Browsing Tag

WWI

reviews November 13, 2018

Goodbye for Now by M.J. Hollows

Goodbye for Now by M.J. Hollows

Two brothers, only one survives.

As Europe is torn apart by war, two brothers fight very different battles, and both could lose everything…

While George has always been the brother to rush towards the action, fast becoming a boy-soldier when war breaks out, Joe thinks differently. Refusing to fight, Joe stays behind as a conscientious objector battling against the propaganda.

On the Western front, George soon discovers that war is not the great adventure he was led to believe. Surrounded by mud, blood and horror his mindset begins to shift as he questions everything he was once sure of.

At home in Liverpool, Joe has his own war to win. Judged and imprisoned for his cowardice, he is determined to stand by his convictions, no matter the cost.

By the end of The Great War only one brother will survive, but which? (publisher)

George and Joe are brothers who at the break of World War I make very different decisions. George can’t wait to go to war and has a bit romanticized view of the war. Joe, on the other hand, is a pacifist who refuses to raise a hand to kill others. Their father is a Boer War veteran who doesn’t take Joe’s beliefs kindly.

Both brothers admit that they’re never been close and don’t have much in common, but they are concerned for each other’s well-being during the war which was great to see.

It was interesting to read about Joe’s time at home because I haven’t read much about the men who refused to go to war or the people’s treatment of conscientious objectors. He was branded as a coward, but I admire him for standing up to something he believed in.

It was a great debut book from the author and I really enjoyed reading it.

3/5

Published: HQ Digital (October 12, 2018)
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

reviews June 22, 2018

Before the Fall by Juliet West

Before the Fall by Juliet West

1916. Across the channel, the Great War rages; in London’s East End, with her husband away fighting, Hannah Loxwood struggles to hold everything together. She has sacrificed so much for a husband who left her behind, a husband who may never come home. Then, when she meets David – thoughtful, intelligent, quietly captivating – Hannah find herself faced with the most dangerous of temptations…

As the war grips tighter and bombs fall down upon the streets, the stakes for the couple grow ever higher. Soon Hannah and Daniel will realize just how precarious their happiness is, as their destiny rushes towards them…

Beautifully wrought, utterly compelling and with a twist that will leave you breathless, Before The Fall, inspired by a true story, hurls you into a London torn apart by the First World War and paints a vivid and haunting portrait of one woman’s struggle. (back cover)

Hannah’s husband has gone to war leaving her with their two children. She’s not happy when she has to move in with her mother, sister, and brother-in-law. Hoping to earn some extra money, Hannah takes a job at a café where she meets Daniel Blake. Working as a ship worker exempts him from war, which isn’t to everyone’s liking.

I had read a lot of good reviews about this and I had high hopes for this one. It wasn’t bad but not as good as I wanted it to be. I didn’t quite connect with any of the characters and even the ending didn’t really move me. Especially Daniel felt very distant which wasn’t helped that Hannah’s narrative was in the first person while Daniel’s was in 3rd person.

It moved too slow at times to keep my interest. But on the positive side, it did give a realistic feeling about the time.

3/5

Published: Pan Books (2017)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 326
Source: My own