When the World Fell Silent: A gripping and emotional historical fiction novel inspired by real events

Astory of the December 6, 1917 Halifax explosion. On that day the "Mont Blanc" ship entered the Halifax harbour while a relief ship, the "Imo" was departing. Each blasted their horns demanding the other to change course; neither did till it was too late. The collision resulted in a fire on the Mont Blanc, something that would be of little concern except that the ship was secretly carrying 2.9 kilotons of explosives. For security reasons only a very few knew this. The fire ignited the munitions and the resulting explosion (shortly after 0900hrs) levelled the entire part of the city, killing nearly 2000 and injuring 9000 more. It was the largest manmade explosion in history until the atomic bomb of 1945. The novel's theme: "family is everything" follows the lives of two women, Charlette Campbell and Nora Crowell as they face the struggles of WWI and the explosion. Having lost her beloved husband in the trenches and with no-one else to turn to, Charlotte Campbell now lives with his haughty in-laws who treat her like the hired help. It is her baby Aileen, the joy and light of her life, who spurs her to dream of a better life. Nora Crowell wants more than her sister's life (Jane) who is a war wife and mother of two. As WWI rages across the Atlantic, she becomes a lieutenant in the Canadian Army Nursing Corps, saving lies on the home front. But trouble is looming, she is pregnant with Alley's baby, her soldier boyfriend who has been sent oversees. Fearing repercussions as an unwed mother Nora only confides in her sister Jane who is willing to raise the child as her own so Nora can avoid scorn and continue to work at her dream job. The explosion has turned both of their lives upside down. Charlotte is injured in the blast and recovering in hospital without her baby. Her husband's family are all killed, leaving her all alone. After a desperate search and much luck she finds her one year old baby Aileen, but something is wrong. Aileen does not seem the same. Charlotte attributes this to the stress of the blast. Almost ten months later she realises it is the wrong baby. The baby is actually Jane's daughter. Nora's letters to Alley at the front line are never answered. She is not aware if Alley is dead or just refuses to answer, making their single night together just a one night stand. Needing support, being left to look after her niece and unborn child she marries Captain Neil McLeod, an army doctor who adores her despite her baggage, (five year old niece Evelyn and the unborn child). Nora's sister and parents all die in the blast. The novel is a story of family, hardships, and true love. Nora is faced to compare her two loves, the exciting Alley who survives the war, returns home and wants to restart their relationship, and the down to earth husband Neil. The former offering a life full of fun and excitement and the latter a plain, down to earth life with normality, reliability and undying support. I give the novel an 8/10. It is a well researched account of the Halifax explosion and the strengths and cooperation families had to develop to overcome the physical and mental hardships the people of the time faced as war brides and widows. The characters were true to life and believable. There were some events in the novel that were predictable such as Nora's marriage to Neil and her soldier beau Alley returning to Nora after the war. Some reviews thought this was too predictable and boring but it was ok with me. This event most likely happened many time in war time creating all sorts of difficult emotions in the people involved.

Apparently I like historical fiction - which is surprising because I don't love history. This book was sweet and I learned a lot about Cananda and WWI. The horrors of war are unimaginable. Thank goodness for our first responders. PTSD is so very real, and I am glad that we live in a time that acknowledges it.

Donna Jones Alward’s When the World Fell Silent “recounts a pivotal event in Canada's history–the largest man-made explosion until 1945's bombing of Japan and a mass casualty event.” “I’d just straightened when the world fell silent, then a rumble shuddered beneath my feet and a terrible force pressed on my body, the blunt punch of it delivering me into blackness…For the first time, the phrase ‘we're at war’ took on a real, true meaning, and I felt it from my heart right down to my toes. It was no longer some nebulous, far-away idea. It was right here in Halifax, the little Canadian city with the big port, that had for hundreds of years survived battles between the French and English. And yet today, in a matter of a few seconds, the city and its people were shattered. If I weren't in the middle of it, I wouldn't believe it was possible.” In the beginning of the story, we meet Nora, an independent woman “who bucks tradition in favour of a career. Her choices–and the explosion–lead to some big life changes. Charlotte, on the other hand, begins the story entrenched in domestic life and then must find work.” When her daughter goes missing in the explosion, Charlotte Campbell discovers an advertisement for an orphan but when her family is found and the truth comes to light, Charlotte is conflicted: should she do the right thing and return her to the arms of her family or should she take her adopted daughter and run? “She was no villain; she was “a woman who had simply been in pain and desperate. Another mother who had lost her child.” The two women’s lives coalesce into a single moment: “the victories, the losses, the struggles, and the happy times…Nora and Charlotte’s stories revolve around one central idea…that life was fleeting. And family is everything.” Most of all, this is a story about sisters: the sister cities of Halifax and Boston, "the sisters we choose, the sisters we lose, and the ones we treasure every day.” Donna Jones Alward’s When the World Fell Silent is a triumph!