Jo Baker's The Midnight News is a fantastic read--after a bit of a slow start, I absolutely raced through the remaining chapters. It is a literary twist on the typical World War II women's novel. It is really much more about relationships than it is about the war. It deals with the ways that women have been entrapped historically, but it is ultimately somewhat triumphant. I don't want to give much away, but I heartily recommend this to almost any reader.

Set in London during the blitz we mostly follow the life of Charlotte who is working and barely surviving the daily bombings of London and the stresses that come with it. She befriends a young man she sees feeding the birds daily- Tom. As their friendship grows and as her life seems to unravel, Charlotte must figure out who to trust. There is a lot of intrigue, twists and turns, grief, friendship and so much more. At times I got turned around, but it always worked itself out.

Sadly I loved longbourne so much and felt this would have a similar nostalgic feel. I just never got in to the characters or the plot.

The blitz ww11 a young woman trying to survive the world unraveling around her.So well written so involving historical fiction at its best. Jo Bakers books are so well written so engaging.#netgalley.#Knopf

The Midnight News introduces us to Charlotte and her eye-opening, frightening daily life as she tells her tale during the Blitz of World War II in London. Charlotte's brother has never returned from France. Her best friend has been found dead. Her favorite aunt has also passed. Her job at the Ministry is the only thing stable in her life. As the war continues on, her father wants to "protect" her and sends her to a psychiatric hospital. Charlotte has been talking out of her head and seeing people that aren't there.
Jo Baker has been on my TBR list for a while now. Her other works have received rave reviews. I was so excited to be approved to read The Midnight News. But this one fell flat for me. It was hard to follow in some parts of the story. Charlotte's internal conversations with herself were confusing at times. Going back and forth between Tom and Charlotte left me rereading parts. The mental health issues in this book were heartbreaking and hard to read. I would still like to read Jo Baker's other work because of the amazing reviews. Special thanks to Jo Baker, NetGalley, and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 3 stars for me
#TheMidnightNews #NetGalley

I wasn’t able to complete this one.

There wasn’t a lot to keep my interest and I ended up leaving off at around 20%.

An unsettling tale of life in London during the Blitz. Each character is richly drawn and believable. And the sense of terror is real. A wonderful read on class, survival and friendship in the face of dual evils.

I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting read . I found that I was able to read quickly and enjoyed the pacing and premise of the book. I would recommend to others.

The market for WWII fiction has seemed glutted for quite a while now, but every so often a book of WWII fiction comes along that surprises and lifts the genre out of its usual rut. The Midnight News is just such a book.

Why do I say this?
1. The Midnight News is set in London during the blitz and really captures the exhaustion and terror created by nightly bombings, something I think we need more of at a time of bellicosity, and "survivalism."
2. It offers central characters that have emotional and physical limitations—particularly Charlotte Richmond, who has lost several friends in the bombing. Those friends have more or less taken up residence in her mind, commenting of her every move and undermining her already limited sense of volition.
3. Surprises! Big surprises! I'll say no more. But, surprises!

If you're looking for some reading that moves beyond the usual limits of genre, you'll be deeply satisfied with Jo Baker's The Midnight News.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for my ARC of The Midnight News. Set in London during WWII during the Blitz’s. I’ve read a ton of WWII novels but never one documenting this particular aspect of it. Charlotte was a great main character and historical fiction readers will enjoy this as a great addition to the genre.

The harrowing terror of the Blitz is palpable in this story of a young woman’s experience through the early years of WWII. Having already suffered losses, she begins to realize the danger surrounding her is due to more than just the bombing, as someone is singling out her and her friends for violence. The only refuge from this and her overbearing family who consider her mentally frail, is a boy she meets who feeds the birds, with whom she strikes up a friendship. This is an engrossing and suspenseful story.

I loved this book! I thought I’d had my fill of women’s WWII fiction, but I decided to give this a try because the plot seemed unique. So many of these recent titles seem interchangeable: friends helping each other in sappy ways, or spies, or mystery series. “The Midnight News” could not be categorized so easily as its main character, Charlotte, had a history of mental illness brought on by a traumatic childhood. Her father wants Charlotte to stay at their country estate after college, but she can’t be around her father anymore. She gets a room in a London boarding house as the Blitz begins. Almost immediately upon arriving her best friend, who lives in London, dies in a bombing raid. Soon after, another school mate dies. As tragedies continue, Charlotte has a hard time carrying on.

So often we hear about the resilience of Londoners during the Blitz, but this is the story of a young woman who had a hard time handling the death around her. How resilient can some Londoners be before sliding into madness? This book takes a look at that. And I never seen such complete descriptions of everyday life during the Blitz. The story comes alive with Charlotte’s observations about perpetually dirty fingernails, walking on glass shards, and trying to find working telephones.

There is much more to this story that I haven’t even touched on. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this novel.

Set in London during WWII, The Midnight News tells the story of Charlotte Richmond, a young woman who works at the Ministry of Information. Grieving the loss of her brother because of the war and estranged from her family, she is trying to make it on her own, when people knows die, seemingly because of the Blitz - but she suspects otherwise.

This novel was interesting, but the plot was slow at times. If people are interested in historical fiction, this may be a good book for you. .

The author described the terrifying reality of the London blitz during WWII and how it impacted the lives of people living in London. London became a city on edge with blackouts, and destruction as constant reminders of the war. The book combines elements of the supernatural, thriller, romance, mental health issues, dysfunctional family, and WWII.
The 20 yr old main character, Charlotte Richmond, grew up in private schools, with dear friends who were also caught in the drama of war in London. Although she was institutionalized at age 17 after the death of her mother and brother, she was able to maintain a mediocre typing job (which she is not very good at), and live independently in a rooming house nearby. Her father is an MP and he and her sister pressure her to do better.
Now, Charlotte is struggling to maintain her sanity while dear friends who have died respond to her self doubts, thoughts and fears. The death of her best friend, her godmother, and a work buddy and the grief over these losses lead her to suspect a Shadow Man in a gray suit and crystal eyes (what are crystal eyes?) is stalking her and targeting those close to her. In spite of this, she manages to fall in love with Tom, an undertaker, who is waiting to start at the university.
This book has a lot of elements to make a great read, however, I found the meanderings of Charlotte's mind distracting and confusing with little focus or relation to the events of the story. The twist was good but irrelevant to the story and I didn't understand the final scene.
I received an advance reader's copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and the opinions are my own.

Pub date: 5/2/23
Genre: historical fiction
Quick summary: In 1940 London, Charlotte is living in the height of the Blitz, with her main comforts her best friend Elena and a mysterious boy who feeds the birds. As bombs continue to fall over London, she begins to believe that someone is after her and her fragile life.

I've read A LOT of WWII fiction, but this book has something truly unique. Most novels focus on the external events of the war, but this one examines Charlotte's psyche and puts the reader inside her head. Is she losing her sanity in the battle to keep her life? Or is someone mysterious really targeting her and her friends? If you enjoy character-driven/psychological dramas, this is a special one. It is a bit of a slow burn at the beginning, but as I got to know Charlotte, I became engrossed in the text. I paired my e-ARC with a library audio copy, and I also recommend the audio.

Thank you to Knopf for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a lot of World War II books. Historical Fiction, Romance, Non-Fiction, you name it. This is the first one that I have read that really goes into the day to day life during the Blitz. The bombings and the blackouts had to be terrifying. And to be the norm?

But this book goes so much further, and into the terrifying mind of Charlotte Richmond as she loses loved ones, and perhaps her sanity.

I found this story genuine, and the author put me into Charlotte's mind so well that I had to question what was really going on. I found myself confused and frustrated; which in the end I realized was on purpose.

I enjoyed The Midnight news and would recommend this book to both historical fiction lovers as well as psychological thrillers.

My library has purchased this copy based on my recommendation. We are eager to lend it out to our students.

This is a WWII era novel focused on the London Blitz. If you have read lots of WWII novels, don't shy away from this one because it was written from such a different perspective, that I haven't seen anything else done like this and you shouldn't miss it.

Charlotte Richmond, one of the main characters, is struggling to keep it together. She has previously experienced a breakdown and is now grieving the loss of family and friends during the war. During the story, she develops a friendship with Tom, the other main character. Tom is the son of the local undertaker and with physical limitations that have kept him out of the war.

The deaths happening in Charlotte's circle plus the sense that someone is following her cause Charlotte to becomes suspicious and start questioning how the deaths really happened. However, because of her past history, she feels that everyone is doubting her and her sanity.

At the beginning of the book, I did struggle to get into the story but not too far into it, it starts to click, and it becomes a page turner. Be prepared to delve into mental health, grief, survival, and family dynamics. Again, although this is written with a WWII focus, the storyline is very different from anything I have ever read, and I am glad I had to chance to visit Charlotte's world.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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In London in 1940, the Blitz is just beginning and 20-year-old Charlotte Richmond trudges from her rented attic room to her typing job every day. She is grief-stricken over the death in France of her brother Eddie, and has taken the little attic room to get away from her oppressive father, a wealthy MP.

You know how whenever you read about the Blitz, the emphasis is always on how Londoners kept a stiff upper lip and got on with it? Not that that’s not true, but Charlotte’s character shows us the internal price paid for the nightly raids, for the rising body count of people she knows and cares for. She begins to wonder if somebody is stalking the streets, taking advantage of the Blitz to target her friends and make it look like it’s the Germans to blame. Is Charlotte right, or is it just her mind refusing to accept the cost of the war? Or another possibility: is her grasp on reality slipping away?

This is a mesmerizing novel, with a keen sense of time and place, and an insightful look into the life of a young woman under constant pressure. Jo Baker’s writing is beautiful, and her characterization vivid and engaging.

The Voices

Charlotte is twenty, the year is 1940 and the Blitz is on in London. She works as a typist at the ministry of information. She dodges her father and her step mother and tries to keep in touch with her best friend Elena and her work friend Janet as well as her godmother . She really misses her soldier brother Eddie who was killed overseas.

Charlotte rents a room and has her own space. She is very alone but it is better than being with her father and step mother. She meets a boy named Thomas who feeds the birds in the park.
Charlotte becomes suspicious of a man in a grey suit when she sees him following a young girl in the neighborhood. When both of her friends die in air raids very close together she is sure there is something suspicious going on.

As the mystery deepens Charlotte is in danger and her family is her worst enemy. She is determined to solve the mystery and enlists Thomas to help.

It is a story of a young woman in a fragile mental state, alone, mediocre in her job, estranged from her family and with few friends to call on. As the mystery deepens and the Blitz continues her mental condition worsens . Will she solve the mystery before she completely falls apart?

War and stress and loneliness can tax a person and cause the mind to react in unusual ways. War and grief often accompany each other but neither of them are easy to deal with , especially if you are twenty.

The characters were awesome in the book and it was very well written. I enjoyed reading it .

Thanks to Jo Baker for writing a great story, to Knopf publishing for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to read and review.