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thebooktrail88's review
5.0
Before the Fall is a story with WW1 as its backdrop but at its core is a tale of love, hope, loss and struggle from the viewpoint of Hannah Loxwood left behind to deal with life in East End London.
Set in and around the streets of places such as Canning Town and Poplar, we experience the streets, the sights, sounds and smells of the war time capital
We map all of the locations in the novel on Booktrail locations of Before the Fall
Before the Fall is a raw and extremely personal account of the war of not just Hannah but I imagine for lots of women at the time and this is what makes it so unique a piece of writing – this is a true story that might never have been told if Juliet had simply disregarded research that she was doing for a newspaper article.
The story of London during the war from the eyes of one woman in one situation is unique as set against the background of Zeppelins, bombings and fires, it is essentially the real story of those who lived through what the men left behind.
The question I was left with was how would I have acted if I had been in Hannah’s shoes? Can we really condemn what she does? How did war change people’s ideas of what was right or wrong? A woman who dared betray a soldier was more than likely thought to be betraying the country at large. But when it comes down to raw human emotions and one woman in one situation – can we really see what Hannah did not?
Juliet West’s writing is detailed, evocative and intense to suit the nature of the story she is telling – the story is complex and claustrophobic, stifling and confusing, as was war. At least by putting yourself in Hannah’s shoes as Juliet allows us too, we get to see the war – torn london through her eyes and see what she would have seen.
Its a booktrail into the past – and into the depths of the human spirit. Highly recommended.
Set in and around the streets of places such as Canning Town and Poplar, we experience the streets, the sights, sounds and smells of the war time capital
We map all of the locations in the novel on Booktrail locations of Before the Fall
Before the Fall is a raw and extremely personal account of the war of not just Hannah but I imagine for lots of women at the time and this is what makes it so unique a piece of writing – this is a true story that might never have been told if Juliet had simply disregarded research that she was doing for a newspaper article.
The story of London during the war from the eyes of one woman in one situation is unique as set against the background of Zeppelins, bombings and fires, it is essentially the real story of those who lived through what the men left behind.
The question I was left with was how would I have acted if I had been in Hannah’s shoes? Can we really condemn what she does? How did war change people’s ideas of what was right or wrong? A woman who dared betray a soldier was more than likely thought to be betraying the country at large. But when it comes down to raw human emotions and one woman in one situation – can we really see what Hannah did not?
Juliet West’s writing is detailed, evocative and intense to suit the nature of the story she is telling – the story is complex and claustrophobic, stifling and confusing, as was war. At least by putting yourself in Hannah’s shoes as Juliet allows us too, we get to see the war – torn london through her eyes and see what she would have seen.
Its a booktrail into the past – and into the depths of the human spirit. Highly recommended.
claredesausmarez's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
nothanksbabes's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This story is an interesting piece of social history and commentary on the time. Wartime London and the grime and struggle of the early 20th century are well drawn and believable with evocative description.
The storytelling from the perspective of each protagonist is engaging and helps keep the pace of the book, although I thought the motivation of and relationship between the main characters could have been explored further.
There was some foreshadowing in the novels Mr Blake reads, which I didn't notice until the end of the book but I thought was a nice touch. The ending was sad and dramatic but ultimately believable. Overall a well written and engaging story that took me back in time.
The storytelling from the perspective of each protagonist is engaging and helps keep the pace of the book, although I thought the motivation of and relationship between the main characters could have been explored further.
There was some foreshadowing in the novels Mr Blake reads, which I didn't notice until the end of the book but I thought was a nice touch. The ending was sad and dramatic but ultimately believable. Overall a well written and engaging story that took me back in time.
hyde1's review
5.0
This book took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions and once I'd started it I didn't want to put it down. I became so emotionally attached to some of the characters that certain turns of event brought me very close to tears and although I finished it a few days ago I'm still recovering.
Although this book is based on true events and therefore does fall into the 'historical fiction' category, for me it was so much more than any other historical fiction book that I've read. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
Although this book is based on true events and therefore does fall into the 'historical fiction' category, for me it was so much more than any other historical fiction book that I've read. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
aasheeaa's review
The beginning was good, I enjoyed it but as i carried on reading it just got boring. The main couple barely speak to each other and then suddenly they are in love. I DNF'd as 40%
eileen9311's review
3.0
Initially I was unsettled by the seeming fragmentation in Before the Fall. However, I soon realized that the author deliberately put the reader slightly off balance in an attempt to convey the prevailing atmosphere of war time London. How clearly the inconvenience, the loneliness, the anxiety, uncertainty and grief were conveyed! It was very well written and engrossing, but terribly sad. This quote from the back cover says it all. ‘As poignant as it is powerful. With tremendous sensitivity and insight, Juliet West explores the consequences of private lives engulfed by the public catastrophe of war.'
charlottejones952's review
5.0
In many ways a book set against the backdrop of war, in this case the Great War, World War I, is expected to have a certain level of tension and drama and this book does not disappoint on that front. Straight away, the book explores the effects of the war of a variety of different people, exploring relationships and parenthood, illness and health, pride and guilt. These are all things that sometimes the reader comes to expect from a war novel but this book, inspired by a true story, seems to feel all the more real, like there is more at risk and like the fighting in France is just part of it, there is fighting to be done at home too.
The writing style took me a while to get into admittedly; some of the sentences seemed stunted and colloquialisms were sometimes used but there were some passages that were just beautiful and really made me stop to take it in:
This writing style really helps with the character building. I found myself getting very attached to certain characters and getting emotional at certain points in the book. The writing really helped to build this world for me as the reader and although it is firmly based in reality, the first person narration had a lot of emotion and thoughts that I assume are fictional.
I loved the way that the area this book is set in, East London, feels like a character in itself because of the descriptions that really bring it to life. Throughout the novel, the time and location that the book is set in seeps into every aspect of the story and is so well developed that you really get caught up in the social conventions of the time and the circumstances that these characters are having to deal with.
This book is undoubtedly tragic and heartfelt, the fact that it is inspired by real events only makes it more poignant. A true picture of life in London during the war and the lengths that a woman had to go to for happiness. I would thoroughly recommend this book and would love to read more by Juliet West.
The writing style took me a while to get into admittedly; some of the sentences seemed stunted and colloquialisms were sometimes used but there were some passages that were just beautiful and really made me stop to take it in:
This writing style really helps with the character building. I found myself getting very attached to certain characters and getting emotional at certain points in the book. The writing really helped to build this world for me as the reader and although it is firmly based in reality, the first person narration had a lot of emotion and thoughts that I assume are fictional.
I loved the way that the area this book is set in, East London, feels like a character in itself because of the descriptions that really bring it to life. Throughout the novel, the time and location that the book is set in seeps into every aspect of the story and is so well developed that you really get caught up in the social conventions of the time and the circumstances that these characters are having to deal with.
This book is undoubtedly tragic and heartfelt, the fact that it is inspired by real events only makes it more poignant. A true picture of life in London during the war and the lengths that a woman had to go to for happiness. I would thoroughly recommend this book and would love to read more by Juliet West.
luensiisolen's review
1.0
I didn't really like this much. I wouldn't have even finished this book if I wasn't reading it for a reading challenge (and I had been having trouble finding an interesting book for this particular challenge of a book that takes place during the First World War). The details about that time were actually good and interesting and made me wish I was reading another book, just about the everyday life in London during the First World War. The characters and their relationships - particularly the big "romance" - were so badly done that I couldn't care about them at all. The main characters kept saying that they loved each other and couldn't live without each other but I couldn't see that anywhere. It felt very much like telling instead of showing. I've read plenty of romances in the romance genre and literary fiction I've found wonderful and engaging, but this wasn't anything like that. I didn't care at all, and the supposedly tragic ending just left me incredulous and frustrated. Maybe I should have seen it coming after the references to Jude the Obscure, but still, what the hell? I saw that a lot of people had given this book five stars, which made me wonder if we've read the same book, or if there's something I've missed. This definitely wasn't for me, and I wish I'd read something else instead.