The songbirds of Florence by Olivia Spooner

If you love war-based stories involving the participation of women in conflict, this is for you. For many New Zealand servicemen the conflict and pain of serving in Egypt and Europe during the Second World was far removed from their lives in New Zealand. For some there was no return. For the women who volunteered to provide a supportive role in the WAAC there were many times when they wondered what they had done. Nicknamed the Tuis (after a New Zealand songbird), they were often serving in roles to provide emotional and practical support to soldiers when they were away from the frontline. For Margot her service enabled her to be more than a wartime widow and to eventually explore freedom and new love, and for Addy it was a chance to allow her personality to flourish and to be adored. But their service in wartime was not easy or removed from the anguish of war. Their friendship though was a powerful glue that enabled them to stay whole when everything around them was falling apart.

With more than a hint of the horrors of war as well as the romantic ups and downs of life for service personnel, this is also a war story that demonstrates the impact of the struggles for New Zealanders in wartime (removed from their service in combination with Australian service personnel) and also for the women who served in support roles. This romance and war service saga also details how the war shaped women’s independence and their changing roles in society. It also demonstrates the rocky path to romance during wartime conflict. This is a book for romance novel devotees, but with a wartime setting. It is relatively gentle in its approach and the horrible experiences of war are mostly a backdrop and not as confronting as some war-based fiction.

Themes: World War II - New Zealand service, historical fiction, romance, WAAC (Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps), World War II - Egypt, World War II - Italy.

Carolyn Hull