The War Girls of Goodwill House, (Paperback)

The War Girls of Goodwill House by Fenella J. Miller is an engaging historical novel. I started reading this story and I was quickly engrossed. We travel to Goodwill House in Stodham, Kent, England in January of 1940. It is bitterly cold inside the large and drafty Goodwill House. Lady Joanna Harcourt and her daughter, Sarah are on their own with Lord David Harcourt away fighting in France. David only left Joanna with postal orders to handle the household finances since he was sure the war would be over in a few months. When Sarah answers a call from Flight Lieutenant Angus Trent asking if they could house some incoming WAAFs, she quickly agrees. This is the solution to their problem. The pay for boarding the WAAFs will give them some much needed income. When Sarah first meets Angus, she is put off by his attitude. But after a couple of encounters, Sarah finds herself looking forward to spending time with the pilot. What does the future hold for Joanna, Sarah, and Angus? I enjoyed reading The War Girls of Goodwill House. It is well-written with developed, realistic characters. I liked Sarah who is seventeen and very grown up for her age. For the first time, Joanna and Sarah are out from under the overbearing and smothering thumb of David. With a lack of funds, they need to find a way to earn money. They have a large drafty house (colder inside than outside) and an RAF base nearby. It was the perfect arrangement to take in boarders. Joanna was having to learn a whole new set of skills so she could help manage the house. Sarah is a capable young lady who wants to become a doctor. She was accepted at Oxford, but it looks like that will not be possible without the proper funds. Sarah is a resourceful woman who works to find a way to achieve her objectives. I enjoyed the authors descriptions of the area, the base, and Goodwill House. I could envision the places from the author's word imagery, and I could feel the cold conditions the characters were experiencing. I thought the author captured the time period. The War Girls of Goodwill House is a spiffy novel. I was sorry when I reached the end of the book. I cannot wait to return to Goodwill House in the next book. The War Girls of Goodwill House is a captivating tale with a plucky pilot, a deficiency of funds, a polar parlor, helpful houseguests, biting blizzards, a crashed car, and a prospective physician.