matrons garden
a novel based on the bleak historical realities orphaned children faced in london during world war ii this harrowing story follows the plight of four year old ann wosley whose violent and drunken father becomes too ill to care for her and whose older brother tommy leaves for months at a time in his service with the british navy . ridden with guilt tommy knows the difficulties ann must face as she struggles with feelings of abandonment while coping with the death of her mother the memory of whom makes the monotonous daily routines rules and chores of the orphanage much easier to bear . she soon learns anticipating tommys all too brief stints on leave that she lives in a world where she must fend for herself .