Review: The Daughter of Victory Lights

Title: The Daughter of Victory Lights

Author: Kerri Turner

Publisher: 20th January 2020 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA

Pages: 384 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

An enthralling story of one woman's determined grab for freedom after WW2 from a talented new Australian voice.

'PART CABARET, PART BURLESQUE, AND LIKE NOTHING YOU'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE! GENTLEMEN, AND LADIES IF YOU'VE DARED TO COME, WELCOME TO ... THE VICTORY!'

1945: After the thrill and danger of volunteering in an all-female searchlight regiment protecting Londoners from German bombers overhead, Evelyn Bell is secretly dismayed to be sent back to her rigid domestic life when the war is over. But then she comes across a secret night-time show, hidden from the law on a boat in the middle of the Thames. Entranced by the risque and lively performance, she grabs the opportunity to join the misfit crew and escape her dreary future.

At first the Victory travels from port to port to raucous applause, but as the shows get bigger and bigger, so too do the risks the performers are driven to take, as well as the growing emotional complications among the crew. Until one desperate night ...

1963: Lucy, an unloved and unwanted little girl, is rescued by a mysterious stranger who says he knows her mother. On the Isle of Wight, Lucy is welcomed into an eclectic family of ex-performers. She is showered with kindness and love, but gradually it becomes clear that there are secrets they refuse to share. Who is Evelyn Bell?

My Thoughts

‘After a life of doing what was expected of her, leaving to help a group of strangers better their law-breaking performance just so she could do the kind of work she craved again … It was madness. It was also freedom.’

The Daughter of Victory Lights is the second book by Aussie author Kerri Turner that I have read and enjoyed. Once again, Kerri has done her research and details a beautiful merge of fact and fiction from post World War II. There is much to love about this tale from the roles of women and men during and post war to the Victory itself - that unique performing boat.

This book is split into two parts centreing around firstly Evie and then later, her daughter Lucy. I thoroughly enjoyed the first part as you journey with Evie from her role in the first all- female searchlight regiment through to providing the lighting work on the Victory. Then Flynn’s role in the Graves Registration Unit was truly an eye opener - horrific and heartbreaking. I feel Kerri truly captured for both Evie and Flynn the impact these demanding roles played in their lives. Reading about the Victory performances was another definite highlight of this book. Switching to the second part of the story almost twenty years later was a surprise in more ways than one initially. Whilst not as strong as the first part - carried through by the characters of Bee and Humphrey - it is like a completely different tale through the eyes of young Lucy. Worthy but not as compelling in my opinion. 

‘Think how much hurt you’re causing other people. And for what?’ ‘For a life.’ Maureen shook her head. ‘You have a life. One everyone else manages to be grateful for. Why can’t you?’

Overall this is a most unique tale of both war and post war experiences for two situations that I had been unfamiliar with. It truly showcases the contributions of women in this fascinating role during war with the expectation to then return to ‘normal’ life; and, this 

unit in the army of literally picking up the pieces in the aftermath of war for the men and the shattering long term impact it would have. 

There is love and loss, trauma and rescue, tragedy and heartwarming experiences throughout this uniquely compelling tale. I look forward to seeing where Kerri will take her readers next. 

‘Here she didn’t have to hide the person she used to be—the person she longed to be again. Here, as Evie, she could be anyone she wanted to.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.