There is no beauty in war; only destruction, loss, overpowering grief. There is, however, a beauty in survival, adjusting to altered lives. The Bell family of Belfast is close-knit: Philip, the father, a doctor; Florence, the mother, a homemaker; Audrey, dating a potential husband, Emma, First Aid volunteer, and young Paul, shipped to the countryside, are the children. Their city is targeted for Hitler’s Luftwaffe. Homes are destroyed; streets, erased; neighbors of all ages, maimed and killed. Both daughters suffer love loss and disillusionment as do their friends. There are few opportunities for anyone and little time to make life choices. The attacks are random; the bomb explosions are incessant. Lucy Caldwell’s description is vivid. The reader witnesses the horrors and experiences
the fear and anxiety of each attack. The sight of abandoned pets wandering the streets of rubble is difficult to forget. These images last beyond the final page. Characters recall memories to relieve tension. Knowing their world will never be the same, they grasp moments to remember the past and wonder about the future.

These Days by Lucy Caldwell is a poignant and immersive book set during the Blitz in 1941. Told through the lives of two sisters, Audrey and Emma, Caldwell explores love, family, and the impact of the war. With lyrical prose and beautiful historical detail the novel vividly brings this era to life as an absorbing and emotional read.

4.5 stars

Northern Ireland had escaped the worst of World War II until April of 1941 when, in a period of less than three weeks, four separate German Luftwaffe air raids caused widespread destruction in the city of Belfast forever changing the lives of those who survived the bombings. The two worst of these raids which destroyed much of the city were known as the Easter Raid on April 15/16 1941 and the Fire Raid which took place on May 4-5th. These Days tells the story of what became known as the Belfast Blitz primarily from the perspective of sisters Audrey and Emma - one engaged to be married to a doctor and the other in the early days of a secret relationship with another woman - as they try to figure out what they want in the future while trying to survive the horrors of war.

I have read a lot of fiction set in World War II but I think this is the first that I have read about the Irish war experience. I wasn't aware that the Republic of Ireland had remained neutral during the war or that Belfast had endured this devastating bombing campaign that killed nearly 1,000 people, injured thousands and left half of the homes in Belfast damaged or destroyed. Although I learned more about events of World War II reading this book, it was the emotional impact of the story that will stay with me. The author's brilliant depiction of the fear and the devastation of the air raids, the heartbreak of the loss of human life and the physical destruction of the city made me weep several times while reading. The writing is lyrical, haunting, atmospheric - this is sure to be one of my most memorable reads of this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

*These Days* is a poignant tale of resilience and love amid WWII Belfast’s devastation. Caldwell’s lyrical prose and rich character work bring the Bell family to life, weaving a deeply moving portrait of survival and hope. Perfect for fans of introspective historical fiction with queer representation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Zando SJP Lit (yes, that SJP- Sarah Jessica Parker) for the ARC of this novel.

2.5 This one took awhile to read and it never was something I wanted to pick up. I did enjoy reading about them going into shelters when the sirens went off and the tension of what was to com. I felt like I never really connected with any of the characters. There was almost too many of them. The two main sisters, Audrey and Emma, the author made them more abstract than they needed to be. I never felt there was a depth to the characters or any of their decision making.

This was a miss for me. But I did find a fascinating yet sad fact: They had to kill animals at the zoo in order to protect the public in case a bomb set the animals free! So crazy and sad.

The story focuses on a family (and in particular two daughters) during four nights of the Belfast blitz.

I had no idea that Belfast had been blitzed during WW2 and found the storytelling around this heartbreaking and vivid.

The remainder of the story didn’t grab my attention and it felt disjointed in parts, with portions in the book inconsequential to the character development or plot.

In “These Days,” Caldwell builds a clear portrait of a moment of incredible violence and instability, but also offers us a tender glimpse into what’s necessary for survival.

The novel centers around one family during the weeks of bombardments that devastated Belfast during WWII. While the story’s heart is the the two sisters, both who are struggling not to let the war stop their lives from moving forward into adulthood, I found much tenderness in the stories of the mother and brother as well. The tightly woven perspectives of each family member create a tension and inertia that move the story along and pull the reader into the thoughts and emotions of each member of the Bell family. I wanted to follow them all into their respective futures.

It’s clear Lucy Caldwell did an immense amount of research. Her accounts of grief, longing, and hope moved me to tears in unexpected ways (and places—I haven’t cried over a book in a coffee shop in a long time).

Highly recommend for historical fiction readers looking for thoughtful, interior storytelling. (Especially folks looking for queer historical fiction.)

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and to Farber Books for the pleasure of receiving an ARC of “These Days” written by Lucy Caldwell.
We find ourselves in Belfast, Ireland a little before and during The Blitz of World War II. Audrey and Emma Bell are sisters trying to live and love during the Bombing in 1941. One sister is secretly in love with another woman while her sister is engaged to marry a doctor. Personal struggles ensue between life with the sisters and facing the horrors of the Blitz.
I really appreciate the dedication and obvious research that went into writing this book. While I found it just a little slow at times, the important and very interesting facts take over. Historic Fiction is my genre of choice and this one fulfilled the bill perfectly.

An tale of two sisters coming of age during the 1941 Belfast Blitz. I found it a little challenging to connect with either of the main characters, perhaps because I was more interested in the larger political and historical themes of the book.
I really appreciated Lucy Caldwell's attention to historical detail, especially since (I am a ashamed to admit), I wasn't aware that Northern Ireland experienced such severe bombing during WWII.

These Days is a historical fiction novel that takes place in Belfast, circa WWII. An enlightening and absorbing novel, I thoroughly enjoyed These Days!

Belfast, 1941. Sisters Audrey and Emma face their new reality of life under German air raids across four nights in April and May. These Days is perfect for those of us who love a deep, introspective character study, especially surrounding the lived female experience. These days is perfect if you're a reader like me and love reading about the little day-to-day minutiae of being a young woman in the 1940s, like making your rations last long enough, or wanting a new lipstick for your birthday, or just wanting to go to a dance. Nevertheless, These Days deals with the new protagonists' new realities of war. While harrowing in parts, often bleak, and with immense loss, it is a book filled with humanity and community.

What really drew me to These Days by Lucy Caldwell is that it is a book that explores a city outside of London that was heavily bombed. I, myself, didn't know that Belfast suffered so much loss during just four raids, which led me down a rabbit hole of researching more about events during this time. I love it when books have you yearning to do more research yourself about what you're reading.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Zando/SJP Lit for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In These Days, Lucy Caldwell immerses readers in the turmoil of Belfast during the 1941 bombings, focusing on two sisters, Audrey and Emma Bell, as they navigate the personal and societal upheavals of war. Audrey, the practical sister, is engaged to a doctor but finds her relationship with Richard tested as the bombings reveal their emotional distance. Meanwhile, Emma, the more rebellious sister, embarks on a secret love affair with another woman, Sylvie, challenging both societal expectations and her own sense of identity. As the air raids devastate their city, both sisters must confront their deepest fears, desires, and the realities of love in a time of crisis.

Caldwell’s novel beautifully blends the chaos of war with intimate personal struggles, exploring themes of love, identity, and resilience. The vivid portrayal of Belfast under siege captures the emotional toll of the bombings, while the complex relationships between Audrey and Emma highlight the tension between societal norms and personal freedom. While the novel's introspective pacing and focus on internal conflicts may not appeal to all readers, These Days offers a powerful exploration of human resilience and the capacity to love amid the destruction of war.

There is a distinct sense of anticipation at the beginning of Lucy Caldwell’s novel, These Days. The youngest member of the Bell family, Peter, wishes he was a few years older so that he could join the Royal Air Force or the Army and fight the Germans. His older sister, Audrey, is waiting to see if she’ll finally feel like an adult if she gets married. Oldest daughter Emmie is waiting to see if she can get someone to give her a chance to prove herself. They have no idea that a devastating series of air raids is headed their way.

These Days is set in Belfast slightly before and during the Belfast Blitz. Although the city had prepared emergency aid stations, signed up volunteers, and (sort of) prepared shelters in case of raids from the Luftwaffe, the Bells suspect that they are too far away from the Continent to be a real target. The first raid on the night of April 7-8, 1941 stuns them all. The next raid, on April 15, is even worse. By the time the four raids are over, around 1,000 people will be killed and entire blocks of Belfast leveled.

Emmie has always felt like no one takes her seriously. Volunteering to provide first aid in the case of a raid is the perfect opportunity to show everyone, especially her doctor father, that she is a smart, capable woman The problem, at least until the Belfast Blitz begins, is that her superiors keep sending her home because nothing is happening. Meanwhile, Audrey takes the first steps towards becoming a wife by accepting a lackluster proposal from her boyfriend, Richard. The problem is that Audrey isn’t sure she actually loves Richard, or that Richard loves or even understands her. To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, the knowledge that one might be bombed concentrates the mind wonderfully. One very bad day and night during the Belfast Blitz provide that kind of concentration for the sisters.

Although the premise of These Days means that a lot of focus has to be on how the two Bell sisters cope during the bombings, I would have to answer anyone who asked me what this book was about by saying that, actually, I think this book is about love. Yes, Emmie and Audrey spend a lot of time either trying to stay safe or helping others who’ve been injured and bombed out of their homes but they also spend a lot of time thinking about the people they love or don’t love. Emmie finds a surprising passion with another first-aid volunteer, Sylvie. In another time and place, she’d be able to shout to the rafters about her lover. In Belfast, in 1941, she has to keep everything very quiet. Meanwhile, Audrey has a very socially acceptable fiance who, when the bombs arrive, leaves Audrey at a dance hall that has no shelter. This might be forgivable—and Audrey is more than willing to forgive this—if it weren’t for the fact that Richard doesn’t seem to want to do anything more than kiss her.

These Days ends with a curious blend of ambiguity and resolution. The Belfast Blitz had four major air raids over a month, while this book only spans a week. These characters are in a country that will be at war until 1945. So, while there is definitely a conclusion to the major questions Caldwell raises with her characters, with the possibility that they can find real happiness, any stability a more typical conclusion would provide is undermined by the knowledge that anything could happen to the Bell family before the war ends. Readers who like a hefty dose of realism in their historical fiction will find a lot of food for thought here.

A stunning portrayal of two sisters during the Belfast Blitz.

TW: War violence and graphic injury

Audrey and Emma are living very different lives. One is about to embark on married life, the other is having a secret relationship with a senior coworker. We follow their lives as they live through the bombing of Belfast in 1941. Caldwell focuses on the female experiences of this time. Female relationships of sisterhood, motherhood, lovers, employee, and colleague are all explored. We witness the events of the Spring of 1941 through the eyes of the women of the Bell family and the women they have daily contact with. We see the horror and destruction but also the tenderness and warmth these relationships nurture at times of crisis.

This novel won’t be for everyone. It may seem at times as if not much happens in the book. Caldwell includes the mundane everyday activities that occur during this time, But their portrayal is just as important as it provides a human insight into living through such a horrific event.

I really liked the changes of perspective throughout the book, especially the chapters from Maisie’s point of view, I felt Caldwell wrote from the view of a child with exceptional skill, and without being too twee. I also really enjoyed Audrey’s development. I started off thinking she was quite materialistic and vapid but her decisions towards the end of the narrative made me warm to her. The devastation of the Blitz really seemed to highlight the importance of being true to yourself - a valuable message.

This was a really good story about a little known WW2 bombing in Belfast Ireland (at least I was not aware that Ireland was bombed during WW2), it is quite a moving story. The story follows two women who are sisters, Audrey who is engaged to be married and Emma who is in a secret relationship with another woman. Both are young, Audrey works for a tax office and Emma works with a First Aid post, helping individuals who have been injured during bombing runs by the Germans. Audrey's boyfriend is a doctor, Richard, who is often called out to see people that have been sent to hospital with serious injuries. Much of the story is related through varies bombing runs and the affect it has on the family of Audrey and Emma, their father is also a doctor, their mom, Florence, is a stay at home mother and their younger brother Paul, who Florence worries about, is eventually sent out to a farm to escape from the bombing runs. The number of casualties and the damage done by the bombing is extensive, and life altering for the residents of Belfast. Audrey has doubts about her commitment to Richard and eventually tells him she doesn't want to get married to him, he doesn't take it well. Emma's girlfriend, is last seen running towards a fire raging after a bomb had been dropped, the bomb or another one explodes and she disappears. Emma spends many days searching for her, including in makeshift morgues when unidentified dead are kept for days hoping someone will identify them. A very well told story from many perspectives and I would highly recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Zando for the ARC.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Historical Fiction + LGBTQIA+

I have been looking for WWII stories that offer something different. Fortunately, These Days turned out to be different from what I have read in the past. The story takes place in Belfast during the 1941 bombings. It follows two sisters, Audrey and Emma Bell, who face the challenges and devastations of war. Their journey highlights how the air raids impact individual lives and the strength required to get through such tough times.

Audrey, who is considered among the two sisters to be the one who is more practical, is engaged to a doctor, while Emma, the one with the more rebellious personality, has an affair with a woman. As bombs ravage the city, their lives become unstable, confronting personal and societal expectations. Caldwell explores love, identity, and human resilience amid change, fear, loss, and bravery.

The novel explores love, identity, and resilience against the harrowing backdrop of the Belfast Blitz during World War II. It shines in its vivid depiction of a city under siege, capturing both the physical destruction and the emotional toll on its inhabitants. Caldwell’s prose is lyrical and evocative, drawing readers into the world of the Bell sisters, Audrey and Emma, as they navigate the chaos of war and the complexities of their personal lives.

Audrey’s pragmatic approach to life and Emma’s secret same-sex relationship provide two contrasting but equally compelling perspectives on love and societal expectations. Caldwell sensitively handles their struggles, adding depth and emotional resonance to the narrative.

However, the novel’s introspective tone and deliberate pacing may not appeal to all readers. The story sometimes lingers on the sisters’ internal conflicts, slowing the momentum and making certain sections feel repetitive. While Audrey and Emma are well-developed, secondary characters often lack the same depth, leaving the world somehow uneven. Regardless of the cons, I ended up liking it and appreciating what it offered.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Lucy Caldwell’s historical fiction novel These Days is set in Belfast, Ireland during the German blitz of WWII. The book is about two sisters, and focuses on the stories of women in war. It’s an easy and entertaining read with a nice flow, told from multiple perspectives, with vivid and well-researched depictions of the four nights during which Belfast was under attack by German bombs.

Admittedly, I found myself more interested in the history than the characters’ individual storylines. I love a blitz novel, and found this one to be tense, exciting, and emotional (but not necessarily super original), with young, likable characters coming of age while surrounded by war.

What was missing- I was hoping for more about how the divided city of Belfast specifically felt about being bombed because they were part of Great Britain.

What was pleasantly surprising- rampant burgeoning feminism, set as women began to question what they wanted and rebel against traditional gender expectations of marriage and motherhood, and even a queer perspective. That was an unexpected bonus to this story of two young women in a rapidly changing world.

Thank you @NetGalley and @faberbooks for the ARC.

Set in Belfast as World War II has begun, this is a story of how the war affected those whose lives were upended, as well as those whose lives were ended, period. This story revolves around Audrey and Emma, sisters, and how the war changed their lives, and the lives of so many others.

This is partially a love story, a story of a love hidden from the world. How, perhaps, the war gave them more courage to live their lives without sharing their secrets.


Pub Date: 18 Mar 2025


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Zando / SJP Lit

Not really my thing, not the type of stories I usually like. I would say the setting is pretty interesting and the context rather informative but this wasn't a really enjoyable read for me. However, I think this could be a nice book for a certain audience liking period pieces of war or troubles such as those.

This book was a slow burner with so many mundane conversations. I fast forwarded much of the book . The characters were shallow and uninteresting. The historical events of the various air raids on Belfast in April of 1941 presented an account of how devastating war is on people .