Availability:
Library | Call Number | Format | Status | Item Holds |
---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Braintree Thayer Public Library | EVA | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Cohasset Paul Pratt Memorial Library | EVANS | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Duxbury Free Library | FIC EVANS, LISSA | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Milton Public Library | FIC EVANS | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Scituate Town Library | EVA | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Weymouth Tufts Library | EVANS | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
In this witty, charming follow-up to the acclaimed Crooked Heart, the life of lies a small time scammer and her adopted son have constructed in London becomes endangered during the tumultuous final months of World War II.
It's late 1944. Hitler's rockets are raining down on London with vicious regularity and it's the coldest winter in living memory. The Allies are gaining ground, but victory is certainly dragging its feet.
In a large house next to Hampstead Heath, Vee Sedge is barely scraping by with a herd of lodgers to feed and her young charge Noel, almost fifteen now, to clothe and educate. When she witnesses an accident and finds herself in court, the repercussions are both unexpectedly marvelous and potentially disastrous. Because Vee is not actually the person she's pretending to be, and neither is Noel.
Victory is coming. Yet the end of the war won't just mean peace, but discovery . . .
With caustic wit and artful storytelling, Lissa Evans summons a time when the world could finally hope to emerge from the chaos of war. As witty as Old Baggage and poignant as Crooked Heart, V for Victory once again reveals Evans to be one of the most original and entertaining writers at work today.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
A middle-aged London woman takes in a 14-year-old boy during WWII in Evans's beguiling sequel to Crooked Heart. In 1944, Vee Sedge continues living as Margery Overs, aunt of Noel Bostock, to maintain custody of Noel and others abandoned during the war. After Vee sees a man fatally struck by a van, she is called to testify in court, where she maintains her ruse as Margery, who is deceased, and recalls her fear when previously appearing before a magistrate's court for alleged theft. As the bombing of London continues, meanwhile, Air Raid Precautions Warden Winnie Crowther works tirelessly as she ponders her future after the war and hopes her husband, Emlyn, returns from a POW camp. After Vee is blackmailed by someone threatening to expose her fraud, she reveals the details of the blackmailing to Noel, who has a secret of his own, and the bond between them grows stronger. A host of quirky characters adds levity to the frequent deadly bombing raids as the stories of Vee, Noel, and the Crowthers intersect. Evans's down-to-earth tale will hook readers from the first page. Agent: Georgia Garrett, RCW Literary. (May)
Booklist Review
This darkly comic novel is the third in a loose trilogy, following Crooked Heart (2015) and Old Baggage (2019), and the characters' backstories are revealed as the plot progresses. In 1944, London's neighborhoods lie battered from attacks by German bombers. Known as an efficient Hampstead landlady, Mrs. Margery Overs is actually an impostor whose real name is Vera (Vee) Sedge, and her 14-year-old "nephew," Noel, is a former child evacuee she has taken in. A charmingly sharp lad, Noel cooks for Vee's lodgers, who tutor him in various subjects. After Vee witnesses a traffic accident, and Noel meets someone who knew his beloved late godmother, their true identities are at risk of being exposed. Evans excels at portraying war-weary Londoners conducting their lives while death arrives with terrible randomness; among them is air-raid warden Winnie Crowther, whose husband is a prisoner of war. Many are forced to weigh the cost of keeping secrets. The eclectic characters are all uniquely human, and their interactions--there are no dull conversations--make the novel witty and moving.