Written by Deborah Carr

 

 

 

 

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Young nurse, Gemma, is struggling with the traumas she has witnessed through her job in the NHS. Needing to escape from it all, Gemma agrees to help renovate a rundown farmhouse in Doullens, France, a town near the Somme. There, in a boarded-up cupboard, wrapped in old newspapers, is a tin that reveals the secret letters and heartache of Alice Le Breton, a young volunteer nurse who worked in a casualty clearing station near the front line.

Set in the present day and during the horrifying years of the war, both woman discover deep down the strength and courage to carry on in even the most difficult of times. Through Alice’s words and her unfailing love for her sweetheart at the front, Gemma learns to truly live again.

This epic historical novel will take your breath away.

 

 

 

 

Heartwarming and Heartwrenching! 

 

Such a beautiful story, and a timely reminder of the suffering of the first world war.

Gemma is a trauma nurse in today’s NHS; affected by her work, she has taken a sabbatical to renovate a french farmhouse which needs extensive work. While there, she discovers a hidden box of letters from 100 years ago from a young VAD nurse stationed nearby. As the story progresses, there are similarities between life then and now.

Both heartwarming and heartwrenching, this is a delightful read. A timely reminder of how easy life is in the 21st century and how much we all take for granted. I couldn’t pick one tale over the other as they are both equally intriguing and meld together seamlessly. Both timelines are fascinating. I warmed to the characters almost immediately; it’s a hard novel to put down as each chapter spurred me on. The author has done an excellent job of catching the reader’s attention and keeping it ’til the very last page. A very satisfying read, and not one I shall forget in a hurry. Totally recommended, and five full glowing stars.

My thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources both for providing my copy and including me in this blog tour. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

 

Tags: present day fiction, historical fiction

 

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1060 KB
• Publisher: HarperImpulse
• Publication Date: 12 October 2018
• Purchase Link: Amazon UK

 

 

 

 

Meet the Author

 

 

Deborah Carr lives on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands with her husband, two children and three rescue dogs. She became interested in books set in WW1 when researching her great-grandfather’s time as a cavalryman in the 17th 21st Lancers.

She is part of ‘The Blonde Plotters’ writing group and was Deputy Editor on the online review site, Novelicious.com for seven years. Her debut historical romance, Broken Faces, is set in WW1 and was runner-up in the 2012 Good Housekeeping Novel Writing Competition and given a ‘special commendation’ in the Harry Bowling Prize that year. The Poppy Field is her second historical novel.

 

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