What readers think of Crooked Heart, plus links to write your own review.

Oh, I'm telling you right up front that Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans is going to be one of my top reads!
I love books that speak to the human condition - life, love, death and everything that comes in between. This book totally won my heart. I was sad to turn the last page. But satisfied, very satisfied. Crooked Heart is, well, heartwarming, heartbreaking and oh,so very good. Heartily recommended!

Hard to believe I could find a novel about the London Blitz and WWII both heartwarming and at times ironically humorous. But I did and much of this is due to the author and her wonderful characterizations. I quickly fell in love with ten year old Noel, a precocious boy of unknown origins who was being raised by his suffragette and eccentric godmother, Mattie.

Eventually he will be one of the children evacuated and taken in by a woman named Vee, who sees this as an opportunity to make some money.
What is wonderful about this novel is how they characters change and grow throughout the novel, some for the better some for the worst. Yes, there are bombs falling, deaths and accidents, thievery and lost people but for the most part, Noel and Vee, their exploits, and their growth, propel this novel.

Wonderful story about two people who find each other in an unusual time and in unusual circumstances.

Ten-year-old Noel Bostock wasn’t living an affluent life. But he felt loved and protected under the care of his godmother, Mattie. She is very set in her ways and refuses to evacuate Noel. But that’s OK with him; the only company he needs is Mattie. She instilled in him a ‘free-thinker’ attitude. But Mattie is old. Even as Noel is mourning her death, he is evacuated and sent to live northwest of the city with Vera (Vee) Sedge. Vee is a widow and her household consists of her mother, Flora, and son, Donald. The story took place during WWII’s London Blitz. Great debt and the lack of money is a constant battle for Vee. She and Noel begin to work together to scam the system. After all, the limp left after his encounter with polio must be good for something, right?

The novel was not populated with dates but the reader had an idea of the time by the events – children being evacuated from England; Hitler having risen to power. The novel is lively with character personality, but clearly it’s a very dark time in history. I felt it was a bit wordy at the beginning, but the pace picks up as we begin to see the relationship gradually change and grow between Vee and Noel. The reader’s first impression of Vee is one of disdain but eventually discover that she and Noel were more like-minded than anyone would have guessed. It was a heart-warming story and through Vee’s quick wit, it was humorous at times as well. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.