Maggie Sullivan

The Schoolmistress by Maggie Sullivan is the second book in Our Street at War series. You can read The Schoolmistress as a standalone, but it will take you a couple of chapters to get into the story (to get to know the characters and find out what is happening in their lives). The POV switches between several different female characters. I like Maggie Sullivan’s writing style. It is warm and friendly. It made The Schoolmistress easy to read. In The Schoolmistress we travel to Greenhill, Lancashire, England in March of 1940. We get to meet several different women who live in Greenhill. Vicky Parrott from The Postmistress is in this story too along with Sylvia Barker, Violet Pegg (the local schoolmistress), Ruby Bowdon, Tilly McFadden, and Claire Gold (Sylvia’s niece). I found the characters to be realistic and relatable. These women are dealing with the war just in a different way from the men fighting abroad. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and learn about their lives. There are ups and downs just like real life. There were some unexpected revelations for a couple of the women. There is romance as well as heartbreak. The ladies’ story does not end with The Schoolmistress. We will have to wait for the next installment of Our Street at War to find out what happens next. The Schoolmistress is a heartwarming tale with a war wedding, uplifting letters, a startling revelation, increased rationing, a fight between friends, and a new undertaking.… (mehr)