Goodnight from London audiobook

Effortless and eloquent! Heartwarming story about love, life and survival in war-time London. Full review to follow shortly.

Loved this book. Review to come.

Jennifer Robson's previous three books have focused on WWI and this is her first book about WWII. It's a wonderful book about London told from a woman's perspective. The main character, Ruby Sutton, is a strong woman who is trying to make a success of her life as a reporter despite the resistance from some of the male reporters. When she is first assigned to London, she is quite shy and unsure of herself but as she gets more familiar with city, she becomes the strong character that is seen in the rest of the book. The author did a fantastic job of describing the Blitz and the way that the people felt while the bombs were dropping every night. The reader can feel the characters' fear and despair during the bombings and the relief as they leave the shelters. Ruby's reporting assignments gave the author a chance to show us different parts of England during the war and provided some very interesting human interest stories. This novel has everything that I want in a good historical fiction book - a well written book that shows that the author did considerable research on the subject, a strong main character - extra bonus because this one is female, great friendships and a romance. This is my favorite book by this author so far and I look forward to whatever she writes in the future.

My friend and fellow writer, Lia Davis Munro, has a term for strong and determined female characters in literature. She calls them "gutsy heroines." Ruby Sutton, from Goodnight From London, is absolutely one of these gutsy heroines.Ruby is a young American journalist. As WWII breaks out in Europe, Ruby is sent to London, England to work for a local magazine covering the war. Even during wartime, Ruby is excited about this new opportunity to start fresh across the ocean and leave the secrets of her past behind. In London she forms bonds with many new friends at her work, especially as they live through the nightly horrors of the Blitz. Ruby depends on the kindness of strangers to help her keep going both as she takes on new projects in her magazine and as she falls for a captain in the military who has his own secrets to hide.Redbook described Goodnight From London as, "An enchanting historical fiction reading experience that will break your heart only to put it back together again, Goodnight From London is the ultimate trifecta of suspense, romance, and unputdownable prose." I couldn't agree more. I have been a Jennifer Robson fan for awhile, and Goodnight From London was just as wonderful as I had hoped it would be.This book is a tribute to the entire generation of World War II. Whether they were on the battlefield or at home waiting for loved ones to return, men and women all over London fought to endure during a time when they were faced with darkness each and every day. Ruby's story is a story of hope, a story of friendship, and a story of love.Finally, I always love learning about how authors are inspired for the different stories that they write. What is interesting to keep in mind while reading Goodnight From London is that parts of the story are inspired by the wartime experiences of Jennifer Robson's own grandmother.

Very much enjoyed this story of an American journalist in war torn London during WW2. Shows what ordinary people went through. Plus a story of kindness and friendship and women taking a step up in journalism. Excellent narration from Saskia Maarleveld

"GOODNIGHT FROM LONDON" is a tender-hearted, at turns adventurous and perilous account of the experiences of a young American journalist, Ruby Sutton, who is given the opportunity from her employer to undertake an assignment in Britain during the summer of 1940 to provide both American and British readers with stories highlighting life on the UK home front. Ruby experiences a lot of what the war was about, endures loss, and much more. Any reader who savors a richly layered, well-told tale will enjoy reading "GOODNIGHT FROM LONDON."

3.5 STARS (increased to 4 for this site): I'm an avid WWII Historical Fiction reader and although it sometimes feels like I've read it all, I had yet to read Goodnight From London, part of Canadian author Jennifer Robson's backlist. This book falls into the lighter realm of the genre and was a slower paced but enjoyable read. It is clearly well-researched as Robson, an academic, former editor and self-proclaimed lifelong history nerd, weaves real events that occurred during the Blitz with a fictional story that follows Ruby Sutton, a young female journalist who is sent to London to write about the war. My favourite parts of the book were Robson's descriptions of day-to-day life in England during the intense 8-month long German bombing campaign against Britain and the small instances of humanity during this dangerous time. But despite the dangerous location, this remains a lighter read with the romance set in the background. The story centres around Ruby and I liked her feisty spirit as she tries to prove her skills as a war correspondent. But she remains a bit of an enigma for the reader, keeping her emotions close to her chest. I would have loved to know more about her past and gotten to know the secondary characters, particularly Bennett's aunt better.This is a heartwarming, lighter WWII fiction read that describes what life was like for average Brits during the Blitz. It has a lot going on but handles the romance, mystery, effects of war and complexity of its plot with a light hand. With its predictable story lines and lighter feel, it is a good choice for those who want a well-researched but less intense look at the war.While this wasn't my favourite book by this author (that title currently goes to her book The Gown), this was an enjoyable read and I appreciated the amount of research involved. Jennifer Robson remains one of my go-to authors and I am currently eagerly awaiting my copy of Our Darkest Night that I have preordered for its January 2021 release.

In "Goodnight from London," Ruby is initially thrilled when she lands a job that will take her to London reporting on the war in 1940. In the United States, the war still feels very far away and remote. Ruby is anxious to be where the action is and she knows that this will be a fantastic job to continue to hone her skills as a reporter for a weekly magazine. She doesn't know just how difficult the job will get! Based on stories from the author's own family history, this is a great historical fiction about London during World War II.Reading fiction and non-fiction about war reporters seems to be becoming a favorite of mine. With characters like Ruby in this book, it is no wonder! Ruby is dedicated to her craft of writing a good story and capturing the facts. This lands her the job in London but Ruby is not prepared for how difficult living and working in a war torn city will be. We see a shift in her throughout the book. While she is a great reporter, she is a little naive at the beginning of the book. We see how she changes into someone who understands the reality of war a little more and just exactly what is at stake. I loved how the author was able to show this shift in the story!Even though London was at the center of World War II for much of it, I don't feel like I have read about London during the Blitz, which this book centers on. I thought the author did a great job of capturing what it would have been like to be in London at the time. People still must try to go about their daily lives even with the threat of air strikes. They have to find a precarious balance, which is a theme throughout the book. I really liked the descriptions of what the city looked like at the time. This made the book feel real and the things that Ruby and the other characters were going through also added to that. This was a good book with a strong heroine and a good message!

Ms. Robson historical fiction was inspired by the memoirs of her grandmother Myra Moir, a reporter, who worked on the women’s pages of the News-Herald. The author in her latest will transport us to London in the midst of the Blitzkrieg.1940, American journalist Ruby Sutton gets her big break and moves to London to report on the Second World War as a staff member for Picture Weekly. But life in besieged Britain will test Ruby in ways unimaginable.In a heartbeat I was immersed in a women’s fiction with strong romantic elements and fascinating accounts of life in England. The protagonist profession is a true part of the story I enjoyed particularly. It was much more than a simple filler, it was an excellent exploration of journalism as it was during that time: daring interviews nicely depicted. While in London, Ruby forms bonds with many friends and depends on their kindness to keep her going and since “Goodnight from London “is a mix of suspense and romance of course what else can we expect but to have Ruby fall for a captain in the military….. awe….Their romance was sweet and engaging as it slowly moved forward.Ruby is one of those gutsy heroines that caught my interest from the first page, joining her is the slew of supporting cast that are equally captivating. It surely helps that they are likable characters. The authors’ prose and research shines through and it is easy to be pulled in especially when the ravished city is so expertly described. Closing each chapter are bits and pieces of articles that Ruby writes the words start by ”Dispatched from London by Miss Ruby Sutton” and her article is dated…..This is a cozy and enjoyable read I received a complimentary copy from HarperCollins through the Earlier Reviewer Program.

Goodnight from London was a well research, well written historical fiction about WWII. The characters were realistic, likeable and well developed. As a reader, I became one with the characters as the author vividly describes the sleepless nights, the strength of character, the hunger, the rationing of food and gas, the fear and the loss of friends, family and homes.

Here I go again! I'm on a role with this genre ;) WWII stories and movies are my latest obsession. But not all are well researched, plotted and written as I'm finding out. Not this story though! I liked this one a lot and there was a _lot_ to like.The heroine Ruby caught my interest from the first page, and the plot of an American woman reporter going to London as WWII approaches was intriguing, as much as our heroine's past. As our heroine get's to know her new surroundings, we are right beside her as author's wonderful prose and research shines through and sucks us in as Ruby tries to survive and at times thrive as her new life takes root.The novel is well written and researched and the romance between Bennett and Ruby was sweet and relatable because it moved at a realistic pace, regardless of war and its horrors. I also liked a slew of supporting cast, from Kaz to Vanessa, but it's the descriptions of the ravished city that touched me the most."At ground level, near what once may have been a set of stairs, a group of men in steel helmets and boiler suits were pulling at the debris, shovels at the ready, their muttered instructions to one another barely audible above an undercurrent of noise that Ruby didn't at first recognize. It was sort of low, keening cry, reminiscent of an animal in distress, and it made the hair on her nape stand on end and her breath catch at her throat.She turned her head this way and that, trying to discern what she heard, and then she realized it was coming from the people around her, men and women alike, some of them covering their mouths with their hands to contain their horror.The sound rose and rose, and then the crowd parted before her, and she stood and watched mutely as two men shuffled past with a stretcher. On it was a blanket-draped body, far too small to be that of an adult, and as the men stepped free of the debris the blanket shifted, only to reveal a tiny shoe, its leather wizened and twisted by fire and water ...The horror of that one shoe fell on her, a body blow that stole the breath from her lungs. She took a step back, closed her eyes, but the image would not flee, it was still there even in the darkness. She could see it, see the child's little foot, so still and cold. How was she ever to wipe such sight from her mind?"This story is heart wrenching and heartwarming and I highly recommend it.Melanie for b2bComplimentary copy provided by the publisher