about dealing with members of the opposite sex, coping with her mother’s death, and also her career choices. This was a pleasant touch from the author and illustrates the multi-faceted meanings to the title.

This was an average read. It didn’t take me long but I wasn’t enthralled by it! It felt like a safe saga and I was hoping for something that stood out from the numerous war stories already out there. As part of a series, I don’t think I would seek out the rest of the novels, unless they are strikingly different to this one.

With thanks to Netgalley and Agora books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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In Daisy's War by Rowena Summers, you are given insight into the way a young woman in her late teens tries to cope with the events of WWII. Daisy's mother dies, and her best friend is diagnosed with TB about the same time as England enters the war. Daisy decides to train as a nurse so she can help people like her friend. She and her younger brother are living with an aunt and uncle so she can train and her brother can be away from the coast. When the wounded are brought into her training hospital, Daisy is faced with a different kind of nursing. She is on ships that bring the wounded off the beach at Dunkirk, causing her to doubt if she is suited for nursing. Daisy's friend dies. Her boyfriend is killed in action. How does Daisy cope with everything? The book shows the effects of war from a different perspective and makes for an interesting read.

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This wasn’t my type of book at all. I found it very slow. It was very similar to a lot of books I’ve read in the past and the sort of books my mum loved. That is probably why I didn’t enjoy this one as it brought back memories of looking for this type of book in charity shops for mum to read that is now too painful to dredge up.
I’m sure if circumstances were different and mum was still with me I might have enjoyed it but who knows. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Agora books for a digital review copy in return for my honest review.

This is the first book I've read by Rowena Summers so I hadn't read the first book in the series - however this book is easy to understand without having read the first book.

I enjoyed reading about Daisy growing up during the early years of World War 2 in Weston and Bristol - it was good to read about the experiences of people outside London.

This book covers lots of issues faced by the young women during this era and was an interesting read. If you enjoy historical fiction, then I believe you will enjoy this book too.

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I found this book disappointing to read and rather slow,i was also surprised to find this is a re-print of the 2001 release.

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Daisy’s War tells the story of five siblings and their experiences during the beginning of WWII in England. Daisy, the main character, has become a nurse and works in various settings, from a small hospital near her Aunt and Uncle’s home, to ferrying soldiers back from Dunkirk, to ambulance duty, the book deals with quite a few deaths and the various responses to them, including their mother’s which occurred about 2 years before that beginning of the book. Some of the book was eye-opening- I hadn’t known about Italian internment one England during the war. Some of it was predictable; the usual war stories, the usual “naive girl grows up” situation. Overall it was a bit of a slow read, but included many heartwarming moments and a few surprises.

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A book about one girl,her family and the parts they played in the war. Enjoyable characters in maybe a bit predictable story. It did keep my attention, I enjoyed it. Thanks to Netgalley for the copy

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I thank Net Galley and Agora books for an E-Arc of this title in exchange for my honest review. I was reading the book, and I had a difficult time getting into the storyline. It was less about WWII than it was about Daisy and coming into adulthood. I realized part way through that this was a series, and that it was a republication of a 2001 edition.

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Part of a series. Daisy's War is set in England during WWII. Hitler is advancing in Europe. Daisy decides to help the war effort by becoming a nurse. She loves her job, but feels she isn't doing enough. She has had loss in her life, and isn't sure being a nurse is what she wants to do. After yet another tragedy, she is having second thoughts.

This book is basically about Daisy coming of age during the War and growing up. It was so-so.

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