It’s 1946, just after the end of World War Two.
The Ship of Brides tells the story of four very different Australian women, Margaret, Avice, Frances and Jean, who have married British servicemen during the war and are now travelling on the HMS Victorious to join their husbands in Britain.
JoJo Moyes based this fictional story on the real-life journey of her grandmother, Betty McKee, who was one of the 655 Australian war brides who sailed to Britain on the HMS Victorious in 1946. She did a lot of research into the period and does a great job of taking the reader into a post war world by making the characters and situations relatable.
I really enjoyed the non-fiction extracts from journals, newspapers and diary entries that were included at the start of each chapter. It was very interesting to learn about the period and I loved the way the book was written, because it gave you an insight into everyone on the ship, from the captain to the deckhands.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes JoJo Moyes, historical fiction and Australian history.
-Jane, Tumut Library
