Short book with true stories of England during the early days of World War II. Small episodes about British people and their way of managing the fact that their country once again has come at war with Germany. One clear message is that if a war is to be won, selfishness and self-sufficiency must first be overcome. There are also strong personal points of views from Du Maurier and it is worth recognizing and appreciating that hatred against the aggressor is at no point a theme. As always when it comes to Du Maurier, everything very well-written.

Daphne du Maurier was born on 13 May 1907 at 24 Cumberland Terrace, Regent's Park, London, the middle of three daughters of prominent actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and actress Muriel, née Beaumont. In many ways her life resembles a fairy tale. Born into a family with a rich artistic and historical background, her paternal grandfather was author and Punch cartoonist George du Maurier, who created the character of Svengali in the 1894 novel Trilby, and her mother was a maternal niece of journalist, author, and lecturer Comyns Beaumont. She and her sisters were indulged as a children and grew up enjoying enormous freedom from financial and parental restraint. Her elder sister, Angela du Maurier, also became a writer, and her younger sister Jeanne was a painter.