Tom Tiddler's Ground

"Is Florence looking after the house all right? I thought it was rather touching of her to say she would like to stay and be bombed with you. Mind you put her underneath when you're lying down flat in an air-raid." Caroline Cameron is charming and witty, no doubt-but also superficial, and a bit immoral. When we first meet her, at the beginning of Ursula Orange's delightful novel of the early days of World War II, married Caroline is contemplating an affair with an actor. But then war intervenes, and Caroline and her young daughter evacuate to the quiet village of Chesterford to stay with school-friend Constance Smith. The two women couldn't be more different. Warm-hearted, generous Constance surprises the local billeting officer with her delight at welcoming evacuees into her home. But she has also made a catastrophic marriage to salesman Alfred. As they weather the storm of blackouts, shelters, and village drama, it's ultimately the women's differences that allow them to bring out the best in each other and let peace (of a sort) reign again. Tom Tiddler's Ground is a rollicking, irresistible tale of troubles on the Home Front. This new edition features an introduction by Stacy Marking. "Miss Orange's very considerable gifts have all been requisitioned to make this a book not only of first-rate entertainment, but of literary excellence in its special light comedy genre." New York Times "The whole story is a sparkling piece of fun." Daily Telegraph