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Marriages are Made in Bond Street: True Stories from a 1940s Marriage Bureau by Penrose Halson (first published in 2016 by Pan Macmillan)
Before Tinder there were the Classifieds, but there were dating services even before then … Marriages are Made in Bond Street: True Stories from a 1940s Marriage Bureau by Penrose Halson is a book that explains how two young women opened a bureau to match people together during mankind’s worst war.
In a world where death and destruction oppressed society, there was still a shiny beacon of hope, and Penrose Halson did a magnificent job in compiling a story told by one of the founders of Bond Street’s marriage bureau.
I don’t read a lot of non-fiction in general, but sometimes I come across a book that’s nice to read in between all the fiction. Something real, you know? I can’t read non-fiction in one sitting, either (no idea why), so it takes me a while to get through them. Marriages are Made in Bond Street was a fun, uplifting, piece of history that sat on my bedside table for weeks.
Every night I would read a few pages, or one of those stories where love and happiness was found, and then I remembered how incredibly difficult it must have been considering the time. To smile. To fall in love. To know it could end at any moment.
Yes, these women did a great job, but my hats go off to those folks who took the plunge and gambled so wholly with their hearts, knowing that at any moment the Nazi’s could drop another bomb and end it all.
I love that there was still hope.
Furthermore, this book isn’t weighed down with facts or terrible things (usually found in books revolving around that time).
The author assumes those who pick up this book knows what World War II was about (I love that, because everyone should know their history), knows the sacrifices that were made, and knows that love in the time of war doesn’t have to mean a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am-sorry-but-I-gotta-go-dodge-some-bullets affair.
I love the insight into this horrific time, where something as innocent as love could still be obtained.
This isn’t a book for everyone, I’ll admit. But if you’re looking for a book about real love stories, for finding happiness no matter how dire the circumstances, well this one is definitely for you.
Read more of Monique’s reviews on her book blog.
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