There are American GIs – overpaid, oversexed and over here – bomb raids and Anderson shelters, dances and romances, and of course the sense of a community that pulls together in troubled times.Ĭaroline Leech has a real flair for characters. Wait For Me has everything you could ask for in a wartime romance. And when John Jo comes home on leave, Paul and Lorna find their fledgling relationship may be over before it has properly begun. Gradually Lorna warms to him.īut what will those around her have to say about fraternizing with the enemy? Kindly housekeeper Mrs Mack might accept their friendship but Lorna’s schoolchum Iris and her pompous boyfriend William have plenty to say. But his eyes are twinkly, his lips soft, and his nature kind and gentle. And one side of his face is horribly disfigured by war injuries. He’s the enemy, one of the men who might one day kill her brothers. But when lambing time comes round, Lorna’s father realises he needs more hands and drafts in Paul Vogel, a young German from the nearby prisoner-of-war camp.Īt first Lorna is repulsed by Paul. True, in the absence of Lorna’s brothers John Jo and Sandy, landgirl Nellie is there to help.

But between the farm, schoolwork, rationing and knitting Red Cross scarves, it’s a wonder Lorna has time to dream at all! Seventeen-year-old Lorna Anderson can’t wait to escape the endless chores on her family’s East Lothian farm. Wait For Me By Caroline Leech (HarperTeen £7.99) Reviewed by Karen Byrom Subscribe to our magazine for more great content

Wait for Me by Caroline Leech