Maggie Hope is a bright young woman, headed to MIT for advanced studies in math--a field which, in 1940, is dominated by men. When she is called to England to handle the sale of her grandmother's house, however, she finds herself captivated by the country of her deceased parents, even though Britain has just gone to war with Germany. Looking for work, she finds her intelligence and skills as a mathematician ignored because she is a woman, and ultimately accepts a position among the ranks of Prime Minister Winston Churchill's secretaries.
That is just the beginning of Maggie Hope's story, as Mr. Churchill's Secretary, Susan Elia MacNeal's debut novel, weaves together such disparate plot elements as the IRA, women's rights, homosexuality, the Blitz, the ballet, familial relationships and much more. MacNeal has done her research, and each aspect of 1940s England is covered in detail; at times, however, these pieces don't always fit together neatly, making the story feel as though it has perhaps been forced to accommodate too much of its era.
Still, the story in Mr. Churchill's Secretary proves captivating, as readers are taken into the world of spies and codebreaking and wartime suspense, while Maggie races against both time and societal norms to prove that she is right--both to herself and to her doubters--and to stop a nasty plot in its tracks. Readers will quickly find themselves rooting for the eager young Maggie Hope, and--as Mr. Churchill's Secretary is the first of a planned series--should be on the lookout for more of her adventures. --Kerry McHugh, blogger at Entomology of a Bookworm