Why a Booktrail?
1941: Malta sits at the tipping point of the Second World War.
Faith’s War
What you need to know before your trail
A tiny island sits at the heart of the Mediterranean – and at the tipping point of the Second World War. As bombs rain down, beneath the ancient stone of Valletta’s fortifications, a young nurse tends the wounded in the darkness. But Faith Simcock has a deeper connection to Malta. Before she left her home in England her parents dropped their own bombshell: she was adopted and her birth mother is Maltese.
With only a rusty old tin of photographs from her great aunt, Faith is drawn into a search for her past. Torn between a growing attraction to a guarded doctor and her longing to uncover the truth of her origins, she must navigate a world under siege. As the island is relentlessly blasted by bombs and the residents face starvation, Faith must find the courage to survive. . . and to find out where she belongs.
Travel Guide
Malta – Valetta
The tunnels – These real-world subterranean passages/bomb shelters were carved deep beneath the city . They provided living quarters, and makeshift emergency hospitals during the 18 months of heavy Axis bombing.
Fort St. Elmo – This is the monument to the underground networks where the characters shelter
There are a few mentions of life in Manchester but they are few and far between – the action of the book is in Malta
The title of the book nods at the real-life Faith which was a British Gloster Sea Gladiator biplane (serial number N5520) that became a powerful symbol of Maltese resistance. It was part of a tiny, desperate fighter unit known as the Hal Far Fighter Flight, which defended Malta against the vastly superior Italian Air Force at the outbreak of WWII
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Faith’s War
Destination/location: Valetta, Malta Author/guide: Shirley Mann Departure Time: 1941
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