Secrets of a Charmed Life

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2015

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-8

Part 1, Chapters 9-15

Part 2, Chapters 16-23

Part 2, Chapters 24-33

Part 3

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Background

Authorial Context: Susan Meissner

Susan Meissner (b. 1961) is an American writer who was born and raised in San Diego, California. As an adult, she lived in Minnesota, England, and Germany before moving back to San Diego in 2007. She lives there now with her husband, a pastor and Air Force reserves chaplain, and has four adult children. She attended Point Loma Nazarene University and, while living in Minnesota, worked as a weekly newspaper editor.

She writes largely Christian and historical fiction and targets her books towards both secular and Christian literary audiences. Her debut novel, Why the Sky Is Blue, was published in 2004, and it was followed by other novels, including A Window to the World and The Remedy for Regret (2005), the Rachael Flynn series (2006-2007), A Seahorse in the Thames (2006), and The Men of Lancaster County series, which she co-wrote with Mindy Starns Clark (2014-2015). She started writing historical fiction in 2008. Her first book in this genre, The Shape of Mercy, implements depictions of historical events and details a woman’s exploration of the story of her librarian employer’s ancestor during the Salem Witch Trials. Following historical novels include White Picket Fences (2009), which combines a contemporary story with historical fiction about two holocaust survivors, Lady in Waiting (2010), which is set largely in Tudor England and focuses on Lady Jane Grey, and A Sound Among the Trees (2011), which is set during the Civil War.

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Meissner’s experiences living in Minnesota and England are evident in her development of Mac’s character, as well as the settings and characterizations of the English characters. Her familiarity with both California and England also manifest in her writing of American Oxford student Kendra Van Zant, while Meissner’s knowledge of Christian faith roots itself within Emmy’s, Julia’s, and Charlotte’s faith in God; these characters’ understanding of the lack of control they have over the world gives them the strength to learn from their mistakes and endure hardships throughout the novel.

Historical Context: World War II and Post-War Britain

World War II’s impact on Britain, particularly England, during and after the war is central to the novel’s plot. The growing danger in London as air raids begin and increase in 1939 and 1940 presents itself in Parts 1 and 2 of the novel, with Emmy and Julia, like thousands of London children in real life, needing to be evacuated to the English countryside and beyond. While many children stayed in England’s other towns and villages, as Emmy and Julia did in Part 1, other children were sent to stay in America, such as Julia when she went to live with her grandparents.

The novel also mentions the battle of Dunkirk and the increasing air raids following it, as well as the continuous dogfights between the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Germans. The novel also mentions the struggle the English had with the strict rationing of food, especially sugar and meat, making fruit and vegetable gardens essential for English households. The devastation of the Blitz is depicted vividly, showing the bombings and detailing the large civilian casualties. Many important areas to the protagonists are destroyed in the bombings, including Emmy, Julia, and Annie’s flat, the Sharington Crescent Hotel where Annie and Emmy’s father Henry Thorne were staying, and later, Primrose Bridal. Emmy also loses important people in her life in the Blitz, such as her mother and father and Mrs. Crofton. The novel also explores the collective trauma the people of London had following the Blitz and how the trauma of it has impacted individuals, with Emmy and Julia struggling to overcome their trauma in the novel.