Daughter of the Home Front by Jennie Jones is a story that I found to be so heartwarming.
Emma Hatton has always been dominated by her mother. She has found it easier to say “Yes Mum” and get on with it, rather than put up a fight and be her own person. Emma’s life has been spent working with and for her mother, and caring for her younger brothers.
Now with her father away at war, the demands on Emma are stronger. She longs to have a close friend and dreams of a man that would adore her, and change her life with his love and attention.
When a good looking American comes along she allows her daydreams to take over, but soon enough he is gone from her life. That is until she is sent to Townsville to help with the war effort and it’s there that her path crosses again with Frank, the handsome foreigner.
Sometimes the things we think we want are not what we really need in our lives. Other times the things we want we will get in time.
Emma’s life changes and she has to grow up very quickly, but through her struggles, she finds strength, true love, and strong friendship.
Daughter of the Home Front will take you through a range of emotions. I especially admire Emma and the other girls that she spent time with when she was sent to Brisbane. Their strength, love, and care for each other along with their desire to make things better for women in the future was inspiring.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Daughter of the Home Front by Jennie Jones. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
Im a Mum of 3 beautiful girls.
An avid reader that loves to travel but lacks the funds to venture far and wide constantly. A perfumeaholic with an addiction to beauty and skincare.
If not found with my head in a book or on a plane I can be found spending hours upon hour in Doctors and Hospital waiting rooms as part of my job as a Carer
I absolutely loved ‘Daughter of the Home Front ‘, it’s definitely the best book by Jennie Jones I’ve read!
It gave all the feels, frustration, anger, sorrow and love, the storyline kept you turning the pages hungry for more.
If it’s in your TBR pile put it at the top, you won’t be disappointed!
Thanks Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for the chance to read and review.
It is 1942 and Emma Hatton can’t wait to turn 16 and leave her home in Blueholm Bay in QLD. Life at home is hard as her father is away at War and her mother and three brothers are tying to make ends meet. Emma had to leave school to help her demanding mother but a new law says any girl over 16 must help the war effort and that means Emma moves to Townsville to live with her Aunt Doris to assist her with American boarders and volunteer with the Red Cross.
Emma befriends Cassie in Townsville and they become best friends very quickly. Emma is infatuated with a certain American GI Frank Kendrick, who she had a chance meeting with back home. Emma finally thinks she is grown up, attending dances with Cassie but she is a country girl and very naive. It isn’t long before Emma finds herself in trouble and Frank is nowhere to be found. Aunt Doris takes Emma back home to Blueholm Bay to her controlling mother who is ashamed and quickly sends poor Emma to the Holy Refuge of Saint Philomena, a home for pregnant young women. The home is a prison and Emma endures the hardships of living in such a terrible place but she makes friends with the other girls, who all know they will be giving their babies up for adoption.
Emma is a strong character and despite the hardships she endures she faces life head on, is kind hearted and grows up very quickly. There is heartache and happiness but above all the courage and strength of a young woman really shines through. A wonderful emotional read by Jennie Jones of a time that was so devastatingly hard for pregnant unmarried women set against the backdrop of a country at War.
This is the first novel I have read by Jennie Jones and it definitely won’t be the last. I absolutely loved this book- the characters, the storyline and the writing style of the author. I highly recommend this book!
Daughter of the Home front, by Australian author Jennie Jones was an engaging read from the first page and I didn’t want to put it down! So much historical information regarding Australian social norms and cultural expectations of the 1940s told through the lens of the main character, Emma. We meet the naïve Emma in 1942 when she is approaching her 16th birthday and is longing to leave her home town of Blueholm Bay to take up “war work” in Townsville, really an excuse to escape the drudgery of her harsh life at home with her stern and unloving mother and 4 younger brothers. When she finally gets to her 16th birthday Emma finds herself living with her well-to-do Aunty Doris in Townsville doing housekeeping duties and looking after the America soldiers who were renting out rooms in the house. While Emma loves her newfound freedoms this is short-lived as she soon finds herself “in trouble”, and sent to a Catholic home for pregnant and unwed girls where she is virtually imprisoned until her baby is born. The hardships and cruel treatment Emma and the other girls at the home endured during this period were shameful but reflective of the attitudes of the time.
Lots of side stories and believable characters alongside of Emma added to the richness and interest of this novel. A tale of hardship, betrayal, poverty and the impact of war ultimately overshadowed by Emma’s tenacity, strength, empathy and dignity, and the rewards of lifelong friendships, love and family.
A terrific book which I highly recommend. Thank you Beauty and Lace and Harlequin Enterprises for the opportunity to read and review Daughter of the Home Front. I will look forward to reading more from Jennie Jones in the future.