A discovery from the past and difficult choices in the present…

Synopsis

A country at war. A heartbreaking betrayal.

1942. Three years into the war, Pam turns down her hard-won place at Oxford University to become a codebreaker at Bletchley Park. There, she meets two young men, both keen to impress her, and Pam finds herself falling hard for one of them. But as the country’s future becomes more uncertain by the day, a tragic turn of events casts doubt on her choice – and Pam’s loyalty is pushed to its limits…

Present day. Julia is struggling to juggle her career, two children and a husband increasingly jealous of her success. Her brother presents her with the perfect distraction: forgotten photos of their grandmother as a young woman at Bletchley Park. Why did her grandmother never speak of her time there? The search for answers leads Julia to an incredible tale of betrayal and bravery – one that inspires some huge decisions of her own…

My review

Julia has a successful business, but she is struggling with keeping all the balls in the air. Her business demands a lot of time, but she also has two children to take care of and her husband Marc’s jealousy only seems to increase the more successful she becomes. And he isn’t really the most helpful man around the house.
But on one day, her brother brings her the perfect distraction: photos and a camera belonging to their grandmother. Julia never knew that her grandmother worked at Bletchley Park. What did her grandmother do there? And why didn’t she ever speak of it?

Because practically nobody knew about Pamela’s job as a codebreaker in 1942, after deferring her place at Oxford University. And at Bletchley Park she meets two young men, both keen to impress her. Even if Pam is starting to fall for one of them, the War is still going on, and she learns the hard way that her loyalty is being pushed to its limits. 

Two women of the same family with their own struggles and heartbreak… 

Each story I read from this author captivates me, but even if there are some likenesses (dual time lines), they also keep on surprising me every time. 

Both stories could have been a perfect standalone story, but it’s the link between them that makes this a beautiful book to read. 

I felt sorry for Julia, because even if her business is a successful one, she is struggling with just everything in her life. Her job is a very demanding one, but she also has a family to take care of. And Marc, her husband, isn’t really the most devoting husband in the world.
it even made me mad at some point, how people still have that outdated reasoning that women should take care of the family and cannot have a successful career. And when these wonderful women do, these “ancient” men can only get jealous and unreasonable… 

But I also loved seeing Julia’s resilience. She fights for her marriage and family, and tries her best to make everything work.
And even when my suspicion was confirmed and Julia get betrayed on several levels, she keeps her head high and shows everyone what a strong woman she is. 

But not only is Julia a strong woman to look up to, so was Pam. As a young woman, nearly out of school, instead of going to Oxford University, she makes the decision to help out her country during War. Reading how she settles in at Bletchley Park, makes new friend, was sweet to read. I say sweet, because even during hard times friends can be made, and even falling in love is not impossible.

I admired Pamela, as I can only try to understand how difficult life during War can be. but even at her rather young age, she understand the importance of her job and the importance of keeping it secret, no matter how hard it is.
I appreciated that the author made Pamela fall in love, but didn’t change her into a gullible species. Pamela keeps a bright head, and sees when things are a bit off. But she also has a kind heart, as she doesn’t judge people just because of their past. 

This is a story of strong, smart, determined women facing difficult times. The author managed again to write a captivating stories, with a link to the real past.
Personally I never heard of Bletchley Park before (I live in Belgium, before you all go ballistic of my ignorance 😄) but I knew a little about how code breaking was the start of the end of the War.
And the place now surely has my interest, even if I will ever truly grasp how it all works… 

I enjoyed reading this story, and was amazed by these women that both in past and present are doing their utterly best in distressful times but are making the best of it and manage to make their own, newly found happiness.