Book Review: After the War is Over

After the War Is Over

Author: Jennifer Robson

Publisher: William Morrow

Genre: Historical Romance

Challenges: War Through the Generations

Synopsis: Charlotte Brown has worked as a nurse during the first world war, now that the war is over she is back working for a councilwoman in Liverpool. In addition she is given the opportunity to write for a newspaper column. At the same time she worries about the man she loves, Edward Neville-Ashford the Earl of Cumberland who has come back from the war a broken man in more ways than one.

Thoughts: This book takes up where Somewhere in France left off telling the story of two of the secondary characters, Charlotte and Edward. However it also tells the story of how Charlotte came into Lilly's (and Edward's) life and also some of the events of Somewhere in France but from Charlotte's perspective.

Charlotte is a very different from Lilly. She has a much greater understanding of the world, both in the flashbacks and in "real time". However she has an idealism that Lilly, perhaps, did not share. I find that although I could understand Lilly, I can actually relate more to Charlotte. She feels more modern. One thing I often find problematic with historical romances (and any historical fiction) is that the characters are given what I call "modern sensibilities". They act and say things in a way that we would now, but that I find difficult seeing people at the time saying and doing (it was one of the reasons I could only watch one episode of "Reign" even though I knew it was a "romp" not intended as a serious historical series it just grated on my nerves). In this book, with Charlotte I think Robson has found a nice middle ground. There were people with more "modern" views on society than what you might associate with the time period but there were hurdles. Charlotte holds the views but she also encounters the hurdles and this is, to my mind, good.

In my thoughts on Somewhere in France I wrote that the ending was a bit rushed and unfortunately this story suffered from the same problem. And here we don't have a follow up (at least not yet) to explain the rushed ending. Again there are problems and problems and problems and then, voila, everything is hunky dory. It just feels rushed for me.

Despite its flaws it is a book I would recommend.

I've included this book in the War Through the Generations challenge because although it isn't set during a war the aftermath of a war is very much in evidence and the war is central to the storyline.

Copyright ©2015 Zee from A Tea Stained Page. This post was originally posted by Zee from A Tea Stained Page. It should not be reproduced without express written permission

Book Review: Somewhere in France

Somewhere in France: A Novel of the Great War 

Author: Jennifer Robson

Publisher: William Morrow

Genre: Historical Romance

Challenges: War Through the Generations

Synopsis: The year is 1914 and Lilly, or Lady Elizabeth Neville-Ashford wants to live her own life, marry someone she has chosen, and help with the war effort, but is continually stopped by her stuffy aristocratic mother. Eventually she breaks free, learning how to drive and then moving to London and finally working as an ambulance driver on the front in France

Thoughts: This was one of those books that once I picked it up I simply couldn't put it down. Although I could guess how it would end (see genre) I really couldn't begin to guess how they would get there.

Lilly is very naive and part of me always wonders how true this actually was of the aristocracy. Where their girls really as naive as they are painted in these books or is that a construction of our time? However with this book I am going to assume that it is true as the author holds a doctorate in social history (SHE apparently did not have P. for history in high school). The naivete works well in this story because the reader gets to learn alongside Lilly (I had no idea what a French Letter was either) and because you get to learn with her it does not become annoying that she does not know.

One of the aspects of the story that I found the most interesting is that Lilly and her friends worked as ambulance drivers and I was very happy to find a post from Smart Bitches Trashy Books about a female ambulance driver during WWI. I added quite a few books to my TBR pile from that post. Despite P's efforts during high school history social history is my favourite. I love learning about ordinary people's experiences during historical periods (my history shelves at home are filled with books about ordinary people).

I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed compared to some parts of the book. The training and Lilly's time in France dragged on at times while the ending was very much ...and they lived happily ever after THE END. It could of course be argued that the story that ends the story is really the beginning of the next book After the War is Over but I still feel that it could have been a bit more here.

Although I say that the time in France drags a bit, this isn't all bad, as a reader you really feel the sameness of the days, how the mud and death really start affecting people. I was very glad to be curled up in my nice warm dry bed when I read those sections. Although I've seen plenty of pictures and movies etc. of how it was, for me the words, and seeing women in these conditions made it even more real than it might have been before. I don't know what it says about me that I needed to see women in the conditions to make it more real, but...

I've chosen to include this book in my War Through the Generations as it very much deals with World War One.

Overall this is a book I would recommend to anyone who likes historical romances.

Copyright ©2015 Zee from A Tea Stained Page. This post was originally posted by Zee from A Tea Stained Page. It should not be reproduced without express written permission

War Through the Generations Challenge

In addition to the Feminism Challenge I wanted one other themed challenge. I chose the War Through the Generations. This year it doesn't focus on a particular war but rather you can jump around. This appeals to my eclectic reading as it gives me a focus but doesn't force me into a particular time period.

I have some ideas of books I want to read. I also have some poems I want to discuss that I think fits nicely into this challenge.

Below are some of the books I will be reading/am considering. I've picked at least one from each of wars that have been previously featured in the challenge for a full year

Abigail Adams by Woody Holton (Just found this book and it isn't just about the American Revolution but it is about a figure that was important to the war so...)

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (link to free Kindle edition) (A classic that has been on my TBR for ages (will also fit one of the categories I am missing in the classics challenge)

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (Has been on my shelves for quite some time)

The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry

Ardennes 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble by Anthony Beevor (due out in May 2015) (My grandfather fought in the Ardennes but never talked about the war. I want to read this book to learn more about that part of the war)

Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose (Another one that has been sitting on my Kindle for ages, I really enjoyed the tv series so I am hoping I'll like the book)

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes (I've had this one sitting on my Kindle for ages so time to read) 

Copyright ©2015 Zee from A Tea Stained Page. This post was originally posted by Zee from A Tea Stained Page. It should not be reproduced without express written permission