Three Oxford historians Merope Ward, Michael Davies and Polly Churchill are eager to get on with their research. All three work on WWII related projects. Merope is going to study the blight of children evacuated from London, Michael wants to study war heroes and Polly the Oxford Street shopgirls during the Blitz. But this is 2060. Time travel is a reality and if you do research on WWII it means you will go there -literally. Only this time, it seems, the three time travellers just might get more than they bargained for. For a reason unknown to them their drops, or places where they should be able to step back to Oxford in 2060, stop functioning and they are stranded in three different places in 1940. Will they be able to locate each other? Will they find a way back -or rather forward- home? And what is going on as time travelling historians should not be able to change history only now there are indicators that something such might be happening... What if something the stranded historians did changed the course of the war?
Blackout is the third novel by Connie Willis I have read. My first was Doomsday Book, which I read in Finnish some time around 1999-2000. Last year I read To Say Nothing of the Dog. All three belong to Willis's time travelling novels and I have enjoyed every one of the three immensely. I like how ordinary travelling through time is made in her books and the idea of being able to do historical research back there and then is very tempting for me. I wish it were a reality! :)
Only a small part of the novel takes place in 2060. Most of it tells about the war years in England (mostly 1939-1940, but we also get a glimpse of 1944). If you don't like scifi but love historical fiction and have read this far of my post :), I must say don't let the time travelling part of this novel scare you away! Blackout is one of the most interesting historical novels set in WWII England I have ever read. Nightwatch by Sarah Waters is still my favorite, but Blackout comes second. My only complain (which is not a real complain at all as I'd love to continue reading about Merope/Eileen, Michael/Mike and Polly) is that Willis did not manage to put the whole story in one book, but ended writing a duology. What starts in Blackout ends in All Clear.
After I finished reading Blackout I would have liked to continue immediately with All Clear. My Blackout was a library book, but unfortunately my library did not have All Clear, at least not yet. I almost bought a copy, but this being the Christmas Season decided to be patient and wrote to Santa instead. :) So, now I hope that Santa will fulfill my wish -and that I will be reading my very own copy of All Clear this Christmas!
By the way, I'm participating in the 2011 Virtual Advent Tour. This is my second participation. Last year I shared with you a very special Christmas memory. We'll see what I my Advent Tour post will be about this year. My assigned date is Dec. 11.
7 comments:
I've only read Doomsday Book, which I loved. I don't like stories set in WWII so much, though but you make it sound interesting.
I would love to go back in time too. I research my family tree and would like to go and visit some of my ancestors to see how they lived and what they were like. It's not going to happen, though! :-)
Judith, you should try reading To Say Nothing of the Dog. It's set mostly in Victorian times. Blackout is a serious book, but To Say Nothing is humorous. I love how Willis is able to use the same world she's built to tell such different stories.
Greetings,
Tiina
I have a copy of this, but I've been saving it for until I get my hands on All Clear - I suspect I'd want to read them back to back. Sounds just as wonderful as her others!
Ana, it's a good plan to read them one after the other.
Greetings,
Tiina
I have only read To Say Nothing of the Dog but I loved it! I need to read Doomsday Book and then work up to these ones as I do love all things WWII. I also need to read Night Watch as well!
I've always loved Connie Willis' books, especially for their lightness and finding the best part of a bad situation. While there is some lightness in Blackout, it's far too choppy in the beginning - it took me until halfway through to not feel lost - so the early humor got lost. Then all the Merope/Eileen humor is focused on really horrible children, who have some sort of ominous role in the book because they cause trouble at so many key points, and I just couldn't find the horrible children amusing. But mostly after putting up with two novellas at full novel prices (Inside Job was at least signed and numbered, All Seated on the Ground was very entertaining), I was really disappointed that the first full length book since Passage was an unfinished story. It is one thing to have stories broken into sections that keep the readers buying more, but Ms. Willis has always written whole books previously, not segments. This was unexpected. Most other serial authors at least tie up the current story to some degree, and leave a couple of key items open to tantalize, but don't just stop abruptly in the middle of a story.
UK, too bad Blackout did not work for you. I enjoyed it very much and did not feel it ended abruptly. I did know already before reading it that the story would continue in another volume. Willis has said that the story became too long to be published as one book. Have you read All Clear yet? Those badly behaving children indeed do play an important role in the latter part of the story and I grew to love them dearly! They are a very important part of the story.
Greetings,
Tiina
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