CHILDREN OF WAR The Second World War through the Eyes of a Generation

From the Blitz to V-E Day, Goodman has catalogued the memories of Brits who survived on the home front during WWII. Some were bombed out, some were sent to the countryside for safety, some worked for the war effort—all were children or teens at the time. The well-organized material is read clearly by Anne Dover, whose enthusiasm doesn't flag through 14 hours of short recollections of rationing, V-2 rockets, finding downed planes, and living in strange homes away from parents. Various local accents are subtle as the now-adults express the loneliness, fear, humor and, yes, fun, that was part of their wartime lives. Some "evacuees" loved country life to the point that they had readjustment problems after the peace, but mainly this is an upbeat chronicle of Britain's "greatest generation." J.B.G. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2008]