The Life I Stole
Nikola Scott
Like many children in wartime Britain, 10-year-old Agnes Crawford was sent out of London to the safety of the countryside where she lived with the well-to-do McIntyre family. Tragically orphaned by the war, she stayed on afterward as their maid and close friend of their daughter, Isobel. When tragedy strikes again, Agnes adopts her deceased friend's identity and with it the opportunity to become a medical student at a London university.
The early 1950s were an exciting time for medicine in Britain as the National Health Service, in its infancy, began offering treatment to those who had previously been unable to obtain or afford it. It was also a challenging time for female medical students who faced discrimination in what was at that time a predominantly male environment.
Agnes works hard to succeed all the while maintaining her secret, but discoveries about her family history, feelings of guilt, and a potential love interest make it increasingly difficult. Tension mounts as she tries to decide whether to continue the ruse or reveal her true identity and accept the consequences. I'm not going to tell you what she chooses to do. You'll have to read the story yourself to find out!
I will tell you though that this novel brings post war London to life and explores issues of social class and women's roles in a way that is both entertaining and informative. I found it hard to put down.
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