The Silent War

This is a surprisingly good story about a young woman that loses her hearing in a bomb blast in World War 2. I have to admit I almost tossed it aside during the first hundred pages as I didn't much like the heroine, Sunday, very much. She is a bit of a brat. A prime example of her personality is when she gets upset that her best friend (who happens to be a bit chunky) has an admirer. Apparently, out of all the men that fall at Sunday's feet, this one fellow wants her chunky friend instead and she gets her knickers in a wad. She is also very "loose" with her body. Besides Sunday's attitude, the people's speech takes some getting used to. Example: "Ow many times do I 'ave ter tell these people ter keep that bleedin' door shut downstairs!" After page one hundred and the life changing bomb blast, it gets better. As Sunday learns to deal with deafness and comes to terms with the fact that her life is forever different and she must adjust accordingly, her attitude towards other people changes for the better. She even goes so far as to help children afflicted like herself. Meanwhile, she has a romance with an American Airman. (Who is stationed on an airbase nearby the farm she is helping on... in 1944.. and interesting fact I have to throw in here.. The United States Air Force did not exist till 1947...Rather than having the USAF flying around in the book, it should have been the USAAF, United States Army Air Force.) In between bouts of love and bombs dropping and friends dying, Sunday also has a stalker from her past. This is where the book gets ridiculous. All men fall at Sunday's feet and want to marry her and they even go so far as to fight over her. The farmer's son, the airman, the stalker.. come on! There is a surprise in the ending as Sunday discovers her true parentage and also another surprise I didn't much like but won't give away because it is rather crucial to the story. A decent read, however.