Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my review based upon my honest opinion.

This is the first book and I have written by this author and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The story is told in two parts it’s told through the diaries from the grandmother Rose and from the view of her granddaughter, Jess, who has just returned from Afghanistan where she served as a medic in the war. I like the way this book was told, I like the similarities and the differences between the two wars, including the suffering that the people involved enfured. I did not care for the character of Jess but I really enjoyed the grandmother’s part of the story. All in all, it was a good book.

This was a beautiful heartbreaking and yet heart warming story.

Jess, a young girl from Suffolk has signed up as an army medic. Inspired by her childhood crush who lost his life in Iraq,she is determined to do her bit for the nation. She is now engaged to Nate, who would love for her to not go to Afghanistan, but nothing will stop Jess from going on this tour before she comes back to join civilian life. She has it all planned out. Of course,her stint in Afghanistan brought with it, a whole set of experiences and Jess comes back traumatised. She can't sleep without horrific nightmares, has temper flares at the drop of her hat, starts to become alcohol dependent and worst of all, is in complete denial.

Before she knows it, her life is nothing like she had planned. Around this time, her mum passes her some forgotten diaries of her great grandmother's. Rose is a war bride from the First World War and her diaries recount Jess' great grandfather's life after he returns from France.

The stories, the parallels are beautifully drawn out. The author has done a wonderful job of showing how difficult things can get and how easily one can go down a route which is so detrimental.. A beautifully narrated tale, one of resilience, strength, and acceptance. A book I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the review copy of this book.

An interesting story contrasting two times of war linked by one family. Post traumatic stress disorder and how soldiers deal with it made for a very sad story at timed.

I’ll not lie and say this book was easy to read. It flowed and I was caught up in discovering what would happen to Rose, Jess and their families but the road is dark at times and there were moments when my heart sank as things seemed to go from bad to worse. It definitely put me through an emotional wringer.

But I also came away with a better understanding of what combat veterans deal with once they are back home and trying to fit into civilian life. Jess has it hard enough in 2014 but poor Alfie and Rose have to try to manage with little support or understanding of what plagues Alfie plus a country full of unemployed men and strikes. Rose wonders more than once, is this what all those boys – including her two brothers – fought and died for? As they are working class Londoners I felt a few, faint whiffs of “Call the Midwife” in how they are happy with a tiny flat and so little compared to what we expect today.

No punches are pulled in describing how the relationships falter and begin to crumble under the weight of PTSD and the lengths Jess and Alfie go to self medicate and doctor themselves. Just when I almost despaired, tiny rays of hope filtered in and at last things began to turn around. What Jess and her mother discover in the family albums and diary Rose left behind revealed the older HEA while the realization Jess has about her own life lead me to hope she and Nate can find their way as well. B

This is a heartbreaking story in many ways but it is also a story of hope. Jess is suffering from PTSD and she reads Roses diary about her husband Alfie and how he suffered PTSD after World War One. This is a very moving and honest story which had me going through a rollercoaster of emotions.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

From the title I was thinking this would highlight the ultimate futility of war – the losses of innocence, lives, hope, humanity and even historic treasures, but the title went deeper here – it was a loss of purpose and, in some ways, connection to one’s humanity and purpose that is highlighted. Jess is a Suffolk girl, born and bred, but with the loss of her first crush, and her brother’s best friend in Iraq, she’d dedicated herself to making a difference in lives – so that none would ever die because of uncontrolled bleeding. She did all the schooling and work, and signed on as an army medic – heading for a single tour in Afghanistan. She returns in 2004 to civilian life, with all of the hallmarks of PTSD: nightmares, flash-trigger temper, flashbacks, hopelessness, self-medicating with alcohol – you name it, she’s in it. And when things spectacularly collapse she returns home, determined to find a new path in life.

World War I, journals from Jess’ great grandmother have been handed to her by her mother. At armistice day in 1980, Rose had two young children, was working in a munitions factory, had lost both brothers to the war and was awaiting the return of her husband Alfie, from the front. From the introduction of the journals, the story becomes told in two voices as Alfie and Jess are, not surprisingly, similar in their ‘before’ and ‘after’ behaviors from their time in combat.

Trenow managed to create a compelling character in Rose as she outlines her life and the changes thereto – before and after the war, and her wonder about what all Alfie had seen, how she could help – you name it. While not officially diagnosed at that time, Alfie’s PTSD was all the more tragic for the lack of understanding and public knowledge of the aftereffects, and just how much of the person who went had lost. Unfortunately, for the most part I found Jess to be brittle and quite stubborn in her refusal to acknowledge any of the help or people who are trying to get her help. It’s common – perhaps far too, and this book could serve as a push for help for the vets who so desperately need it. But, the story also had hopeful moments and chances, and the sight of a rainbow at the end of a very difficult path. I’m not sure that the recognition or realization of the futility and losses that are brought on by warfare will ever become a foremost thought in those who seek to send others into battle, but perhaps what is needed is more titles that show the struggles, challenges and life after.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aeX /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>