As I tend to dedicate much of my reading to historical fiction, I try to read about events that I don't always know much about. Today's book is an example. I have always heard about the Blitz occurring in London during WWII, and that there were other places that were bombed as well. However, I was not aware that the Blitz was carried out far to the eastern side of London. After the British destroyed the German port of Lubeck (of which there was very little point other than to try out new weapons), known for very little except its beauty and antiquity, Hitler was furious and then ordered the destruction of similar British cities: Norwich, Canterbury, York, Bath, and Exeter.
The Exeter Blitz follows one fictional family as they experience and then survive the night of May 3-4, 1942. The story is told from each family member's point of view at different times, which gives it a different feel. I enjoyed learning about a specific event that I was not previously familiar with and this was a quick (128 pages), easy read. This will be added to my list of recommendations when my students are looking for a WWII novel that is not specifically about the front or the Holocaust, so that they can get a sense of what it might have been like to live through an air raid as intensive as the bombing that destroyed much of Exeter, but, miraculously, left much of its famous cathedral in tact.
Happy Reading!!
**"Exeter Cathedral ." Exeter Cathedral. Sacred Destinations, 30 July 2010. Web. 09 Oct. 2012. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/england/exeter-cathedral.
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