{"product_id":"the-oaken-heart-the-story-of-an-english-village-at-war-9781504092364","title":"The Oaken Heart: The Story of an English Village at War","description":"\u003cb\u003eWorld War II on the home front: \"Fans of \u003ci\u003eThe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society\u003c\/i\u003e or James Herriot will enjoy this unique historical account.\" --\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This remarkable firsthand account--from the acclaimed Golden Age mystery author--was written to let people know how the Second World War affected ordinary English country people. \u003ci\u003eThe Oaken Heart\u003c\/i\u003e is Margery Allingham's tribute to the resiliency and determination of the people of Tolleshunt D'Arcy, the Essex village where she lived and nicknamed \"Auburn\" in her manuscript. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Allingham, already a successful mystery author in 1939, was at work on the Albert Campion novel \u003ci\u003eTraitor's Purse\u003c\/i\u003e. The first hint of war was felt in the alarm of a radio announcer's voice, and Allingham put down her pen as her peaceful corner of the world braced for sending its men into battle, and even possible invasion. As villagers rallied around the cause--supporting each other and their country--Allingham found herself acting as the local billeting officer and first aid organizer. She writes of the sacrifices of farmers, the mistrust of politics, the grim acceptance of rationing, the bombing of London. And through it all, the never-ending hope for peace. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Oaken Heart\u003c\/i\u003e captures the personal and universal toll of war, far from the front lines, written by a woman whose own quest for justice jumped from the page to the streets where she lived. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Engrossing and moving.\" --\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Her record of the events and people of this fraught wartime period is rendered with the skill found in the best of her fictional writing . . . remains an insight into another facet of a remarkable talent.\" --\u003ci\u003eCrime Time\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMargery Allingham, born in 1904 to Emily and Herbert Allingham, was an esteemed English novelist, author, and editor of \u003ci\u003eChristian Globe\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eNew London Journal\u003c\/i\u003e. Considered one of the four \"Queens of Crime\" from the golden age of detective fiction, Allingham began writing stories and plays at a young age and published her first novel, \u003ci\u003eBlackkerchief Dick\u003c\/i\u003e, at 19. She later studied drama and speech training at Regent Street Polytechnic in London. Allingham is best known for her character Albert Campion, a sleuth first introduced in \u003ci\u003eThe Crime of Black Dudley\u003c\/i\u003e. Campion was featured in seventeen subsequent novels, and even more short stories. Allingham continued to write until her death on June 30, 1966.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Open Road Media Mystery \u0026 Thri","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50901020901650,"sku":"9781504092364","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ffe72bb7-a277-45b0-85d6-34623a7250a1.jpg?v=1738409359","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-oaken-heart-the-story-of-an-english-village-at-war-9781504092364","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}