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A review by fiction_aficionado
The London Restoration by Rachel McMillan
5.0
I can’t claim to know as much about churches and Christopher Wren as Diana Somerville, but I do have a deep, visceral love of churches and all they embody, so pair that with a war-time romance and I was never in any doubt that this would be a book I would sink into and adore. And adore it I did. Not only did London’s churches play a significant physical role in the story, but their brokenness, their need for restoration, was a perfect metaphor for the toll war had taken on Diana and Brent’s marriage and the restoration it, too, needed to undergo.
At this point, it possibly needs to be said: Pillars of the Earth this is not. It is the restoration of Diana and Brent’s marriage that is at the heart of The London Restoration rather than the physical rebuilding of London—churches or generally. There’s no fear of getting bogged down in architectural details. But at the same time, McMillan’s passion for churches and her meticulous research imbues the story with an authenticity that brings the setting and the characters to life. It’s a perfect marriage for lovers of tangible history and romance, if not a perfect marriage for the characters!
Speaking of the characters, I loved Diana and Brent for their intelligence, their maturity, their moments of droll humour, and I ached for them as they struggled to re-establish their marriage in the wake of a war that had changed them in so many ways. It’s a romance that very deliberately looks beyond the physical connection between a husband and wife to the emotional foundation that supports it—as Brent so aptly puts it: making sure the columns are straight before rebuilding the dome. It’s a delicate operation with four years of war-time experiences and an Official Secrets Act between them, but every deliberate step speaks to the genuine love (all seven kinds, according to the Greeks and Professor Somerville) that binds Brent and Diana amidst the rubble.
And can I just say, Sophie and Simon—my goodness, what personalities! I can’t wait to read more about them in The Mozart Code.
In short, this book was my happy place!
At this point, it possibly needs to be said: Pillars of the Earth this is not. It is the restoration of Diana and Brent’s marriage that is at the heart of The London Restoration rather than the physical rebuilding of London—churches or generally. There’s no fear of getting bogged down in architectural details. But at the same time, McMillan’s passion for churches and her meticulous research imbues the story with an authenticity that brings the setting and the characters to life. It’s a perfect marriage for lovers of tangible history and romance, if not a perfect marriage for the characters!
Speaking of the characters, I loved Diana and Brent for their intelligence, their maturity, their moments of droll humour, and I ached for them as they struggled to re-establish their marriage in the wake of a war that had changed them in so many ways. It’s a romance that very deliberately looks beyond the physical connection between a husband and wife to the emotional foundation that supports it—as Brent so aptly puts it: making sure the columns are straight before rebuilding the dome. It’s a delicate operation with four years of war-time experiences and an Official Secrets Act between them, but every deliberate step speaks to the genuine love (all seven kinds, according to the Greeks and Professor Somerville) that binds Brent and Diana amidst the rubble.
And can I just say, Sophie and Simon—my goodness, what personalities! I can’t wait to read more about them in The Mozart Code.
In short, this book was my happy place!