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A review by thebooktrail88
Before The Fall by Juliet West
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.