About The Book
From the fogbound streets of London reeling from the Blitz, acclaimed author James MacManus, conjures a compelling historical novel based on the true story of the secret love affair at the heart of the Second World War.
It is 1942, and war-battered London plays host to the imposing figure of General Ike Eisenhower on a vital mission for the US army. Kay Summersby, an ambulance driver who survived the horrors of the Blitz, is chosen to be his aide, a role that will change her life forever. Charmed by Ike s affable and disarming nature so different from the stiffness of British military convention she accompanies him during the North African campaign against Rommel and the war in Europe against Nazi Germany. Amid the carnage a secret affair unfolds between the General and his attractive aide. Rumours of Ike s infidelity reach across the ocean to Washington and worse yet, to his wife. In a time where scandal and war threaten to break them apart, can Kay hold on to the man she loves?
Ike and Kay is a thrilling tale of wartime romance, brimming with love, duty, sacrifice and heartbreak, set against the backdrop of the most tumultuous period of the twentieth century.
My Review
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. Ike And Kay was a novel that appealed to me when I read the synopsis despite knowing little about Eisenhower and nothing at all about Kay Summersby. They were though, characters I struggled to like, despite having sympathy for both at times. I preferred Charlotte, Kay’s extremely honest friend and Mamie, Ike’s wife. I felt for her, having little contact with her husband throughout the war and reading a lot about him in newspaper gossip columns.
The account of the devastation caused by the war, the descriptions of war dead left in villages and on the side of roads, the fear felt by the soldiers and the poverty during and after the war was the part of the novel that I found the most interesting. It was evident how much research the author had done, much of it felt like a first hand account. One scene more than any other was the one where Eisenhower had to convince a terrified soldier that he needed to return to duty.
I always enjoy learning from fiction. Whenever I read a novel like this I’m eager to find out more about the characters concerned. I spent quite a bit of time looking on the internet finding out more as I read.
Steph's Book Blog 