In Another Time- Caroline Leech

This is the second book I have received from the company Once Upon a Book Club and I was a little hesitant to read it. The novel is a romance war novel which seems a little out of place for a young adult novel but I found it quite enjoyable. It was the heartwarming story of one woman's journey towards independence, friendship and first love. An inspirational and insightful novel about life away from the battle fields of World War II crossed with the point of view of a girl pining for a man she can't have. "In Another Time" made for an interesting combo.


It is 1942 and Maise Mcall is doing her part for the war as a lumber jill for the Women's Timber Corps. Out in the Scottish highlands, she has gotten independence, friends, a few more muscles and some nasty blisters. Felling trees is hard work compared to her normal life back home, but Maisie won't turn back. A small pleasure that the ladies at the WTC are provided is the local dances. Dancing with her friends is lots of fun for Maisie until John Lindsay arrives. They get off to a rocky start, but it might just be the start of something truly remarkable...

"Maisie startled. 'Sorry. Pardon me? Yes! Erm, no, erm, sorry?'
'I asked whether you would mind if I asked you to dance?'
In her blushing confusion, Maisie took a moment or two to work her way through the question.
'I think so?' she said.
'You think you would mind?' He was clearly teasing her now. 'Or you think I should ask you to dance?'
Maisie gave him an exaggerated sigh. 'Is every question you ask this complicated?'"
- Chapter Two of "In Another Time" by Caroline Leech


I was slightly deterred by the fact that this was a romance novel, but thankfully, the author didn't go overboard and it wasn't inappropriate at all. I think that this was also due to the time period it was set in. I loved the insight into life away from the battle fields of WWII as a lumber jill and the atmosphere of the community at the lodges was well written. The characters were developed effectively and the relationships were nicely formed. Growth of relationships was a consistent theme through Maisie's friendships and issues with her family back home. Also her unsteady relationship with John was realistic yet frustrating at times since they could never get their feelings for each other straight. On the other hand, I found the character of John wonderful to see develop, since his life gave me an important insight into life after fighting a war. It was good to see the author being honest by not trying to make the reader think that recovering from wounds at war was simple. The novel ended well but I didn't feel that the epilogue was necessary. Although I dislike stories that assume a happy ending but leave it up to the reader, I felt that the epilogue was a nice closure but it didn't need to spell out such a "happy and dandy" ending.


I think that not all readers would enjoy this novel, but if the idea of a love story mixed with a wartime novel sounds interesting to you, then you will not be disappointed. Overall "In Another Time" was entertaining and heartwarming with inspirational characters and effective use of themes of friendship, growth and love.

~Inkpot Blogger

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