Kick Kennedy has just arrived in London and she has immediately fallen in love. The city’s deep history, the rich cultural opportunities – not to mention the exciting nightlife where she has quickly befriended most of London’s young elite – has given her a feeling she’s never quite gotten from the privileged but stuffy social gatherings back home in the US. And even though her family is most important to her, especially given their notoriety and their Kennedy connections, she finds herself thinking she would like to stay here, even as things are heating up with Hitler’s greedy ambition and the threat of war hanging over everyone’s head. To complicate matters, she has also become enamored of a particular young man, who has captured her eye. If only their religions did not interfere with their being accepted as a couple. So many challenges she must face!
This novel not only provides a window into the Kennedy family via Kathleen (“Kick”) Kennedy’s life and struggles, but it also gives a palpable sense of the anxiety among the younger set in London pre- and during WWII. Her father, Joe Kennedy quickly lost favor as the ambassador to England when he remained staunchly anti-war, even in the face of the rising threat the Nazis posed to England and to Europe. Kick, as a family member who was more in touch with the younger generation who were mostly for defending England and standing up to the Nazi attempt to take over all of Europe, had a more realistic view of the situation. And while her father did not listen to her initially, he gradually learned to trust his wise and socially adept daughter. While this was certainly a coming of age of a young debutante, it also was great historical fiction for a time that was complicated, scary, and a challenging backdrop for romance.
It also provided insight into the conflict between Catholics and Protestants at the time (and continuing to today). Particularly in England, where the chasm between the two religions was so deeply-rooted and had affected their royal families, nobles, and so many others, it was a source of trauma for those who might wish to marry into the other religion. The Catholics, believing that if they deserted their church, they’d be excommunicated, abandoned by their families, and considered damned for all eternity, this was a heavy load for true believers. And Protestants, who made up a larger swath of the population, believed that if they were to betray their church, they would be shaming their families, culture, and their history as well.
I felt I learned so much from this book – and it was a well-written and engaging story to boot! Highly recommend for my fellow fans of historical fiction!
kindread spirits 