REVIEW: The Last Life Boat by Hazel Gaynor

The Last Life Boat by Hazel Gaynor: Set brilliantly in the belly of World War II, we experience first hand what it means to survive as Alice finds her true purpose in service as a teacher and escort of children who are destined to flee war torn Europe.

Based on the true story of the SS Carlisle, and moreso of England’s attempt to save the children by shipping them off to Commonwealth colonies, we experience the duality of war, from Alice’s perspective trying to survive in the freezing depths of the Atlantic Ocean after the SS Carlisle is torpedoed, and Lily, recently widowed who suffers in anguish at home not knowing if her children are safe. And all the while, love, humanities greatest strength is the backbone to the sheer grit, determination and resilience our two women display in the desperate fight to overcome all of the odds.

Simultaneously, Lilly and Alice’s story’s unfold, each desperate to save the children they have sworn to protect. Written from the dual point of view of each character, we are immediately thrust into the violence and trauma of war, and yet, somehow, Gaynor’s writing is uplifting, eloquent and manages to transport the reader beyond the grotesque into the heart of what it means to fight for the right to live.

Throughout, masterful and descriptive language was manipulated effectively and the real art of storytelling was on full display. And whilst there were utterly heart wrenching moments, the tension and almost gentle prose encouraged the reader to pause for breath. For lovers of Historical fiction and those who are captivated by the strength of human spirit, this is highly recommended and a top pick for 2023.

Book Info:

Publication: 13th June 2023 | Berkley |

1940, Kent : Alice King is not brave or daring—she’s happiest finding adventure through the safe pages of books. But times of war demand courage, and as the threat of German invasion looms, a plane crash near her home awakens a strength in Alice she’d long forgotten. Determined to do her part, she finds a role perfectly suited to her experience as a schoolteacher—to help evacuate Britain’s children overseas.

1940, London : Lily Nichols once dreamed of using her mathematical talents for more than tabulating the cost of groceries, but life, and love, charted her a different course. With two lively children and a loving husband, Lily’s humble home is her world, until war tears everything asunder. With her husband gone and bombs raining down, Lily is faced with an impossible keep her son and daughter close, knowing she may not be able to protect them, or enroll them in a risky evacuation scheme, where safety awaits so very far away.

When a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the S. S. Carlisle carrying a ship of children to Canada, a single lifeboat is left adrift in the storm-tossed Atlantic. Alice and Lily, strangers to each other—one on land, the other at sea—will quickly become one another’s very best hope as their lives are fatefully entwined.