You Promised When the War Ended...

This is a vivid depiction of life in rural England during the closing years of the Second World War as seen by a lively and imaginative young girl growing up in a close-knit family. Tightly regulated rationing affects every aspect of daily life and there are constant reminders of the war being fought not very far away, with the child's father known to her only by the photo of him that her mother regards fondly, referring to him as 'her beloved', and who is just one of the thousands of men dedicating their lives to defending family and country. Other sights recorded include the presence of seemingly endless convoys of tanks and trucks, men parachuting into nearby fields, and barrage balloons floating above.

Despite all this family life continues and the domestic scene is warmly conveyed with the character of the family members keenly developed, and the rigours of their difficulties and the joy of the happy times are all described in the detail only a small child would catch. At the same time her own fears and pleasures are revealed and serve to give a very clear picture of the things that contribute to her growing awareness of family, friends, and other people and their lives.

A recurring story in the book is her mother's reminiscences of her courtship with her husband and her journey across land and sea to join him at his post in the depths of Egypt where he was an Officer in command of a far-flung outpost of the British Empire between the wars. Of course Henrietta is already familiar with these stories and gets into trouble for interrupting and even at times, correcting her mother when she thinks there are inconsistencies!

When the family move to a new home we get a clear impression of a grand but neglected old farmhouse that has been unoccupied for a long time, possibly due to it having a well-known ghost who can be heard walking about upstairs. The family are reluctant to tell Henrietta about this but of course she soon finds out anyway. The move means exploring a new village and meeting new people and this provides the opportunity for some well-crafted character development.

Throughout the book her best friend Ted and her nanny are always close at hand and are the centre of many of the stories which all contribute to a warm and moving history of a young life in troubled times.