ARA Review by Rebecca Blahus of Time Heal my Heart

[Rebecca Blahus]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Time Heal my Heart.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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We find ourselves in 1914, as two British sisters, Winifred and Francesca, set sail for a new life in Australia in Time Heal my Heart. At the same time, their oldest brother is gearing up to enter World War I. Once they settle in Australia, Winifred marries Walter, whom she met on the ship, while Cesca works as a nanny for a local family until she meets Sebastian, a physician who is caring for one of the boys in her care.


A supporting cast of colorful and well-developed characters enhances the lives of the sisters, including Lisbette, Winifred’s neighbor. Win and Lisbette become friends when they discover they are both pregnant. Harry, Wal’s uncle, becomes a father figure to both sisters. The reader is taken from Australia to England, to the battlefields and trenches of France, and to a monastery and orphanage connected to Lisbette and a secret she can’t share, even with Winifred. The ties that bind all these places and events together begin to emerge and characters’ stories overlap and develop. There is a sense of intrigue and mystery


The plot was engaging once we began the trip with the sisters during World War I and followed their lives over several years. Early chapters of the book were set in the present, focused on a family seeking genealogical information, and provided clues to the unknown history of the author’s grandmother, Winifred. I would have liked to have some connection to these present-day characters and the questions and concerns they were pursuing at the end of the book. The ending certainly provides an opportunity for a follow-up novel.


This is a sequel to a previous book by this author, but was easy to read as a stand-alone novel with action, intrigue, joy and despair. It is a true story based on the author’s family. There were a significant number of grammatical and punctuation errors that were distracting. Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 5 rating.

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