July 1940 – as Tarn struggles to come to terms with the loss of her beloved brother in the chaos of the British retreat at Dunkirk, she and her friends scour the hills around their Lake District home, watching for any signs of the long-dreaded Nazi invasion.
But as the war drags on, with little good news from the front, the locals become aware of someone carrying out anonymous acts of kindness, such as saving a flock of sheep from a snowdrift and helping an injured farmer who might otherwise have died.
With no one claiming credit, they come to think of this unidentified stranger as a kind of guardian angel, but when his identity is finally revealed, can Tarn come to terms with the truth?
Blogtour stop - review and extract:
I love Tom Palmer's writing - After The War, set in the Lake District just as this latest novel, is one of the most memorable reads of recent years for me - so I'm thrilled to be the final stop on the blogtour for Angel Of Grasmere, also set in the Lakes, and Tom's latest historical adventure from Barrington Stoke.
The story packs an emotional punch, dealing with loss, PTSD, the treatment of soldiers returning from the war damaged by what they've seen, and the impact on families, but told with Tom's deft yet unflinching touch. He doesn't fail to tackle these difficult issues head on, but des so in a sensitive and engaging way, telling the story in such a way that the reader is right alongside the characters as they face the issues and feels part of the novel and empathy for them as well - I could feel myself tensing up and getting angry at several points in the story as events occurred, and such is the mark of Tom Palmer that in what is a fairly short novel, you are hooked and pulled right into the story.
I loved the action - storms, danger, mysterious goings on, and aircraft crashes, as well as the range of engaging characters and the gripping plot. The atmosphere of the Lakes and the descriptions of the environment and the landscape are also noteworthy, creating vivid pictures in the reader's mind as the story develops....hills, tarns, storms and dramatic weather changes (pathetic fallacy?) catching characters out along the way. This ranks right up alongside After The War for me as a powerful, action packed and thrilling story, but with a strong message of love, care and facing adversity together to overcome as well.....Barrington Stoke and Tom Palmer are a great combination, and I know many readers who will devour this book in my own school! Brilliant, yet again.
Very grateful to HarperCollins/Barrington Stoke for allowing me to share this extract as part of the blogtour here:
Video intro:
About the Author:
“While I was researching my other books set in the English Lake District – Armistice Runner and After the War – I unearthed so many interesting stories about what we now call Cumbria during both world wars that I felt compelled to write about them too. The men who hid in the mountains for years to avoid being enlisted. The fear of and preparation for a Nazi invasion among the fells and lakes. Angel of Grasmere is the product of those stories and also of my ongoing relationship with Grasmere School, who have helped me with all three books.”
TOM PALMER
TOM PALMER is the multi-award-winning, million-copy bestselling author of the Young Quills Award winners After the War and Resist, and FCBG Children’s Book Award winners Armistice Runner and D-Day Dog. In 2019, Tom was awarded the National Literacy Trust’s Ruth Rendell Award in recognition of his contribution to literacy work in the UK.
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Award-winning Barrington Stoke publishes top-quality short novels by the UK’s best writers, expertly edited and produced to ensure they are accessible to all – as a quick engaging win for confident readers and a satisfying achievement for those who have to work harder. The company regularly receives wonderful feedback from parents, teachers and librarians who have previously struggled to find age-appropriate, enjoyable and accessible books for their children.
Review and post by Rich Simpson (@richreadalot) May 2023
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