Customer Reviews

Coventry

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my first novel by Helen Humphreys, I have read her previous book, The Frozen Thames, which deserves its place as a #1 national bestseller in non-fiction. This woman certainly knows her history.
In deceptively simple language Humphreys here portrays the night of November 14, 1940 and the bombing of Coventry , England during World War Two. Harriet has been a widow since the First World War. Through her eyes we experience unending hours of destruction and terror, but there is kindness and love too. She starts out on fire watch on the roof of Coventry Cathedral, which does not survive, and ends up with Maeve who searches for her son throughout the city that is burning and reduced to rubble. This is a novel with heart, a story of shared tragedy. So much is lost to the people of Coventry, life will never be the same for any of them.
Humphreys writing is beautiful, as when Maeve, rushing home from the bomb shelter hoping to find her son there, sees tin soldiers in formation on his bedroom windowsill and realizes that they are young Jeremy's " last station of childhood ". He had tried to enlist but was turned down because he is colour blind. He was on fire watch with Harriet and they spent some hours helping with the injured where they could and dodging falling incendiaries and collapsing buildings in an attempt to get home. The details of the history are accurate and the novel ends with an epilogue about the dedication of the newly rebuilt cathedral some twenty years after the war. I wanted to begin reading this book again as soon as I'd finished it, not something that usually happens with me. I will be rereading it to enjoy the way language is used in the story, and I look forward to reading her other novels. A very satisfying read that I can recommend to everyone.

This book captivated me during the first few pages; the writing is beautiful and it drew me right in. Unfortunately the book started to lag during the middle part and I found myself missing the beginning of the book.

"Coventry" by Helen Humphreys occurs during the bombing of Coventry on November 14, 1940. Harriet watches the bombers arrive to destroy the city while standing on the roof or the Coventry Cathedral. Jeremy a young fire-watcher watches the destruction unfold while standing beside her. Jeremy's mother is in a cellar wondering about her son. These are the three main characters of the book and the events of this night direct the rest of their lives.

The story is short and the description of the terrors of the bombing raids is vivid and breathtaking. The story is about lost love, remembrance, family, friends and I would say lust or desperation.

Coventry by Helen Humphreys is a look at a single night in the history of World War II. This book is more of a novella in terms of length and easily read in one sitting. I learned a great deal about the history of Coventry in this book and the devastation it suffered during the war. The story of the characters was interesting and their experience made the devastation very personal. I struggled a bit with the main character as I didn't find her very likable. I did like the way the book managed to span over 40 years within 170 pages. Overall, I enjoyed this book.

This book tells the story of Nov. 14, 1940, the evening and night that Coventry, England, an industrial town, was bombed to a wasteland by a German air raid during World War II. Two women's lives are explored in the days leading up to that fateful night and when they meet their lives are forever changed and joined together forever more.

A beautiful little novel, or perhaps better called "novella", running in at only 177 pages. English town life is deftly described. How both World Wars affected a nation of people is expressed in a simple nonetheless captivating language. Yet the horrors of experiencing and entire night of bombing air raids is chillingly effective in this stunning novel.

I have heard my own Gran (now 92) describe her fear of the air raids in England. To this day she is terrified of thunder, as it sounds like bombs dropping, and she shudders when hearing police, firetruck, etc. sirens as they remind her of the air raid sirens and the bomb shelters. Reading this book has helped me to experience that terror.

Even so, the novel is also a sentimental and bittersweet story of two women and two young men affected forever by war. I highly recommend this book. It is a quick read and well worth it.

Reading [Coventry] almost like spending the night with those who actually experienced the German Blitz on Coventry on Nov14, 1940.

Helen Humphreys draws on many sources for" Coventry" : other written accounts of the event, the memories of those who experienced the Blitz in person , as well as eyewitness accounts of those more recently bombed in Baghdad.

Coventry is quickly paced as well as balanced.
Harriet Marsh, our narrator, lost her husband in the battle of Ypres in WW1. Prior to her husbands death, Harriet receives a letter from her husband who writes of his love for her and his experiences in WW1. This quote from his letter to Harriet really touched me . " Whatever happens, you must not believe that the Germans are worse than us." Harriet's husband goes on to describe the humanity of the German soldiers towards the injured and dying British soliders. I so appreciated this comment and clear insight on Helen Humphrey's part that War is a dreadful event for all and that soldiers, no matter what side they may fight on, are simply human beings just like you and me.

The main goal of " Coventry " is to give us a clear and hardhitting feel for what the terror of war really is. Among many horrors described are burned dead birds dropping from the sky, comforting dying people on the side of the road , and mistaking a family sittting at a dinner table with a child playing beneath the table as alive - only to find that a bomb blast has collapsed their lungs and the family is in fact frozen in death.

Coventry is a powerful, quick read and one which I highly recommend.