The London Restoration - by Rachel McMillan (Paperback)

Diana did secret government work during WWII, while her husband, Brent, was at the front. The war ended, and Brent came home. But it took five more weeks before Diana came home. Brent has never understood, or accepted, why that happened, and because of the oath of secrecy she took, Diana can't tell him about her subterfuge work. To make it worse, she is still doing secret work that involves her going out at night. Diana says she is doing a study of churches. Although Brent doesn't believe her, he tags along, and finds she is in one dangerous situation after another--and he saves her more than once. Since reuniting, their marriage has suffered due to trust issues Brent has because of Diana's five-week absence, and her nighttime church work. Will Diana find the answer to the puzzle she has been trying to solve? Can her marriage survive her confidential work? Has the war changed Diana and Brent so much that they can never have a satisfying relationship? The faith in this story is mostly academic. Brent is a stiff theology professor, and Diana admits she has never had much time for religion. Most of the other characters are atheists, so no one in the story has a personal relationship with God--which I found disappointing. There is a lot of esoteric, complicated information about church architects and architecture. This 4-star story would be enjoyed by those with an interest in WWII, church architecture and intrigue.

"While some adjusted to air-raid sirens and others to the lost light of blackouts, Diana Somerville never recovered from the absence of church bells." London's grand churches, whose spires graced the city's classic skyline, were Diana Somerville's lifeblood; she cherished them, she inhaled their presence, they exhilarated her, they introduced her to the love of her life. "Diana Foyle. Like the bookshop on Charing Cross Road." . . . became Mrs. Brent Somerville within the ruins of one of those magnificent houses of worship, for the Second World War had only just begun to unleash its fury from the skies. After being separated for four interminable years during the war, Diana and Brent finally manage to re-unite, finding that the words they cannot say shout above the ones that they barely manage to whisper. Secrets; they can bind or break, can they not? . . . . . exhibiting enough strength to topple a marriage just as surely as a cracked foundation dares to cripple the very building that depends on its stability. Diana's work within British intelligence is a story that she cannot tell, while Brent relives the nightmares of his battlefield experiences each and every night. Can they dare to love, not who they were, but who they have become? Especially, and maybe because, Diana's promise to another has not yet been fulfilled. It's a restoration story for the ages, for just like Diana's beloved houses of worship, the cracks and repairs between these two lovers become part an integral part of their reconstructed unity, "for as long as a populous finds its heart in the the center of churches, so our nation will rise. Our churches are our heartbeat". Readers should ready themselves to sink hard and fast into McMillan's lush descriptive prose, heartily admiring the author's vast knowledge of history, architecture, and classical music while letting her book's message tenderly imprint "pragma, philia, ludus, storge, agape" . . . . love, upon the pages of their hearts.