Harvest Moon Yet another brilliant story from Judith Saxton. Harvest Moon like all her other books pulls you into the story of the "hops', Spanish Civil War and war time tragedy. Her characters become like old friends, I felt I was watching Foxy, Laurie & John grow before my eyes. Judith writes like the characters are real to her, and because of this you can relate to them. Harvest Moon delves into the personal lives of 3 good friends, through good times, carefree youth into war, tragedy, heartbreak and them even more good times. A really great read that I would recommend to any reader in search of a "great Book"

I found this book an excellent book and once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. Never did I find the book boring or tedious. I have read this book twice and are planning to reading many more times in the future. Judith portrays the characters in this book as 'good as it gets' and because of this, this book was a great read. I absolutly loved this book and would recommend it to any one who loves a good read and who is prepared to sit down all day and read it.

I came across the Judith Saxton works earlier this year, I can say that I never been disapointed with any of her book. Still Waters tells the story of Tess and Mal two people who different ends of the earth, but with the coming Second World War they finally meet and hope to discover truth behind a secret that has haunted Tess most of her life. Ms. Saxton is able to make the reader a sense on how life is wartime Britian. A really great book!

This is an OK book with only one character, Nell, to redeem it. The rest is just not good enough. The whole tie-in with Elizabeth II of England is not inspiring although a message that everyone wants to be special is a nice touch. If the author focused more on Nell and her mother, then the book would have been better. I also felt that the author was too removed from the action. She was writing about them in such reserved manner that it was impossible to "escape" reality with this one. The writing talents of Judith Saxton need to be re-evaluated although her plot development is quite gool.

I really liked this book alot. I felt really drawn to Nell and her mothers story the most. Actually I wish the whole book was all about them. I think I'll read it again!

To my mind, this is yet another example of the sad fact that successful authors rarely get better as they get older. She starts with a good idea, which is to set the story in England during WWII, concentrating on a group of women working with barrage balloons, which is interesting to read about. Unfortunately the character development and plot are nothing special. There are four main characters, each with careers and love-lives to follow over the 4 or so years covered, and the story progresses very fast to cover all this material, without ever really drawing the reader in, apart from the beginning of the book which focuses on their boot camp training.

My summary - don't bother.

"You Are My Sunshine" tell of the story of four young Birtish women who served in the WAAF working with the air ballons. Ms. Saxton gives the reader a real feeling of what the men and women face during one of England darkest hours. The Anglo slang also give the book a good feel. Overall, "You Are My Sunshine" is a great Historical novel!

In 1941 during England's "finest hour", things looked awfully bleak. With the men off fighting Hitler, women began to join the military performing support jobs. These British lasses come from different parts of the country with different backgrounds, but many have given up their social lives to do historically male jobs.

Kay marries, makes love, and sends her spouse off to war before joining the BOP (balloon operatives) line. At work, she meets and befriends Emily (a shy Welsh farmer's daughter leaving home for the first time), Biddy (an Irishwoman inner city survivor of the Nazi bombing raids), and Jo (person who enjoys defying authority). Together, they help each other survive.

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE is a well-written World War II historical novel that centers on the rarely chronicled war efforts of females. The four lead characters seem authentic as the audience can picture them working with the air balloons as well as their relationships with one another and others. The use of Anglo slang adds to the genuine feel of the plot, but also proves difficulty in understanding and at times slows the story line down. Judith Saxon has written an interesting tale that World War II purists will find quite refreshing.

Harriet Klausner