Review: London Dawn by Murray Pura

March 19, 2014

Title: London Dawn
Author: Murray Pura
Publisher: Harvest House
Pages: 378
ISBN: 978-0-7369-5887-5
Publication Date: February 1st, 2014

Synopsis: 
Readers everywhere are clamoring for books like Downton Abbey, the hit PBS Masterpiece Theater series that's taken America by storm. Those readers have become enthusiastic about The Danforths of Lancashire by award-winning author Murray Pura.

In this stunning conclusion to the saga, we find Lord Preston and his family are gathered in London in the late 1930s for what turns out to be a homecoming. The family is finally all together again, gathering in a way they haven't been able to do for years. But looming ahead is the summer and fall of 1940 when both the Battle of Britain and the Blitz will occur. Though the family is blissfully unaware of this soon-to-be reality, Lord Preston, privy to top secret info in his position in the government, has grave concerns; the gravest he's ever had, that England will be invaded. The Danforth family patriarch does his best to hide his fears with a cheerful exterior, but is he successful?
Review:
I am sad to see that London Dawn is the conclusion to The Danforths of Lancashire series. I have enjoyed experiencing the lives of this family as they have moved between WW1 and WW2.

Murray Pura has done a fantastic job of bringing history back to life with this series. London Dawn takes place soon after Beneath the Dover Sky ends. You are drawn back into the lives of the Danforths as they watch Hitler's power grow in Germany and as he throws the treaty that was made for peace in the face of England and the other countries after WW1. Lord Preston realizes that a war could be on the horizon for his country again, but so far, he watches as Hitler pushes into the the surrounding countries of Germany, but not before Hitler shows off the wonders of a Nazil Germany during the Olympics.

As the story unfolds, you see that the historical detail is just fantastic. The speeches that were given by Chamberlain and Churchill as the war machine cranked into high gear are presented in the story. As the conflict built, the Danforths are all present to witness the dark days that descended on London. Sadly, the Danforths are not immune to the casualties of war or the persuasive pull of Hitler's Youth brain wash.

The story really captured my attention. It's hard to imagine at times all that England endured in WW2. The devastation of the people and their families at the hands of Hitler and his Nazis and how long they endured on their own. The RAF dealt with blow after blow, then the onslaught of the Blitz. It is all present in London Dawn and after "growing up" with this family, you feel a connection to them and you feel their pain as they deal with the horrors of the war.

The history is fantastic and the story blended in so well. It was a gripping story!

Too Read!
5 out of 5

About the Author:
Murray Pura earned his Master of Divinity degree from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and his ThM degree in theology and interdisciplinary studies from Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. For more than 25 years, in addition to his writing, he has pastored churches in Nova Scotia, British Columbia, and Alberta. Murray’s writings have been shortlisted for the Dartmouth Book Award, the John Spencer Hill Literary Award, the Paraclete Fiction Award, and Toronto's Kobzar Literary Award. His novels for Harvest House include Face of Heaven, The Wings of Morning, and Ashton Park. Murray pastors and writes in southern Alberta near the Rocky Mountains. He and his wife, Linda, have a son and a daughter.

Thank you to Harvest House, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.


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