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A review by jacki_f
The Heroes' Welcome by Louisa Young
4.0
This is the sequel to [b:My Dear I Wanted to Tell You|10170996|My Dear I Wanted to Tell You (My Dear I Wanted to Tell You #1)|Louisa Young|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441918444s/10170996.jpg|15069799] and unlike some sequels, it doesn't really work as a standalone book as it relies on knowledge of what happened in the first book. However, happily, they are both excellent books so if you haven't read either, you have a treat in store for yourself.
The book opens in March 1919. Riley and Peter have returned home from their time in France and in hospitals. Peter returns home where he and his wife Julia struggle to find their equilibrium. Riley marries his long-term love Nadine, but his severe facial injuries create a barrier between them. Peter's cousin Rose is reluctant to give up the independence and responsibility that she had as a nurse during the War. Over the next nine months, things will change in all of their lives.
I really, really enjoyed this book, even more than its predecessor. Louisa Young does a fantastic job of conveying the thoughts of first one character and then another. I found my sympathies shifting between them and I was utterly caught up in their stories - even thinking about them when I wasn't reading the book. I even found myself slowing down as I got near the end because I didn't want to finish the book.
While there is hope, there is also a lot of tragedy in this book. Both Riley and Peter struggle to settle back into ordinary life and one of them manages it much better than the other does.
While the postscript is very moving, you realise that essentially it's the men who are the focus of this book and I wish we had got a little more resolution about what was going on for Nadine and Rose in particular.
The book opens in March 1919. Riley and Peter have returned home from their time in France and in hospitals. Peter returns home where he and his wife Julia struggle to find their equilibrium. Riley marries his long-term love Nadine, but his severe facial injuries create a barrier between them. Peter's cousin Rose is reluctant to give up the independence and responsibility that she had as a nurse during the War. Over the next nine months, things will change in all of their lives.
I really, really enjoyed this book, even more than its predecessor. Louisa Young does a fantastic job of conveying the thoughts of first one character and then another. I found my sympathies shifting between them and I was utterly caught up in their stories - even thinking about them when I wasn't reading the book. I even found myself slowing down as I got near the end because I didn't want to finish the book.
While there is hope, there is also a lot of tragedy in this book. Both Riley and Peter struggle to settle back into ordinary life and one of them manages it much better than the other does.
While the postscript is very moving, you realise that essentially it's the men who are the focus of this book and I wish we had got a little more resolution about what was going on for Nadine and Rose in particular.