From City to Valley

In 1940, groups of children travelled from The East End of London to a small Welsh village away from the Blitz - leaving their families behind to experience a rural life far from anything they had previously known.

Chris Andrews, who grew up in the East End just after the end of World War II, has created a compelling narrative based on the imagined experiences of some of these evacuee children and the adults who look after them. Evocative, resonant, often hilarious, rich in period detail and insight, From City to Valley is a charming multi-narrator novella inviting readers to invest in its layers of deft plotting and interwoven lives. There is truth to be found here, alongside understanding of an unimaginable time.

A must-read for anyone interested in the effects of displacement, the World Wars, and the relevance of history to our lives today, From City to Valley is a finely crafted little masterwork of historical fiction.

Illustrations by Nikki Davies