The Ship of Brides ~ Jojo Moyes | Book Review

As a fan of books, I thought it was only right to start writing short(ish) reviews on the books that I have read and enjoyed.

From word of mouth, I heard about the author Jojo Moyes and wanted to read some of her stuff to vary my reading and add to my book selection. The first Moyes' book I read was called 'Sheltering Rain'. I really enjoyed the story as well as her writing style which obviously led me into reading more of her books. Which leads me, nicely, onto this book review.

The Ship of Brides

This story is based around the non-fictional story of 655 Australian war brides being 'shipped' to Plymouth in the UK. Here is some information on this event (URL: http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/warbrides)

During the Second World War, many British sailors, that were serving in the Pacific and Asian theatres, married Australian women who they met when taking shore leave. After the war, the sailors came home to Britain on board their ships, leaving their brides on the other side of the world. In July 1946, the British authorities and Royal Navy decided to reunite the husbands with their wives by giving the wives the chance to board the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, which was set to arrive in Plymouth in early August.

Even though the book is based around a true event, the story itself is fictional, and quite romantic.Without giving away any spoilers, you start to develop an attachment to many different characters in the book. Mainly to 4 of the brides that share a room, all from very different backgrounds, and 2 of the workers on deck - one being the captain and the other being a marine.

The book is separated into 3 different parts after the prologue, which introduces the story, in a more recent time period, and in an unexpected but very effective way.

Part 1: Going back in time, you are introduced to 3 of the main characters. At this point I felt inclined to pick my favourite character out of the three, but as I carried on reading the book, my perspective changed.
Part 2: You are brought into the main part of the story, which is the brides being on the boat. This section is where the story goes into full swing, and things start to get interesting.
Part 3: After being left on a happy but also disappointing note at the end of part 2, you are brought back to the same time frame as the prologue. This part is my favourite because you have an inkling of how the characters, at the start, fit into the story, and the best news, that made me giddy inside, is revealed to us at the very end of the book.


It's fair to say, that once I had finished reading the last page and closed the book, I was a mess of emotions. I wasn't crying, because the ending wasn't sad, I was smiling so big my jaw began to hurt.  I even ran down the stairs and jumped up and down in my kitchen while telling my mum what had happened and how happy I was. It was a very good ending to a very good story.

Due to the relationships and bonds you make with the characters in the book, you begin to feel empathy for them and don't wish anything horrible upon them - except for the characters that aren't so nice. In a way, you begin to see the story through their point of view, even if it isn't written in first person. Or even, you feel like a fly on the wall, watching into their lives and learning things about them.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the ending of the book, and the story as a whole was gripping, interesting and enjoyable.
Definitely a must read.