I was sorry to find this last visit to the Brogan family was rather laboured so I enjoyed it much less than its predecessors. The central mystery was hinted at over and over again, despite having been introduced in earlier books and probably guessed by any astute reader before 'A Ration Book Victory' was published. I kept reading but found myself becoming irritated by the repetitions and hyper-aware of mistakes in the chronology. And by the tunnel vision of Mena, who sees faults in others but not in herself.

It was nice to see romantic entanglements resolved, men returning from wartime service, new housing and medical care in the offing, new career opportunities for the family and the emergency services returning to a peacetime footing. It was less pleasant to notice how characters are shown to be so blatantly good or evil, with the sole exception of Billy who is able to mature and change. More nuance would have been welcome. ( )

This is the most recent book written by Jean Fullerton who has written a series of books about the lives of an East End family who are known as the Brogans. The stories take place during the second world war , they are now getting near the end of the war and the families are getting rather weary of it all. To add to their troubles, their lifelong friend and local Priest has been taken seriously ill and they fear he could die.
A Ration Book Victory takes the reader back in time , both to the East End in 1945 and then back even further to Ireland in the nineteenth century. This is because two of the main characters in the story met in Ireland as children. These two characters are Queenie Brogan and Father Patrick Mahone. Queenie was not always known by this name because her real name is Philomena and her maiden name was Dooley. Patrick was a farmer`s son.
Philomena and Patrick first set eyes on each other while attending a church service with their families. They became friends and then sweethearts, but their love was not meant to be. They met several years later when Queenie moved to the East End with her husband and Patrick was the Priest of their neighbourhood. So after knowing each other for many decades it comes as a shock to Queenie when Patrick is taken ill and she realises how much he has meant to her over the years. ( )

A Ration Book Victory by Jean Fullerton is the eighth novel in The East End Ration Book Series. I was able to read A Ration Book Victory as a standalone, but I believe it would have benefited me to have read the whole series. I could have gotten to know the characters and their backstories. I thought A Ration Book Victory was well-written with interesting, developed characters. I enjoyed getting to know the extended Brogan family as they endured World War II. This is Queenie and Father Patrick Mahon’s story. The whole family is present, but the focus is on those two. There are flashback chapters that gives us Queenie and Father Mahon story from the beginning. It is an emotional story. There is plenty of family drama as well. We get to see the good times and the bad with the Brogan clan. Queenie is a special character. I like that we get to see glimpses of the little girl who became the matriarch of the Brogan clan. It was enjoyable learning about the bond between Queenie and Father Patrick Mahon. We get to see the indomitable British spirit as these brave people endure a long war with a stiff upper lip and plenty of tea. It did not matter which house you were in, there was always a kettle on the hob. They get to have a cup of tea, get a shoulder to cry on, and then they carry on. I am definitely going to go back and read all the books in The East End Ration Book Series. A Ration Book Victory is a fitting end to this charming saga. A Ration Book Victory is tickety book with egg exchanges, a bothersome sister, gregarious grandchildren, ration frustrations, a poorly parish priest, a special sense, and a lasting love. ( )