The Call of the Wrens The Call of the Wrens

The Call of the Wrens

    • 4.6 • 19 Ratings
    • $9.99
    • $9.99

Publisher Description

The Call of the Wrens introduces the little-known story of the daring women who rode through war-torn Europe carrying secrets on their shoulders.

An orphan who spent her youth without a true home, Marion Hoxton found in the Great War something other than destruction. She discovered a chance to belong. As a member of the Women’s Royal Naval Service—the Wrens—Marion gained sisters. She found purpose in her work as a motorcycle dispatch rider assigned to train and deliver carrier pigeons to the front line. And despite the constant threat of danger, she and her childhood friend Eddie began to dream of a future together. Until the battle that changed everything.

Now twenty years later, another war has broken out across Europe, calling Marion to return to the fight. Meanwhile others, like twenty-year-old society girl Evelyn Fairchild, hear the call for the first time. For Evelyn, serving in the war is a way to prove herself after a childhood fraught with surgeries and limitations from a disability. The re-formation of the Wrens as World War II rages is the perfect opportunity to make a difference in the world at seventy miles per hour.

Told in alternating narratives that converge in a single life-changing moment, The Call of the Wrens is a vivid, emotional saga of love, secrets, and resilience—and the knowledge that the future will always belong to the brave souls who fight for it.
Historical, stand-alone novelBook length: approximately 94,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs

GENRE
Fiction & Literature
RELEASED
2022
November 15
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
368
Pages
PUBLISHER
Harper Muse
SELLER
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS
SIZE
3.5
MB

Customer Reviews

Lathamwarrior ,

Absurdly good and captivating

This book has blown away my expectations, beyond loved it and cannot wait for unsinkable in January!

threers ,

Touching, inspiring historical fiction

The Call of the Wrens was so much more than I expected. I had expected a quick, short read. Boy, was i wrong!!!

The story was very detailed, incorporating three time periods--early 1900's, World War One and World War Two. Marion and Eddie grow up in an orphanage.

The author gives a heartbreaking story of how Marion and Eddie survive in the orphanage. It was a definite eye opener on to the way things were for the lost children. As WW1 comes to England, more and more children are needing beds. When Marion ages out at age eighteen she must go.

Her job opportunities are few with WW1 influencing life in England. She joins the Wrens with hopes of being a dispatch rider. Eddie doesn't want Marion to go off without him. With false papers, he joins the Royal Navy with his motorcycle, all but guaranteeing him a dispatch rider position.

The author weaves a tale of adventure, romance alongside the horrors of World War One. Her words brought tears, smiles and so much more. The ugly crying was real. I would have given up just as Marion had; if the author hadn't given me hope for a better life in the future. Marion had lost enough.

Marion's friend, Sara, hasn't forgotten Marion in her suffering. With World War Two, Marion is needed to help her country. Sara discovers something that Marion will want to know. Marion will be motivated by her past.

As a reader, I learned so much about the importance of those traveling the streets of London and Europe. They risked their lives to save others. Our Education System has done them a disservice by not putting them in our textbooks, by not flooding documentaries with their supporting role in so many of the actions that were taken.

I hope people will pick up this book, fall in love with the characters. They will close the book knowing so much more than they did before reading The Call of the Wrens.

akbaird ,

Highly Recommend!

From the writing to the characters to the story, this book will captivate you from the start!

A dual timeline story that alternates between Marion during WWl and Evelyn during WWll with their experiences in the WRENS (Women’s Royal Naval Service) This is the woman’s division of the Royal Navy where women carried out non-combat duties during both wars. Both women were motorcycle dispatch riders, which was one of the most dangerous jobs.

Marion grew up bouncing between orphanages and was often called a mute because she rarely spoke. She coped with her situation by reading books. At the age 18, she is told by the orphanage she will have to move out and find work as she aged out. So it was suggested that she join the WRENS, which she then proceeded to do. Will this job finally give her a sense of place and worth?

Evelyn was born with a club foot, so was often told she couldn’t do something because of it. So when she got her driver’s license, it was the freedom she was looking for. Evelyn raced cars until WWII. Her parents wanted her to find a husband and start a family, but she felt differently. Despite her mother’s disapproval and with the help of her friend Percy, Evelyn becomes a WREN. Will this give her the freedom she is looking for?

With each having faced their own challenges, how will these women handle their duties? Will this be the job they finally feel valued?

A powerful story of how women played an intrigual part during WWl and WWll. It showed their bravery and resiliency, especially those who were the motorcycle dispatch riders.

An unbelievably well researched and well written book that will leave you feeling blown away by the story that Jenni L Walsh chose to tell! I highly recommend it for anyone who loves Historical Fiction. A great book club pick as well, as it will lead to many interesting discussions!

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Unsinkable Unsinkable
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Malala Yousafzai (She Dared) Malala Yousafzai (She Dared)
2019
I Am Defiance: A Novel of WWII I Am Defiance: A Novel of WWII
2021
Over and Out Over and Out
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Operation: Happy Operation: Happy
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