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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Storia di tre donne che la guerra la vivono forse meno drammaticamente dei soldati ma non meno intensamente. Bello il passaggio del Milite Ignoto che dà consolazione e speranza alle persone che lo vedono.
(Somewhere between a 2 and a 3...) I was so incredibly indifferent to this book. It wasn't terrible- it was just so mediocre. The premise was interesting and it has endorsements from Chris Cleave and Rachel Joyce which was promising to me but I didn't really care about the characters, didn't enjoy the constant abrupt pivots between the 3-4 different stories, and felt like the plot points connected too neatly.
A brilliant debut number from Anna Hope - for fans of period drama and historical fiction, Wake is steeped in rich and tragic history from the First World War as experienced by three different women who encounters its hideous echoes in its aftermath.
Eloquently written with plenty of characterisation and wonderful scene setting, and an intricate and twisted plot that brings the lives of every character startlingly close throughout.
Eloquently written with plenty of characterisation and wonderful scene setting, and an intricate and twisted plot that brings the lives of every character startlingly close throughout.
Heart-wrenching and thought-provoking. I loved the way the stories intertwined.
J’ai été plus que surprise par la qualité de ce roman. Il présente Londres en 1920 dans une période de transition entre les années folles et le traumatisme de la guerre. On y retrouve trois femmes, toutes très attachantes, qui tentent de faire la paix avec leur passé douloureux. La construction du roman est brillante et les trois récits se complémentent parfaitement afin d’explorer les différents deuils de la guerre. Une autre qualité du roman, son réalisme. Il est rare de trouver un roman historique qui n’en fait pas trop et qui reste ancré dans la réalité.
I have so many things to say about this book but I can't, not quite just yet.
A beautiful historical fiction novel about the impact WWI had on women at home. I enjoyed how the narration changed between the 3 women and how all of their stories were somehow linked.
J'ai énormément aimé. C'est un livre très bien écrit, sensible, émouvant. J'ai aimé suivre ces trois destins croisés, parfois entremêlés. Trois femmes marquées par la guerre, les morts et l'après, sur comment vivre, survivre, aimer, pardonner. C'est un très beau livre sur les séquelles de la guerre avec des personnages forts et touchants. Le seul petit bémol que je pourrais lui trouver est la fin un peu trop ouverte, notamment pour le personnage de Hattie.
3 STARS
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review).
"London, 1920. The city prepares to observe the two-year anniversary of Armistice Day with the burial of the unknown soldier. Many are still haunted by the war: Hettie, a dance instructress, lives at home with her mother and her brother, who is mute after his return from combat. One night Hettie meets a wealthy, educated man and finds herself smitten with him. But there is something distracted about him, something she cannot reach. . . . Evelyn works at the Pensions Exchange, through which thousands of men have claimed benefits from wounds or debilitating distress. Embittered by her own loss, she looks for solace in her adored brother, who has not been the same since he returned from the front. . . . Ada is beset by visions of her son on every street, convinced he is still alive. Helpless, her loving husband has withdrawn from her. Then one day a young man appears at her door, seemingly with notions to peddle, like hundreds of out-of-work veterans. But when he utters the name of her son, Ada is jolted to the core.
The lives of these three women are braided together, their stories gathering tremendous power as the ties that bind them become clear, and the body of the unknown soldier moves closer and closer to its final resting place." (From Amazon)
I really wanted to like this novel but something about the writing kept me at an arm length. The writing and characters remind me of 1940s novels which I really liked. I also liked the realism of the soldiers' lives along with the families they left behind. I gave it a three because as I said above I could not feel the novel and also at times I found myself drifting off as it did not seem to flow between characters that well.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review).
"London, 1920. The city prepares to observe the two-year anniversary of Armistice Day with the burial of the unknown soldier. Many are still haunted by the war: Hettie, a dance instructress, lives at home with her mother and her brother, who is mute after his return from combat. One night Hettie meets a wealthy, educated man and finds herself smitten with him. But there is something distracted about him, something she cannot reach. . . . Evelyn works at the Pensions Exchange, through which thousands of men have claimed benefits from wounds or debilitating distress. Embittered by her own loss, she looks for solace in her adored brother, who has not been the same since he returned from the front. . . . Ada is beset by visions of her son on every street, convinced he is still alive. Helpless, her loving husband has withdrawn from her. Then one day a young man appears at her door, seemingly with notions to peddle, like hundreds of out-of-work veterans. But when he utters the name of her son, Ada is jolted to the core.
The lives of these three women are braided together, their stories gathering tremendous power as the ties that bind them become clear, and the body of the unknown soldier moves closer and closer to its final resting place." (From Amazon)
I really wanted to like this novel but something about the writing kept me at an arm length. The writing and characters remind me of 1940s novels which I really liked. I also liked the realism of the soldiers' lives along with the families they left behind. I gave it a three because as I said above I could not feel the novel and also at times I found myself drifting off as it did not seem to flow between characters that well.
This book was depressing. Well written but so grim. I need to read a book that isn't going to make my want to slit my wrists.