Book Review: The War I Finally Won

I'm always nervous when I hear that a beloved book will get a sequel.  Don't get me wrong, it's exciting when I get to continue a journey with characters I loved, but there's always the "what if?"  What if the plot isn't as compelling?  What if the character I loved develops a major flaw?  What if it just doesn't live up to the original?

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley was one of my favorite books of the past 5 years.  The book hooks you with the title and keeps you engaged with Ada's story right up until the last page.  Ada and the other characters were so well-developed and nuanced, and Ada's simultaneous strength and vulnerability are unforgettable.

The War I Finally Won picks up right where the first book left off.  After retrieving Ada and Jamie from their abusive mother in London, Susan makes arrangements for Ada to finally have her club-foot surgically corrected because "what's right and what's permitted are sometimes different things." But Ada's identity is so wrapped up in her club-foot and the abusive relationship she had with her mother, that she is unsure of who she is without them in her life.

With life in wartime becoming ever more complicated as the war trudges on, Ada works to overcome her fear and insecurities. She volunteers to help wherever she can.  Her limited world experience allows her to question values and beliefs that others just accept at face value.  She not only discovers who she is, but she helps everyone around her grow as she does.

My worries, just like many of Ada's, were proven wrong - The War I Finally Won lives up to and even exceeds all of my expectations.