Victory Days for West India Dock Road is the fourth installment of the West India Dock Road historical fiction series.
Victory Days for West India Dock Road by Renita D’Silva
Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction (WWII home front), friendship, women supporting women, community, racism, multicultural, London
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My Summary:
Thanks #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks for a complimentary eARC of #VictoryDaysForWestIndiaDockRoad upon my request. All opinions are my own.
In this fourth installment of the series, WWII is coming to an end. Residents dare to hope and perhaps celebrate. A few face personal challenges, but with the support of friends and neighbors, victory can be found in the war and in individual lives.
My Thoughts:
Found Family
I love the found family elements of this story and of the series. The residents of West India Dock Road lean on each other for courage, strength, practical help, endurance, and hope. I love the diversity of the community who gather in Divya’s Indian restaurant to partake of yummy food, hear the latest news, or to read letters aloud.
Main Characters
In this installment, Divya and Ruth are the main focus.
As the story opens, Divya finds herself in a good place in her personal life (which I could have predicted…but no spoilers). I was a bit disappointed that this major development in her life happened off the page between books three and four. We gain hints of how it happened, but we missed out on the first-hand experience. During this story, she becomes aware of a letter that might threaten her joy and contentment.
Ruth (the young woman who has escaped from Nazi-occupied Germany) experiences racism because of her Black GI boyfriend. Her friends and neighbors fight against this prejudice and support her in lovely ways. Ruth is the kind of young woman who can set her own challenges aside and help others.
The author also brings us up to speed on the other characters, especially those concerned about the safety and well-being of their loved ones who have been fighting in the war.
Series Conclusion?
I’m not sure if this is the conclusion of the series or not, but it could be. Many residents of West India Dock Road receive happy news about their loved ones and the war is coming to an end. There is an atmosphere of celebration and thankfulness in the satisfying conclusion. I’ll be sad to say goodbye to these characters.
Content Consideration: PTSD, domestic abuse
Recommending Victory Days for West India Dock Road:
Although the four books in the series can be read as stand alones, reading the series in order will provide the most satisfying reading experience. Fans of the series will enjoy the celebration and closure that Victory Days for West India Dock Road provides. I’ve read each installment, but I think my favorite is #1, where we are introduced to Divya and West India Dock Road.
My Rating: 4 Stars
Meet the Author of Victory Days for West India Dock Road, Renita D’Silva
Renita D’Silva has had fifteen historical fiction novels published. Victory Days for West India Dock Road, the new book in her West India Dock Road WW2 saga series will be published on 1 July. Her short stories have been published in The View from Here, Bartleby Snopes, this zine, Platinum Page, Paragraph Planet, Verve, the Best of the Net anthology, the Arts Council funded Bridges Not Borders anthology of prizewinning stories, among others. They have been nominated for the Pushcart prize, shortlisted for the LoveReading Very Short Story award and The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize and longlisted for the BBC National Short Story award. Her short story, Put On The Spot, has been selected to be published in the Guilty Secrets CWA Anthology edited by Martin Edwards, to be published by Flame Tree in 2026. Her first psychological thriller, The Neighbours, won the Joffe Books Prize 2023. Her third psychological thriller, Two Perfect Couples, is out now.
QOTD:
Do you love diverse reads and historical fiction set on the WWII home front?
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