Keep Smiling Through

By: Ellie Dean

Narrated by: Julie Maisey

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

June 1940. Despite losing her mother at a young age and her father away on important war work, 17-year-old Rita Smith has plenty of people to turn to in the close-knit community of Cliffhaven. Until Italy sides with Germany and Rita's closest friends and neighbours are interned as enemies of the state. As war rages across Europe, Rita is more determined than ever to do her bit for the war effort. Although she is forced to give up her dream of joining the WAAF, she volunteers as a fire warden.

When her own home is destroyed, Rita vows she will not lose spirit and throws herself into doing her bit for king and country, longing for the day when she is reunited with those she loves best....

©2012 Ellie Dean (P)2012 ISIS Publishing Ltd, Random House Audiobooks

Disappointed

I was oppressed by the whole Rita/Louisa dynamic, which got more exhausting and irritating, frankly. Tiresome. There was no resolution to their dynamic. Louisa never redeemed her character, so her arc just escalated, only getting more and more trollish. Really?... turn her into the wicked witch in the end? Locking in Rita, as if she were in Hansel and Gretel? Just weird. Stuck out like a sore thumb, as it was unrealistic. Gave me a headache. The first two books were so much better.

Fantastic story fantastic narrator.

I absolutely loved this story. It really made me think how lucky we are today. To listen to tales of people having their homes bombed to nothing and becoming homeless overnight is unbelievable, the rations, no petrol and on and on....
I literally didn't want the story to end as there is so much hope through adversity. The narrator is absolutely brilliant, her different voices are marvellous and she is fantastic at helping you to really feel the emotion. So well done to both author and narrator.

Not a series sadly but single books really

I did love this “series” by Ellie Dean but, whilst there is a vague link between books, ie they’re all set in the same place at roughly the same time, I wish that it focused more on the future lives of the original characters rather than each new book being about new characters and only linking together very vaguely. It’s not really a series but a selection of books written about different characters, lives and stories but in the same place and time. I just hope the final couple of books, bring the characters together and tell of their futures rather than new stories of new characters.

Very interesting read about what the Italian fami

A very interesting story about what families went through during the war and and what some Italians went through with their neighbours and their friends after Italy joined the war

good listen

good listen i cant wait to get another the next in line had 2 allready

incorrect series number on Goodreads!

This is actually the second book in the series not the third. Goodreads should correct this.