The Living Stone

Nine years after Business as Usual, author and illustrator Ann Stafford is at war. She’s driving an ambulance in London during the Blitz, terrified but determined to do what she can to help other people when the bombs rain down. She’s living at her friend Daphne’s house, sleeping in the living room alongside other women volunteers on mattresses, being cooked for by the redoubtable Mrs Dove, and working her shifts at the ambulance station. She sees the nightly destruction of London’s buildings and streets close-up and death at first hand.

Ann Stafford’s memoir about her experiences in the Blitz brings the past back to life, making her writing a fascinating report from the f