Blitz : the story of December 29, 1940

by Margaret Gaskin, 430 pages



While I was reading and listening to Connie Willis's time travel duo set in WWII London, I came across Margaret Gaskin's book about the worst day of the Blitz, December 29, 1940. In a technique reminiscent of Walter Lord's work on the Titanic (A Night to Remember), Gaskin focuses on a group of survivors of the bombardment. On that particular night, it seemed as if the Luftwaffe would succeed in utterly destroying the City of London. The bombers dropped countless bundles of incendiary bombs on the rooftops of the ancient City's buildings. Many of those venerable buildings had survived the Great Fire of London in 1666.

It's an amazing story of grit and true courage. What is so striking is that Londoners really did "take it" and carry on as best they could, sheltering in Tube stations, warehouses, church crypts. Sometimes they were burned out of one shelter and had to move to the next. Fleet Street was hit especially hard, with all the warehouses of paper so close. But above all the smoke and flames, the dome of St. Paul's rose in sooty splendor. That black and white photo became a symbol of Londoners' resolve and defiance under the most daunting attacks.

If you are interested in WWII or British history, Blitz is a stirring history of one of London's darkest nights.

All Clear by Connie Willis

641 pages

The engrossing sequel to Blackout, All Clear follows the same three time travellers as they try to make it home to the year 2060. Polly, Eileen and Mike join forces to discover another way back to Oxford. In the mean time, they are stuck in London and its suburbs during the dangerous time of the Blitz.

Again, while this is a time travel book, it feels very much like historical fiction. The characters go through the same deprivation and horrors as the residents of London. As our intrepid travellers search for another way back to the future, they are thwarted at every turn. It's almost as if the time web is trying to prevent them from returning home. But they know they don't belong in London in 1940-1941 and fear that their very presence in the past may have cost the Allies their victory over Hitler. The plot takes some sharp twists and turns, and you are never sure who will survive and who will not. I teared up in several heart-wrenching moments, but still found it a very satisfying read.

I enjoyed both Blackout and All Clear enough to go back and read them again. I wish there was a 3rd, but I don't see how Connie Willis could manage another one in that time frame. I would recommend this to anyone interested in time travel or historical novels of World War II.