Skylark's War by Hilary McKay

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 320

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Released: 20th of September 2018 

Clarry and her older brother Peter live for their summers in Cornwall, staying with their grandparents and running free with their charismatic cousin, Rupert. But normal life resumes each September - boarding school for Peter and Rupert, and a boring life for Clarry at home with her absent father, as the shadow of a terrible war looms ever closer. When Rupert goes off to fight at the front, Clarry feels their skylark summers are finally slipping away from them.

Can their family survive this fearful war?The Skylarks' War is a beautiful story following the loves and losses of a family growing up against the harsh backdrop of World War One, from the award-winning Hilary McKay. 

What I Have to Say 

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. It wasn't a bad at all. I think if I hadn't had high expectations of it, I probably would have liked it a lot more. But the fact that I was hoping to love it made it disappointing. 

I liked the characters a lot though. The way that Clarry and Peter were treated by their father was very sad, I was glad when they went to Cornwall and found Rupert and had a much nicer time. It was interesting to see how the relationships developed and grew before changing over the course of the war. 

I loved the letters between the characters and the way that they interacted, but I do feel like it would have been nice to see Clarry doing a bit more than just going to school during the war. I wanted her to achieve something, the same a those around her, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed that we saw the war more through the other character's lives while she was at school. 

I guess I just wanted more from the book. It was touching and gave a good look at the time period, but I wanted more. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Macmillan for providing me with this copy for review.