Book Giveaway: Miss Carter's War by Sheila Hancock

[ChrissieMumsnet]

From one of Britain's most highly regarded actresses Sheila Hancock comes Miss Carter's War. The story follows the young and beautiful Marguerite Carter and her mission to to fight social injustice, to prevent war, and to educate her girls.

Through deep friendships and love lost and found, from the peace marches of the fifties and the flowering of the Swinging Sixties, to the rise of Thatcher and the battle for gay rights, to the spectre of a new war - Sheila Hancock has created a powerful, panoramic portrait of Britain through the life of one very singular woman.

We're giving away 50 copies of Miss Carter's War. Click here to find out more about the book and apply for a free copy.

Don't forget, if you're lucky enough to receive a copy of Miss Carter's War we do ask that you tell us what you think about it on the thread below or write a review here.

Would love to read this book-sounds like a great plot line

Received my book yesterday. Really looking forward to reading this just as soon as finished current read. Also looking forward to sharing my thoughts and see what everybody else thinks.

Thanks so much for my copy. Will post a review just as soon as I have finished reading.

Mine arrived on Tuesday too, I've read the first chapter and am enjoying it, thank you.

Thank you for the book. It was a really interesting read. I really like Sheila Hancock and her new novel didn't let me down. It had the charm of a bygone era and I will look forward to reading more from her.

Thank you for my copy of Miss Carter's War. Initially I thought it was going to be a reworked copy of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. However, it is very different from Spark's novel. It is simultaneously both an uplifting and depressing socio-political commentary of the second half of 20th century Britain. Moreover, it shows, through Marguerite, how we age, change and are products of those in our informative years.

I thought the brief snippets of her previous life in wartime France interspersed within the main narrative, worked really well. It gave you a glimpse of another side to Marguerite.

A little too earnest for me at times. Yet, overall an interesting and enjoyable read.

Thank you for sending me a copy.
I haven't read a book by her before and thought this was not only an interesting read but also kept me wanting to read on, which is a good sign for a good book.

Thank you for my free copy! I absolutely loved this book. Initially it reminded me of Sebastian Faulks wartime writing but this turned out to be just the backdrop to the main character's story as she then lives through the aftermath of the war, the failing of the comprehensive school system, the horror of homophobia, the miner's strike, drug addiction, the onset of AIDS etc which blighted the country in the following decades.

All the historical events rang true for me - I have heard similar tales from my grandmother, my aunt and my Mum and lived through some myself. I loved the vignettes of Margaret Thatcher's coming to power for example. It's a book I will re-read and, when she's old enough, pass onto my DD as I feel it really brings to life our recent history.

I've just finished reading my copy, thank you.

It was a little more lightweight than I had anticipated, and I have to admit that if I hadn't been reading it to review I may not have got further than the first few chapters, as the characters did not really engage me at first and the relationships with Tony and Jimmy did not quite ring true, although the introduction of Donald later on improved matters. I was also frustrated that the details of Marguerite's wartime experiences were a bit sparse. However once she moved to her second school the pace of the book picked up and I started enjoying it much more. It did feel as though the author had attempted to namecheck every single post war event of significance in the UK - it could have been a real epic, but touched upon too many subjects in not enough depth, passing through whole decades with just a quick nod to events. The closing chapters provided the necessary closure about the war, I also found the reunion with the first set of students very touching. All in all it was enjoyable but not amazing, I doubt I will re-read it.

Thank you for my free copy of "Miss Carter's War" by Sheila Hancock.

Before reading it I thought it would be quite depressing revolving around incidents from a dour and depressing period of time. But it was incisive and thought provoking with light and shade on a number of topics that effect us all regardless of era.

Really looking forward to her next novel.

The book is a real treat to read, a bit of history with romance added in
It's suitable for all ages I have read it my mother and her sister at the moment it's with my niece so a book for generations

Thank you for my free copy ! I will post a review ASAP.

Thank you for the book will post a review when I have read it

Read the first three chapters- finding it a little slow. But Marguerite is a likeable heroine and I think the little snippets of flashback are intriguing and add a bit of interest so I will definitely be reading on. Will post more thoughts further on!

Thanks for the free copy! I wasn't really sure what to expect from this (apologies to Sheila Hancock but I'm always cynical about famous people becoming authors) but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing. I agree with a previous poster that it took me a while to get in to, but once I'd persevered I enjoyed the rest of the book.

Have now passed my copy on to my mum so hopefully she'll enjoy it too!

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. I found it very readable and hard to put down. I thought the character of Marguerite was very likable and I really liked the flashbacks into the war times.

I really enjoyed the social commentary although the story did speed up after she started her second school. I am not sure how the author could have covered a wide range of years in more detail without making the book too big to manage but this didn't bother me as much as whoknows above. I found there were bit of the past where I thought "oh yeah - that did happen didn't it?", especially with reference to Margaret Thatcher and attitudes to HIV.

The only bit I would have liked more of what the rekindling of the relationship between her and Marcel and what the time difference did to their dynamic.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others.

Great read. Quite nostalgic for me as 1950s schoolgirl !! Following the storyline through the decades with reference to key events was very interestingly portrayed, and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in social history from the 1940s onwards.

Thanks for my free copy. I enjoyed the book, though it at times it seemed like it was checking off key social changes post war. Interspersing flashbacks of war time experiences worked really well, giving enough of a flavour of Marguerite's experiences to understand how they influenced her in the present day without going in to lots of detail. Characters were on whole engaging and believable. Would recommend

Thank you for sending me a copy of 'Miss Carter's War' which I thoroughly enjoyed. Sheila Hancock tells the story of Marguerite, an English teacher and social activist post-WW2. It was an easy read, mostly chronological with occasional flashbacks to the main character Marguerite's war-time activities for the SOE.

A key strength of the book was its interesting and engaging coverage of such an eventful period of history. I felt that the conclusion of the story was a little contrived but concede that it was necessarily so in order for Marguerite to have a happy ending!

I have now read my free copy, thank you Mumsnet. I did enjoy this book although I did find it a little long winded!
I am not sure whether spoilers are allowed on this thread, but the story definitely has similarities to The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. An immense period of history is covered from the second world war to the present day. I found the attitudes towards education and homosexuality quite interesting.
I would recommend this book but with the caveat that there is not much action, the story just plods along and to be honest I preferred her memoir of her marriage to John Thaw.

Thank you for my copy of Miss Carter's War. This started with real promise but did not maintain the same promise throughout (for me, anyway). The title suggests that this is based during the war, but there are are only brief flashbacks to Miss Carter's wartime activities within the main story. The "war" in question seems to be something else entirely - the various battles she has in her post-war years. This brings me to the main criticism I have of this book - the years simply fly by with only brief episodes described. The year in question is never mentioned but various newsworthy events of the day relate the time. I was disappointed with the political leanings which appeared to be demonstrated throughout the book which detracted from the story somewhat. Having said all this, it is very readable and the reader's interest is maintained throughout, though the ending was a little disappointing from my point of view.

Thank you for my free copy! I did find it a bit slow going to start, but it became more readable after the first few chapters. Agree with others about skimming through so many events, the interspersed flashbacks were an interesting factor. Have passed my copy on to my mum to read.

This is a great read and I am sure historically correct. What a strong character Marguerite is. Makes you proud to be female!! This would make a superb TV drama. Has anyone asked Sheila Hancock to be the main character?

Currently reading this. - I was a little dubious at first as it was so descriptive, but once it started being more about rounded characters than exactly what they were wearing, I've started getting into it. So far, I'm finding it interesting nuanced, especially the flashbacks to the war while the characters are trying to get on with post-war 'normality.'

Have just finished the book- phew, feels like I've just run a marathon! Like previous posters have said, there is a feeling a every major social/political event being ticked off and it did take a while to get going. It's strange that so much is happening in the background yet feels like nothing that much happens in the actual plot line. Unlike a previous poster the reunion of the students didn't work for me, it felt too contrived.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and it's greatest strength is it's characters. Tony's fellow lodgers at Mrs Schneider's are worthy of their own novels. Donald is great and Tony and Marguerite's relationship is interesting and gives an unusual slant.
There is a great deal of humour to balance out some quite depressing and dark elements. I enjoyed the ending and was glad Marguerite found happiness. She definitely deserved it!