The Skylarks War by Hilary McKay

"Missing said the telegram, and also: presumed dead. 
Snow cold shock held Clarry motionless, silenced every sound, faded the colours to shades of grey, and diminished her fragment of nothingness, a small lost point, rocking in an endless darkness of space."

When Clarissa is born her mother dies. In his grief her father leaves his two children, older brother Peter and Clarry, into the care of a series of housekeepers.  Clarissa means clear and bright and that is exactly what she becomes as we see her grow from a tiny baby into womanhood. Clarry has deep emotional understanding of her remote father and her clever, sensitive brother. Her happiest times are spent in Cornwall each year with the grandparents and her beloved cousin Rupert but this story has begun in 1902 and so very soon the Great War will have an impact on all their lives hence the quote at the start of this post. Clarry is also a very bright girl, excelling at school once she has persuaded her father a proper school is where she needs to go. Clarry is bold, resourceful and patient. She is determined to help others especially Rupert her cousin and Peter her brother and she is determined to move forward with her own life in a time of change for women.

This is a book of gentle story telling giving insights into complex relationships and difficult times which will be enjoyed by mature readers who like to take their time with a book. It is also a book that adult readers will enjoy because it has a nostalgic feel.  If you are a Noel Streatfeild fan then you will enjoy this book - I am certain.

While I was researching for this blog entry I found a delightful blog called "Clothes in Books". Take a look at her review and scroll down to see what Hilary McKay says too. You can read a Q & A with Hilary here I especially appreciated reading her thoughts about Clarry and Peter's father who was so horrid to the children with his emotional neglect and absences.

Here are some other reviews to explore:

One of her first goals is to get an education, and while her father does not see her worth, other people do. Then World War I rears it tragic head and a time of uncertainty, anguish and separation begins. Readings

We follow their lives, but just saying that is not enough. We see, through the prism of their stories, a whole social landscape which is changing almost before our eyes.  The History Girls

Above all, what marks the book is the amount of hope and courage portrayed, and the feeling that Clarry’s breathless determination and grit will prevail.  This sort of storytelling is reminiscent of those great classic novels ...  Minerva Reads

Hilary McKay has a rare gift for novels about families and their interplay. Here, she weaves her story round one of the most powerful backdrops in history. And she does so with the lightest of touch which makes her history come alive. Julia Eccleshare LoveReading4Kids

Other books to explore that link with The Skylarks war are The War that Saved my Life and Vinnie's War.

Thanks again to Beachside Bookshop for giving me this advanced reader copy.

"Another thing that people thought odd was that the skylarks sang in the language of their homes. In English for the English, in French for the French, and in Dutch for the Dutch.  More puzzling still, on the other side of the trenches, a few miles away, the skylarks were singing in German. It was a war where absolutely nothing made sense."