Title: When We Were Young
Author: Antony Smith
Publisher: Toplink Publishing
Pages: 648
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewed by: Ella Vincent

Awarded to books of excellent Merit

When We Were Young is an intriguing and exciting journey of a cross-generational story of love and family. Antony Smith has written a story that will take readers on an adventure. This book tells the story of the Mitchell family, a British family that is surviving the devastation of World War II. Jim Mitchell becomes the head of his family after tragedy strikes. He leaves school to support his family and leaves on an adventure. Along the way, he meets Lydia, a brilliant lawyer who captures his heart. They fall in love, but he also has a forbidden love-for his cousin, Maggie. As he is torn between two loves, Jim embarks on a journey to discover all that life has to offer.

Jim is a likable protagonist who readers will easily identify with in the novel. His disillusionment with war and need to find his own identity adds depth to his character. He wants to be a man in control of his life, but is still bound by family obligations. The female protagonists in the novel are fully developed as well. Maggie is an independent woman who wants to deviate from the tightly established rules of British society. Lydia is a conflicted character who is very compelling in the novel. She is a sexually liberated woman in the 1930’s, but suffers from PTSD after being assaulted by Nazi soldiers. Her transformation from being traumatized to confident is a fascinating character study.

Smith perfectly captures the historical times in the novel very well. The vivid descriptions of the bombed-out homes during World War II and the British countryside make When We Were Young a historically accurate novel. Smith’s writing is so evocative that readers will feel like they’re transported back to the time of Winston Churchill and the London Blitz.  This book  would be best for readers who like romantic historical fiction like The English Patient. The saucy sex scenes in the book would also be ideal for readers who want to read erotic fiction that’s also emotionally revealing as well. Smith’s writing would also be good for readers who want to read about the personal effect World War II had on families in Great Britain.

When We Were Young is a book that readers will leave readers wanting more works from Smith. When We Were Young is a novel that will entertain many readers and take them on a thrilling trip through history.