Member Reviews
Wasn't sure what to expect. It's a love story set back in time. I love historical fiction and this didn't disappoint. it was an ok read however and quite predictable for me.
The Beekeeper's War was a good read. There was some tragic events that enforced the main characters to be separated for 22 years. Set during the great war and then WWII. Would recommend this book.
This compelling story spans WWI and WWII featuring the lives of a mother and daughter who struggled to survive war-torn Europe. In 1916 we meet Nurse Pru le Cuirot who cares for injured soldiers at Ashbury Manor, Dorset. Then in 1940, we meet her daughter Emma comes to Ashbury Manor after their beloved Jersey is captured by the Germans.
I was disappointed in The Beekeeper’s War. The book was a little too syrupy sweet and spanned too long of a timeline ... two world wars. I did appreciate the fact that the author is from Jersey, where the book takes place, and did a lot of research into how the island was affected by the occupation during the war. While I did not particularly care for this love story, there are probably others who will appreciate the information it provides. So I would encourage you to read it and decide for yourself if it is appealing.
Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
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I found this a bit difficult to follow and even get in to but then BOOM. Loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!
I was a little disappointed that beekeeping wasn't a big feature in the story but fell in love with Pru and Jack right away, as well as their friends. An intricate inter-twinning of people who are forced to live different lives when WW1 was going on. A time when my Grandparents were alive. They were precious to me, so it's nice to see how others lived at that time. Pru was a nurse, working in a mansion that had been converted into a hospital. She was friends with another nurse, who fell for a patient who was the son of the owners of the mansion. Then entered Jack, the handsome American who had saved lives, stopping to see his best friend. Get caught up in the romance and heart wrenching pain of the war, and how people coped. It's also interesting to meet Emma and Sam, children of the friends, at the beginning of WW2 and how that affected them all. Excellent read, hard to put down, full of love.
I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.
In this wartime romance, Pru meets and falls in love with Jack - a brave pilot who is rightfully considered a hero by his peers. Most of the book is set during this time, at a manor that has been repurposed as a military hospital during World War 1.
As would be expected from the setting, this story contains beautiful, romantic, happy times as well as deep personal tragedy. The war scenes are mostly alluded to, but their consequences in the hospital are certainly apparent. None of the book is graphic, which makes it a great story for me to recommend to my more sensitive friends and family members.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a typical WWI story that follows the life of Pru, who becomes a nurse in England and falls in love with an American Pilot. Their love affair is lived in the moments when Jack is on leave. Pru lives in fear of Jack disappearing from her life and is caution on giving him her whole heart. Her worst fear comes to light and she must find a way to continue on in the years after the war.
Many years later WWII begins and Pru must think of her daughter's safety and sends her to live with friends near the hospital she worked at during WWI. Emma learns of her mother's life at Ashbury Manor and the many secrets of her mother's past.
This is a story that will keep you engaged, it is delightful, heartwarming as well as heartbreaking. Sure to be loved by anyone that picks it up.
Lovely well written book. Really made you think about how you would deal with the scenario. Loved all the characters. Would definitely recommend
A heartbreaking tale of love and war that will bring tears to your eyes and yet make you smile at the same time.
In a dual time line story, set against the backdrop of two world wars, we meet Pru and Jack and their beautifully told story of love and loss. When Pru meets Jack, she’s a nurse tending to injured soldiers in a lavish English manor. When Jack, an American pilot arrives to visit a fellow soldier, their connection is instant. But Jack, braver than anyone she knows, comes and goes as the war dictates. He never wants to leave a soldier behind on the battlefield and that choice compromises everything.
Flash forward to the onset of WWII and Pru has spent the past twenty two years living a life far from the one she had envisioned before Jack left for his last mission. It was a good life but one that was the result of a split decision based on the encouragement of close friends. When she learns that everything could have been vastly different, Pru realizes that when you love someone, secrets and time can still result in forgiveness.
I loved this story. It’s easy to get lost in its pages and makes for a terrific weekend read! This is my first book from Deborah Carr but it won’t be my last!
Thanks so much to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and Deborah Carr for a chance to read this gem!
Rich in historical detail, this book will linger in your thoughts.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
THis one one of the best stories I have read this year. THe way the past and now kept mixing together made it worth every minute
A mother and daughter story which spans WW1 andWW2. Lots of secrets begin to unfold as does the story. Heartwarming and full of interesting characters.
A story that spans both the 1st and 2nd World Wars, told gently and well through the eyes of the occupants of Ashbury Manor whose lives are entwined over the decades. I did feel the story spent a little too much time at the beginning telling us about the hospital at Ashburyin the first World War, I felt that more of the book could have been given over to the reunions, it was a little rushed at the end.
I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. Even though this is fiction, so many similar experiences have taken place during the two World Wars. Well researched and well written. Highly recommended to those who enjoy Historical Fiction.
Sadly I was unable to download this content due to an error on the app so I cannot give a realistic review of the book. This is such a pity as I was looking forward to reading this work.
The Nurse and the Pilot
A delightful WWI romance story between a pilot and a nurse. Unforeseen circumstances, and secrets kept.
Jack and Pru were very much in love. Jack was a Canadian pilot and Pru is a nurse in a WWII hospital. They met when he visited his friend Monty the boyfriend of Pru's best friend Jean who was also a nurse at the mansion turned into a hospital.
Jack went away on a mission and never returned leaving Pru to make a decision which would change the course of both their lives. She married Peter, Jean's brother and had a little girl she named Emma.
Later when Emma grows up and Peter passes away Emma goes to visit her Aunt Jean and Uncle Monty. Jersey is now in WWII and the Nazi's are on their way. Emma is worried about her mother's safety there. She is rescued by an old friend and comes to stay with Jean and Monty.
Secrets are revealed to Emma which have been kept for her whole life and life changes for everyone.
Wartime is not an easy time and sometimes choices must be made. Are they the right choices, we never know. Sometimes choices lead to secrets and secrets always come to the surface.
It was an enjoyable story and I enjoyed reading it. I loved the ending. I recommend this book.
Thanks to Deborah Carr for writing a great story, to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me to read and review.
@ Different wars, (WWI and WWII) a secret and 2 women. This author knows how to write a beautiful story with such well developed characters. Lots of emotions will carry you through this book. Couldn't put it down.
I have read a few books by this author and I think she writes amazing stories that are so well researched and bring her stories to life.
Pru and Jean are Nurses that have come from Jersey to help with the War effort. The house where they are situated has been turned into a hospital. This is where Jean meets Monty the owner’s son who is injured and then Pru meets Jack who is friend of Monty’s.
Th characters in this book go well together and really enjoyed the ending.
Would certainly recommend this book.