For Eleanor Barton, fleeing from the bombs of the Birmingham Blitz
during World War II changes her life. On the Isles of Scilly, she
negotiates a teaching contract, her own sexual awakening, and a decision
about her future that will have repercussions for decades. Her course is
set when she sails from the UK on the Queen Mary as one of thousands of
GI brides. But the path she has chosen will not be an easy one.
Struggling with issues of infidelity, gas-lighting, her 'outsider's'
experience of racial apartheid in 1950s America and living within the
bounds of Catholic teaching on contraception and marriage, Eleanor faces
an uncertain future. But she persists, bolstered by her love for her
daughter, Sadie.
Spanning the 1940s to 1980s, Eleanor faces a stream of new
challenges--not least the struggle to overturn the Decree of Nullity
granted to her American husband by the Catholic Church, and her waning
health. But a return visit to Scilly brings her life full circle and
demonstrates the endurance of deep love.
Exquisitely realised characters and a powerful story unite in Waiting
for the All Clear, L.B. Gray's debut novel, to immerse readers in the
ageless questions of what it means to make a good life and what are the
boundaries that must be defended if we are to remain true to our own
stories.
