These Days was a bit of a slow burn—I wasn't sure how I'd enjoy it during the first few chapters, but I found that I quite enjoyed the novel.

Lucy Caldwell does a beautiful job of just dropping the reader into Belfast, introducing us to the characters who make up the community. She doesn't spend unnecessary time building up background or giving us too much history. She instead allows the reader to unravel these characters at their pace, slowly piece together who they are based on their actions and the little tidbits admitted in the prose.

I loved it. I think it's such a great way for the reader to learn these characters and actually get to the heart of the novel. Everyone was rich and vibrant. You could feel their pain, their anxiety, their joy on every page. And while this focuses on the Belfast Blitz, the ensemble cast is so much more than just these few nights. Caldwell did a beautiful job.

The only reason I didn't rate it a five stars is that, as mentioned, it took me a bit to get into. I went days without reading it when I first started. But once I got fully in, I was invested.

“a tale of interrupted girlhood” is accurate — this story follows two sisters against the backdrop of war as they navigate their identity, desire, and familial decisions. i thought this was a rather slow and quiet meditation on how one continues with their life in a way that is as “normal” as possible while juggling the reality of living in a war torn city, but beautiful and lyrical nonetheless

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for my copy!

Thank you NetGalley & Zando for access to a copy of this book prior to release !!

This book felt so comforting, which I’m aware is such an odd way to describe a ww2 historical fiction novel. But I think it was the way that Lucy Caldwell wrote about these people and their lives. They felt like real people and it felt like she was telling the stories of millions of people who had to continue on as ‘normal’ to the best of their abilities!

I really enjoyed this one.

Gosh….this was a powerful and intense read!
Through sisters Audrey and Emma (and some of their friends and family members) I learned of the depth of the absolute horrors of the Belfast Blitz in 1941. Lucy Caldwell’s writing is so strong that all my senses were immersed in the story - I could see, hear, smell, taste and feel the destruction and the devastation within the city, as well as the effects upon both adults and children alike.

The resilience of the characters is remarkable. Their initial reactions of ‘oh it could have been worse’ almost made me smile. But as the air raids and bombings intensified, there are still the resounding messages of ‘we must carry on’ and ‘this will pass.’

‘These Days’ of the Belfast Blitz is more than just a few moments and days - the effects were personal, intimate, political, global and extremely profound in so many ways. This book is one that will stay with me - and has left me wanting more…..I’d love to know what happened next in the lives of Audrey and Emma!

Thank you to the publisher, Zando, for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this, as the synopsis says that the novel follows two sisters in 1941 over two months during the Belfast Blitz. One sister is to be engaged, and the other is having a secret relationship with a woman. However, this book does not just follow the two sisters, Audrey and Emma, but also follows other women like their mother, Florence.

The book was just okay, there was nothing about it that I disliked or particularly liked. The writing is simple and comprehensive, and it is structurally easy to follow. There is nothing wrong with this book, but it didn't do anything special or noteworthy. I do, however, think that it is a great book for shedding light on an event that isn't often spoken about.

*"These Days" by Lucy Caldwell is a beautifully crafted and deeply moving novel that vividly brings wartime Belfast to life. With exquisite prose and compelling characters, Caldwell captures the resilience, love, and quiet courage of ordinary people amidst extraordinary circumstances. A poignant and immersive read that lingers long after the final page.*

I grew up just outside Belfast, and I’m always drawn to stories, fiction and nonfiction, that explore different narratives of Northern Ireland’s history. The Belfast Blitz isn’t a part of history that’s often talked about, but These Days brings it to life, and since reading, I’ve felt compelled to read further into it.

Through the Bell family, Caldwell captures the everyday realities of war, the uncertainty, the fear, the impossible choices people had to make… The novel is filled with quiet moments of love and longing, contrasted against the sheer devastation of the city being torn apart.

I was especially drawn to Emma’s storyline, her quiet rebellion against expectations, and the way Caldwell portrays her discovery of love and self.

This book doesn’t shy away from the horrors of war: the terror, the destruction, the unimaginable loss, but it also highlights the resilience of a city that refused to be broken. It’s beautifully written, unflinching, and deeply affecting.

Read if you enjoy:
-Historical fiction that focuses on the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary times
-Women’s stories in wartime
-LGBTQ+ narratives in historical settings
-Books that uncover hidden or overlooked parts of history

Such a poignant and evocative story of the personal and lasting toll of conflict and the complex, often fraught relationship between sisters and their place in the family, set against a backdrop of war, fear, tragedy and resolve.

This was a very harrowing and authentic reflection on the devastation of the ‘Belfast Blitz’ during WWII, and as someone who unfortunately knows very little about irish history, this book did a great job of portraying just how badly it tore their communities apart. Lucy Caldwell’s writing is haunting and poetic and she did a great job of balancing different characters’ storylines while portraying how these bombings permanently changed (or ended) the lives of those that lived through it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC of this book!

These Days is a poetic, lyrical and absolutely devastating book about Belfast in World War II, told through the lens of the different members of the Bell family, and several other characters that we grow to love and care for as we turn the pages. This is a powerful book with grief entrenched on every page, with moments of love and care peppered throughout. I won't say this was an easy read, this was definitely one of the more difficult books to read because of all the pain and grief and tears and love in this book. I would recommend this book to everyone, but only when they're in the right frame of mind to take this on.

Lucy Caldwell’s historical novel is set against the Belfast blitz, a series of attacks on the city by the Luftwaffe in April and May of 1941 in which more than a thousand people were killed. This tragic period in Belfast’s history is explored through two sisters, Audrey and Emma Bell. Audrey is twenty-one and works as a junior clerk at the tax office. Her boyfriend, Richard, a doctor like her father, proposed unexpectedly because these are “unprecedented times,” but Audrey is having doubts about the impending marriage. “There is so much we haven’t discussed, she thinks, so much we haven’t yet done.” Audrey is not sure that she is prepared to renounce her job and her independence, and she is concerned about Richard’s sexual hesitancy. Emma is eighteen and volunteers at a First Aid post against her mother’s wishes as there are surely other ways that Emma could contribute to the war effort where she could meet a nice young man. Emma, however, has fallen in love with her supervisor, Sylvia, a woman eleven years her senior. She laments, “How I wish . . . I could have Sylvia round like Audrey does Richard and her new English friend.”

Caldwell explores the everyday during wartime, accompanying Audrey and Emma’s younger brother, Paul, at a football match that is disrupted by the presence of a circling solitary Henkel, and following Audrey and Richard to a dance at the Floral Hall, where young people like to let off steam, but that is often unavailable because it is requisitioned by the city’s defense forces. Caldwell ratchets up the violence and destruction — the air raid sirens, the public shelters, the gas masks, the increasing casualties.

Caldwell captures this period of horrific violence with a skilled eye. Although most of the action is told through Audrey and Emma and their mother, Florence, who has a heartbreaking chapter devoted to a long-lost love, their differing perspectives provide emotional depth to the novel. Caldwell has penned a book that is often introspective, and replete with loss and longing, love and endurance. Thank you SJP Lit/Zando and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this affecting historical novel.

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.