Member Review

I’ll Be Seeing You by Rosie Archer is the 2nd book in The Picture House Girls series. I do suggest reading The Picture House Girls before embarking on I’ll Be Seeing You. We go back to April of 1943 in Gosport, England where Connie Baxter and her friends work at the Criterion. I thought the story contained good writing with developed, realistic characters. The book moved along at a good pace. I thought the author captured the time period especially with her movie and book references. There is also talk about the black outs, rationing, and bombings. The men and women during this time period had to be strong to endure what they did. You never knew if a soldier would return home or if you would make it home from work. You could go out to walk your dog and get struck by a bomb. Of course, there are those who will take advantage of the war. Black market goods were a hot commodity (racketeering was alive and well) along with acquiring petrol illegally and making “cigarettes”. The author gave readers a rich atmosphere, so we were immersed in the time period. I’ll Be Seeing You is an emotional novel with love, grief, heartache, joy, and anger. I liked how the characters found joy during these hard times by going to the cinema, reading the latest novel, having a girl’s night out, or taking dancing lessons. I’ll Be Seeing You is a warmhearted historical novel that shows us what everyday people dealt with during the war in Gosport.