There's no way around it, this is a poorly-written book. The characters are paper thin, and there are too many of them. The plots are soapy, melodramatic and uninteresting. The author lets too much of her own personal prejudice seep into the narrative and into the mouths of the characters. It reads like EastEnders come to life.

The author also has a positively bizarre view of history. WWII was apparently a jolly old time for all the English women caught up in it, rationing was a fun experience that made you a creative cook, and the freezing winter of 1947 (which killed thousands of people in real life) was a minor inconvenience. Every dramatic occurrence in the book goes like this, all the air taken out of it as the characters run on rails through a pre-determined (and wholly unoriginal) narrative. It's a lifeless book.

So why did I read it, and why am I giving it a generous two stars? Well, the narrator of the audiobook was excellent. She injected a bit of life into it, and made me want to keep listening. And there was a ghoulish enjoyment in finding out what ludicrous yet dull plot point the author would come up with next (Baby swapping? Sure! Fake a rape? Ok! Kill another character off [but not in WWII, because apparently no one died in that]? Why not!)