Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Goodnight from London: A Novel
Goodnight from London: A Novel
Goodnight from London: A Novel
Audiobook9 hours

Goodnight from London: A Novel

Written by Jennifer Robson

Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

About this audiobook

From USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Robson—author of Moonlight Over Paris and Somewhere in France—comes a lush historical novel that tells the fascinating story of Ruby Sutton, an ambitious American journalist who moves to London in 1940 to report on the Second World War, and to start a new life an ocean away from her past.

In the summer of 1940, ambitious young American journalist Ruby Sutton gets her big break: the chance to report on the European war as a staff writer for Picture Weekly newsmagazine in London. She jumps at the chance, for it's an opportunity not only to prove herself, but also to start fresh in a city and country that know nothing of her humble origins. But life in besieged Britain tests Ruby in ways she never imagined.

Although most of Ruby's new colleagues welcome her, a few resent her presence, not only as an American but also as a woman. She is just beginning to find her feet, to feel at home in a country that is so familiar yet so foreign, when the bombs begin to fall.

As the nightly horror of the Blitz stretches unbroken into weeks and months, Ruby must set aside her determination to remain an objective observer. When she loses everything but her life, and must depend upon the kindness of strangers, she learns for the first time the depth and measure of true friendship—and what it is to love a man who is burdened by secrets that aren’t his to share.

Goodnight from London, inspired in part by the wartime experiences of the author’s own grandmother, is a captivating, heartfelt, and historically immersive story that readers are sure to embrace.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateMay 2, 2017
ISBN9780062674289
Author

Jennifer Robson

Jennifer Robson is the Globe & Mail and Toronto Star number-one bestselling author of six novels, among them The Gown and Somewhere in France. She holds a doctorate in British history from the University of Oxford and lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and children.

More audiobooks from Jennifer Robson

Related to Goodnight from London

Related audiobooks

Historical Fiction For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Goodnight from London

Rating: 4.289340089340102 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

197 ratings20 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    All I can say is, I enjoyed this book a lot.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Story was good but not amazing. It’s an easy listen.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was a little anxious because it was obvious from the cover that there was some romantic content in Robson's book, which is not my choice of reading material. I shouldn't have worried, the story was about a young woman in a male-dominated business (weren't they all?) in London during the war. Robson was inspired by her grandmother's experience to create Ruby Sutton, a young American journalist working for a news magazine in wartime London. The story was well-researched and the descriptions of London during the blitz were realistic and very well written. I enjoyed this one a lot.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    After finishing an audiobook that was 23 hours long, I wanted something shorter and less intense. This provided exactly that. In 1940 Ruby Sutton, a young American journalist, is sent across to England to work for a London magazine. The writing style and the characters are quite straightforward. Occasionally I wished for more poetic prose, witty dialogue or nuanced characters -- but most of the time I was too caught up in the story to be critical. I just wanted to know how things would turn out! Ruby and her friends are likeable company, and her experiences and her perspective, as an outsider and as a reporter, are very interesting. Those details made this story sufficiently different from others I’ve recently read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was an interesting story about an American reporter who moves to London to report on wartime home front life. I liked the bonds she forged and the 'family' she made in London. I had read books about the Blitz before, but I liked the way this one occasionally took us out of London to see how other areas of England were affected too. A couple of potentially life-changing obstacles that came up in the story appeared perhaps a little more quickly dealt with than maybe was realistic, but I have to admit that I didn't mind, mostly because I liked Ruby, but probably also partly because I needed a mellow read right now.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is an historical novel that takes place from 1940 to 1945. Ruby has been a staff writer for just six months at a weekly newsmagazine in New York when she is given the opportunity to transfer to London. The assignment means splitting her work time between the American publication and one in London. It's not so much that London needs another journalist the English editor writes his friend in America, but "If you have a girl to spare...home-front news is our bread and butter right now. Someone smart and independent and not overly fussy about niceties". What he means is that he needs someone to write stories about people and their experiences rather than politics, and Ruby becomes his "girl". Soon she is on a ship traveling in a convoy to England where she will work throughout the coming war.While the cover implies the book is a romance, it isn't, although there is a romance for Ruby running through it. Robson is a historian (PhD in British economic and social history) and her grandmother was a journalist. The book isn't about her grandmother but was inspired by her, and certainly Robson's studies at Oxford contribute to the characters and story line. The notes section is as interesting as the book and a glossary of war terms and places is appreciated.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    News writers, war, romance, history... just enough of each of those. Good characters! Strong women... LOVED IT!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a heartwarming page-turner. It's a story about love and survival in London during WWII, as told through the eyes of a young woman.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Historical fiction with a romance angle. But the history is most prominent; is well done and affecting. Recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    First time reading Jennifer Robson. This was engaging and easy read. Although, WWII is one of my favorite historical eras. Our main character in Goodnight from London is one Ruby Sutton, American journalist extraordinaire, sent to report for the war for her employer. Her experiences are difficult as expected from a woman covering the Blitz and war torn England. I had a hard time connecting with Ruby as a character but I loved the history and vignettes of a woman, doing her part to fight and represent, stuck in the emotion and physical grit of war in the 1940s.While the era was well researched by Robson, a few of the characters felt a bit cliche. Easy reading, a bit slow at times although, I will definitely read this author again.Thanks to LibraryThing and William Morrow for my book copy. All opinions herein are my own.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jennifer Robson's historical romances are a comfort read, actually a comfort listen for this one, for me. This one is set in World War II and seems historically accurate. There is a love story but, more than that, there is the providing of a family for a woman who was orphaned at a young age.Ruby Sutton is a young reporter with a New York magazine, a job she got by changing her name and lying about going to college. But she is a good reporter so when her editor's friend in a London weekly, Kaz, suggests that the two magazines split the cost of a reporter to cover the Home Front in 1940 the editor picks Ruby. Without any family or other involvement to hold her back Ruby is soon on a boat to Liverpool and then by train to London. Kaz sends his friend, Captain Bennett, to meet Ruby's train and take her to her lodgings.Bennett was in France as a soldier but when everyone was evacuated from Dunkirk he became an employee of a secret organization; in other words he became a spy. He disappears from London for long stretches but when he is back he often turns up at the newspaper office and, in addition to seeing his friend Kaz, speaks to Ruby. Meanwhile the Blitz has started and all around England people are dying or losing their homes or their loved ones. Ruby reports on the human interest stories and tries to survive herself. One night when she was out for dinner with Bennett her hotel was bombed; Bennett took her to his godmother's house where there was a lovely spare room for her. The godmother also make her part of their family which Ruby has never experienced. She has no idea who her father was and her mother died when she was very young. After that she was raised in an orphanage run by the Catholic church which had no love or money to spare. Ruby slowly realizes she is in love with Bennett but she is immediately grateful for the close friends and family she develops even while the times are hard.It's hard to believe there is anything about WWII that has not been explored before but the experience of women journalists is not one I remember reading about in any other book. Robson based Ruby on her own grandmother who was a writer in Vancouver during World War II.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Out of this entire author’s works I've read, this book stands out as a favorite so far. She tells a story of maturing, fighting against adversity, and making one’s way in the world even though the odds may be stacked against you. Her world building skills are also nothing to sneeze at. I found myself rooting for Ruby more and more as the story progressed. I've read works before that detail Blitz-era London, and I've read great takes on it. Robson’s take ranks up there with the best. The immediacy she works into her words grabs the reader by the throat and doesn't let go. We experience the horrors of war right along with Ruby: bombed-out shells of homes, those left homeless and hopeless on the streets of London, the tragic loss of friends and colleagues, and the anxiety caused by never knowing when or where the next one will drop. Robson has it all.Yet for all that, there's also a certain sense of hope, victory, and courage about her characters and atmosphere as well. Despite it all, everyone goes along with their lives: working, loving, and living. They don't let the anxiety of imminent death keep them from loving their families nor working towards their dreams. Ruby expresses her admiration for the courage of the British during this horrible event, and the reader can’t help but agree with her opinion.The heart of our story, though, is Ruby. She's the kind of female lead I love in historical fiction. She isn't an Amazonian warrior feminist crusader (though there's nothing wrong with that) nor is she a docile, gentle lamb of her era (also nothing wrong with that). She's just a regular woman with big dreams, the courage to strive for them, and the iron will to withstand the prejudice and hardships she faces. Her quiet strength and determination to better herself both professionally and mentally gained my admiration; I couldn't help but root for her on every page and during each scenario.The romance aspect wasn't as large as previous works. I found it to be far secondary to Ruby's journey as a woman and professional writer surviving in World War II London. Maybe this was the author’s intention, maybe not. Either way, I enjoyed it that way. Bennett is still very much present in the story as a man working behind the lines to bring his country to victory. His scenes with Ruby are emotionally packed and tug at the heartstrings. There’s still enough romance to please the palate either way.To me, this is Robson's best work so far. Her fantastic lead character makes you love her from page one. Ruby isn’t going to win the war single-handedly nor she going to sit meekly at home, knitting socks. She's a woman like any nowadays who has a dream and the will to chase it. I love her for that. Robson’s world building make the reader experience World War II rather than just reading the words on a page. And her romance is still present enough to make any romantic happy while being more muted than previous works, not taking over the story completely. I highly recommend this work; in fact, it's probably the best work to start with if experiencing Jennifer Robson for the first time.Note: Book received for free via LibraryThing giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    1940: An American Journalist in London… and a woman too...Ruby Sutton gets her big break as a staff writer for Picture Weekly but it means heading across the pond to England in the midst of World War II. Alone in the world, she decides to go for it. Once there, she has a lot to prove and the nightly Blitz of bombs does not make her life any easier. Little by little she carves out a spot for herself in London. As colleagues becomes friends-- photographer Mary, her boss Kaz and his best friend Captain Bennett—she realizes she has finally found a new home but is disaster around the corner?Overall a good vacation read! Quick and light-- kept my interest. I do wish to have had a bit more of Captain Bennet and Ruby interacting, as well as a bit more of her background teased earlier in the book but it was a not a complete deal breaker. It was not long before I was rooting for Ruby…
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Formulaic love story set mostly in London during WW II. While the writing was good, it could have been written in the 1940s. Even if the events and background had been more contemporary, the storyline lacked dimension.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Reviewed for Library Thing early Reviewers:Another hit for Jennifer Robson ! A well written novel about a young female reporter who goes to London to work for a weekly magazine. Through her eyes we see what it was like for ordinary people living in extraordinary times. Ruby lives through the nightly bombings of the London Blitz..She reported on the disaster at Coventry and Durning Road. She shows us the spirit of the people in their struggles and victories coping with lack of decent food and blackouts and homes in rubble."Goodnight from London" is a giimpse inside the reality of WW ll in London. I enjoyed it very much.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    what a beautiful Book!! the story and the characters were well written. Ruby Sutton is a journalist sent to London to capture the war time experience. I love the fact that the book is some what based on the Author's grand mothers war time experience
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I received this book as a Librarything Early Reviewer but I had already bought it and read it the day before I heard I was going to receive a LibraryThing Reviewer copy! I was between 2 choir events and had nothing to read so decided to visit a bookstore. I enjoyed the book so much I finished it the same day! Ruby Sutton is a young American journalist who is sent to Britain in1940 to cover the War and its effect on the lives of ordinary people. When the Blitz begins and continues night after night she suffers along with the Londoners and witnesses the suffering and strength in adversity of the average person. When the boarding house where she is living is bombed she loses everything and is befriended by a family through her acquaintance with their son. A romance develops, of course, but not without difficulties. Jennifer has done her research well. Her descriptions of Ruby's nights in the underground station while the bombs fall and her visit to the city of Coventry after it has been bombed are vivid and gripping. It seems WWI and WWII are popular themes for authors at the moment. I have read many of them and would rank this book among the best.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received this as part of the LT early reviewer program. Ruby Sutton is an independent young journalist with a rough past who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to London just before the blitz, to work for a small news magazine. it is a typical summer beach read, a nice bit of history mixed with some adventure and romance. It is quickly paced and an easy fast read. My biggest criticism would be its failure to pack any kind of emotional punch. Given the subject matter, I felt the author just glossed over key moments when she could have connected the reader more powerfully to the characters. the only real exception to this is one key scene in which the heroine spends a long night sheltering in an underground station hearing poetry while bombs tear apart the city above. I found that passage to be beautifully written. This being said, I would recommend it as a good filler for a quiet weekend or during summer travel. Thanks to LT and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Goodnight From London is the story of Ruby Sutton, a young American writer who is sent to London to cover the war for her magazine as well as a London magazine. She experienced the Blitz, learned to live without things she'd considered basic accoutrements of life, and along the way met some people who would change her life. It's a story of hope, determination, survival, friendship and love during a very dark time in history. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and I thought Jennifer Robson did a wonderful job portraying the spirit of the British people when they lived in such dire circumstances. Highly recommended to fans of the genre and Jennifer Robson. Thanks to the publisher and LTER for my copy. 4.5 stars
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Here I go again! I'm on a role with this genre ;) WWII stories and movies are my latest obsession. But not all are well researched, plotted and written as I'm finding out. Not this story though! I liked this one a lot and there was a lot to like.The heroine, Ruby caught my interest from the first page and the plot, of an American woman reporter going to London as WWII approaches was intriguing as much as our heroine's past. As our heroine get's to know her new surroundings, we are right beside her as authors wonderful prose and research shines through and sucks us in as Ruby tries to survive and at times thrive as her new life takes root.The novel is well written and researched and the romance between Bennett and Ruby was sweet and relatable because it moved at a realistic pace, regardless of war and its horrors. I also liked a slew of supporting cast, from Kaz to Vanessa, but it's the descriptions of the ravished city that touched me the most."At ground level, near what once may have been a set of stairs, a group of men in steel helmets and boiler suits were pulling at the debris, shovels at the ready, their muttered instructions to one another barely audible above an undercurrent of noise that Ruby didn't at first recognize. It was sort of low, keening cry, reminiscent of an animal in distress, and it made the hair on her nape stand on end and her breath catch at her throat.She turned her head this way and that, trying to discern what she heard, and then she realized it was coming from the people around her, men and women alike, some of them covering their mouths with their hands to contain their horror.The sound rose and rose, and then the crowd parted before her, and she stood and watched mutely as two men shuffled past with a stretcher. On it was a blanket-draped body, far too small to be that of an adult, and as the men stepped free of the debris the blanket shifted, only to reveal a tiny shoe, its leather wizened and twisted by fire and water ...The horror of that one shoe fell on her, a body blow that stole the breath from her lungs. She took a step back, closed her eyes, but the image would not flee, it was still there even in the darkness. She could see it, see the child's little foot, so still and cold. How was she ever to wipe such sight from her mind?"This story is heart wrenching and heartwarming and I highly recommend it.Melanie for b2bComplimentary copy provided by the publisher