These Wonderful Rumours! cover

These Wonderful Rumours!

by May Smith

At the outbreak of World War Two, May Smith was twenty-four. Living with her parents in a Derbyshire village, she taught at the local elementary school. The war brought many changes to the village: the arrival of the evacuees; broken nights when the wail of the siren signalled bombers flying overhead; the young men of May's circle donning khaki and disappearing to far-flung places to 'do their bit'. But May still enjoyed tennis parties, holidays to Llandudno and shopping for new outfits. And it was during these difficult times that May fell in love. THESE WONDERFUL RUMOURS! is an insight into life on the Home Front, when the people of Britain coped with the uncertainty, the heartbreak and the black comedy of life during wartime.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?