The last lifeboat (Hazel Gaynor)

I knew Hazel Gaynor from her book The Memory of Violets, which I had found really good. I was looking forward to reading her beautiful writing again. And I was not disappointed.
This book is set in the early years of the Second World War, when London was bombed repeatedly. People were terrified. Whole neighbourhoods were flattened and burned. Parents were afraid for their children and sent them away if they could, particularly to the countryside. The plot is based on the true story of children being evacuated from England to Canada and Australia. They left on ships that were convoyed because of the risks posed by the U Boats.
Alice is a school teacher who wants to do something useful in this war. She embarks as an escort to a group of children being evacuated to Canada. Alice does not have the profile of a hero at first, but the events show otherwise when the ship is torpedoed. I will not say more … The characters in this story are all interesting. Their way to endure the war and the pain and grief in their lives is explored in a way that is both sensitive and deep. The emotions on the lifeboat are raw, and so is the daily life. But in the middle of this storm, we can hear the internal dialogue the characters are going through. The book also explores the difficult choices many people had to make during the war to keep their children and their loved ones safe.
The book has a strong historical background based on the story of the SS City of Benares, the story of Mary Cornish, and makes interesting references to the Mass Observations Diaries. It takes us right into this event and this time so we feel close to the characters and can empathise with them. Once again, the beautiful, precise, deep and sensitive writing of Hazel Gaynor has done its magic. A really excellent read.