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melbie 's review for:
The Poppy Wife: A Novel of the Great War
by Caroline Scott
Definitely an interesting premise, about families seeking closure for their men fighting in France in World War 1. It reminded me of The Water Diviner, but set in Europe. Harry, a veteran, is now a photographer who travels to take photos of the graves of soldiers to give clarity to their loved ones. He fought alongside his brothers, and now his sister-in-law, Edie, has asked him to help her find the resting place of her husband, who Harry saw mortally wounded.
The settings are well realised, and there has been care in the research for this novel. There is a melancholic atmosphere to the book, and this could be why I found it a bit slow going. At times I was confused as to where the story was going, there was a bit of unnecessary detail and character, and to be honest, I didn't really like Harry or Edie or their supporting characters much. Gabriel, Ralph and Cassie were the best but their stories didn't link to Harry in ways that I thought they would. The same with Rachel. Missed opportunity? It wasn't a bad book, it was just different to the usual historical war fiction maybe. A different perspective. And the Australian title of The Poppy Wife was misleading! I think it's called The Photographer of the Lost overseas which makes more sense.
The settings are well realised, and there has been care in the research for this novel. There is a melancholic atmosphere to the book, and this could be why I found it a bit slow going. At times I was confused as to where the story was going, there was a bit of unnecessary detail and character, and to be honest, I didn't really like Harry or Edie or their supporting characters much. Gabriel, Ralph and Cassie were the best but their stories didn't link to Harry in ways that I thought they would. The same with Rachel. Missed opportunity? It wasn't a bad book, it was just different to the usual historical war fiction maybe. A different perspective. And the Australian title of The Poppy Wife was misleading! I think it's called The Photographer of the Lost overseas which makes more sense.