Strangers in Time
A World War II Novel
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- ¥2,200
発行者による作品情報
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Calamity of Souls comes David Baldacci’s newest novel, set in London in 1944, about a bereaved bookshop owner and two teenagers scarred by the Second World War, and the healing and hope they find in one another.
Fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters is up to no good, but for a very good reason. Without parents, peerage, or merit, he steals what he needs, living day-to-day until he’s old enough to enlist to fight the Germans. After barely surviving the Blitz, Charlie knows there’s no telling when a falling bomb might end his life.
Fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield has just returned to a nearly unrecognizable London. One of millions of children to have been evacuated to the countryside Molly has been away from her home for nearly five years. Her return, however, is not the homecoming she’d hoped for as she’s confronted by a devastating reality: neither of her parents are there.
Without guardians and stability, Charlie and Molly find an unexpected ally and protector in Ignatius Oliver, and solace at his bookshop, The Book Keep. Mourning the recent loss of his wife, Ignatius forms a kinship with both children, and in each other they rediscover the spirit of family each has lost.
But Charlie’s escapades in the city have not gone unnoticed, and someone’s been following Molly since she returned to London. And Ignatius is harboring his own secrets, which could have terrible consequences for all of them.
As bombs continue to bear down on the city, Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius learn that while the perils of war rage on, their coming together and trusting one another may be the only way for them to survive.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Thriller writer Baldacci (To Die For) turns to historical fiction with the arresting story of an unlikely trio who come together in 1944 after their lives were transformed by the London Blitz. Charlie Matters, an orphaned, street-smart 13-year-old, lives with his grandmother and uses his wits to survive. After Charlie steals money and a book from widower Ignatius Oliver's bookshop, he returns everything out of guilt and Oliver befriends him. Molly Wakefield, 15, returns to London after a yearslong evacuation in the countryside to discover that both her parents are missing. She meets Charlie on the street and asks him to guide her to the government office where she believes her father works, but he's nowhere to be found. Later, while looking for Charlie, Molly meets Oliver, who's impressed by her maturity and kindness. After Charlie's grandmother dies and Molly's home is destroyed by another round of German bombings, Oliver takes in the two teenagers. As the three weather more assaults on the city, the author illustrates the horrors of war and the utter helplessness of citizens in the face of such daunting challenges. Though the novel is marred by an unnecessary and far-fetched plot twist near the end, Baldacci's strong character work highlights the trio's courage and tenacity, as do the wrenching depictions of London's wartime devastation. It's a touching tale of a found family. Agents: Aaron Priest and Mitch Hoffman, Aaron M. Priest Literary.
