An emotional tale of wartime love and sacrifice, inspired by an incredible true story…
As a teenager in Chicago, May always dreamed of travelling the world. So when she meets handsome George Turner, she jumps at the chance to return to London as his wife. Ten years later, May is wondering if she’s made a terrible mistake.
It’s 1914 and war has been declared in Europe. All around, brave young men are being called up to serve. George, banned from conscription himself, has taken to the bottle, and May suspects he’s seeing other women too. She longs for a way to escape.
The chance comes when May meets veteran nurse Elsie, who persuades May to join the war effort. May knows nothing of nursing – it will be difficult, dangerous work, but her heart is telling her it’s the right thing to do.
But then George does the unthinkable and May’s future is put at risk. Will she have to make the impossible choice between duty to her family and her promise to the soldiers on the front line? And can she live with the consequences if her husband goes through with what he’s threatening to do?
A gripping wartime drama, perfect for fans of Soraya M. Lane, Daughters of the Night Sky and Kathryn Hughes.
My review
Daughter's of War is the second novel in Lizzie Pages's wartime trilogy but having only read this book I can honestly say that it can stand alone as a complete story. The writing is not decorated with lyrical and poetic language but cuts straight to the point which feels extremely fitting for the subject matter of war. No bells and whistles just facts. The story captures the struggles of war in all it's agonising reality but what Lizzie Page can do extremely well is portray the plights of women. From a child bride struggling with ennui to a determined spinster with a resolve to swim the English channel much to the contest of male power, it is all there in a vivid light.
The end of the book includes a letter from the author where she states that May Turner, our antagonist of the hour, has been described as a marmite character. Well, I have to say that there is truth to that statement to a certain extent as I did find my feelings towards the character blow hot and cold as I travelled through the story. I'm putting this down to the sighs and lamentations that were present when I first met May which I do admit is a harsh judgement on my behalf as her situation was a rather trying one. But I was certainly won over by the concluding pages due to her sheer determination and bravery to 'do her bit' for the war effort. I could wax lyrical on each and every character that played their part in this book, whether good or bad, as the story pulled and tugged at my emotions. I had lots of love for Kitty, Bonnie and Gordon and their valiant efforts in the war hospital but I was won over by Matron who managed to chip away at my resolve as the book went on. Major Louis Spears was everything I wanted him to be with his dashing good looks and charm offensive to sweep May off her feet with romance amidst the backdrop of war. But George, May's husband was the hardest part of this story for me, as I've never gasped in sheer frustration and anger at the actions of a character to such an extent. Their relationship was an extremely difficult one to read about, due to the mental torture that May was put through regarding her children, but her steely determination to never give up hope in the face of adversity basked her character in a shining gold light.
Daughter's of War was everything I hoped it would be and more, heartbreaking and poignant. It picked me up and dropped me into the world of war in more ways than one. For May, she was battling a world at war and a war to win back her girls and this courageous fight was valiant and heroic and something that will stay with me for many years to come. Book review for Daughter's of War by Lizzie Page - Thanks a lot for your visiting Books Reviews, and your reading Book review for Daughter's of War by Lizzie Page, Label book collection, Label book review, Books Review Book review for Daughter's of War by Lizzie Page, don't forget to read another books reviews.
