Their Finest: Lissa Evans

Back in 2015, this book was featured at the Clothes in Books blog. It took two years for me to read it and another year to give a full review. The original title of the book was Their Finest Hour and a Half. In later editions, the title was shortened to Their Finest after the film adaptation with that title was released in 2016.

The novel by Lissa Evans is set in the the UK in 1940 and 1941. The story is about a young female copywriter who gets an assignment to the Ministry of Information, writing parts of scripts for a WWII propaganda film. That alone would be an interesting subject, but the story follows several other people associated with the filming. Each one provides a different view of the UK during the war.

Within this story there are multiple storylines involving :

• Catrin, the female copywriter who is assigned to work on a film about the Dunkirk rescue mission.
• Edith Beadmore, a wardrobe assistant at Madame Tussaud's in London who also ends up working on the film.
• Lance Corporal Arthur Frith, appointed to be a Special Military Adviser to the film. His pre-war background in catering has not prepared him for the military or advising on a film.
• Ambrose Hilliard, a once prominent actor who has a small role in the film.

It is a lovely story, very humorous and moving. I read the book last summer, then we watched the film shortly after it was released on disc here. I still remember the impact it had on me.

My favorite character was Ambrose, so full of himself and oblivious to why he can no longer demand the starring roles, the meaty roles. I had a hard time liking him at first, but his story is very interesting and he grew on me. Catrin's story is the main plotline, but I was also very fond of the storyline following Edith's trials and tribulations. All of the secondary characters involved in the stories were handled well, so that each plotline was meaningful and important.

I liked that the story emphasizes the effects that World War II had on the people at home. In 1940, London was bombed repeatedly by German planes and the war effort looks to be going very poorly. This story is about the people who are not off fighting the war, but are in London enduring the chaos, discomfort, and heartbreak of the Blitz. It is not a comedy but it is told with humor and a light touch.

The author's writing is very readable; the events felt real and engaging. Her descriptions of people enduring the bombing of their homes and work places while sitting in Anderson shelters or basements put me right there while it was happening.

I enjoyed the movie but I liked the book more, for the usual reasons. A book can have more depth and provide more background on the characters and what shaped them. I was unhappy that the sub-plot of the seamstress was dropped. I do accept that the changes made in adapting the book were probably necessary and it still is quite entertaining (and moving). The main roles are played by  Gemma Arterton (Catrin), Sam Claflin (Tom Buckley, the screenwriter), and Bill Nighy (Ambrose). Bill Nighy is a favorite actor in our household and he did a fine job in the role.

See also:

• two reviews at goodreads, Palmyrah's and Bryan's
• and a film review at Den of Geek

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Publisher:  Harper Perennial, 2017 (orig. publ. 2009)
Length:      436 pages
Format:      Trade Paperback
Setting:      UK
Genre:       Historical Fiction
Source:      I purchased my copy.