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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > War fiction > First World War fiction
Man against man. Face to face. One machine against another.It was
shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. Martin Falconer
and his friend, Frank, were anxious to 'get into the scrap' as soon
as possible, their youth blinding them to the real danger of it
all. Geoffrey, Martin's elder brother, knew that it wasn't a game.
He had fought in the trenches, been wounded and had seen friends
die. For Geoffrey the R.F.C. offered an opportunity to escape the
mud and horror of the Front, while for Martin and Frank it was the
chance to be in at the start of a totally different kind of
fighting. They were to be pioneers. A scintillating, full-throttle
thriller of the First World War, perfect for fans of W. E. Johns,
Derek Robinson and Geoffrey Wellum.
A daughter visits the island of Guernsey to unearth horrifying
family truths and solve a decades-old mystery surrounding her
mother, in this historical page-turner. 1958. Esme, a novelist,
finds a potential new literary project. A housemaid named Clara was
convicted of murder, perhaps unjustly, amid the ending of World War
II and the liberation of Guernsey from Nazi occupation. Esme's trip
to Guernsey is an opportunity not only to research the case, but to
learn more about her mother's family-as well as to heal from the
heartbreak inflicted on her by the man she loved . . . 1915. A
teenager marries her childhood sweetheart before he heads off to
fight in the Great War. But he doesn't come back, and Jane,
presumed a widow, flees Guernsey-devastated by her loss. In London,
Jane finds a new life and a new husband-but her past isn't done
with her yet. This absorbing novel follows the parallel paths of
two generations of women, and as each is faced with painful
decisions and shocking discoveries, a question emerges: Can a lie
be forgiven when the truth seems too much to bear?
Don't miss the next achingly romantic read from Suzie Hull, winner
of the RNA Joan Hessayon award 2022 'A gripping story of love and
loss, rich in period detail. I loved it!' CLARE MARCHANT on In this
Foreign Land The answers to her past and present lie... ...far
across the ocean December 1913. Clara Thornton won't allow being
jilted at the altar to squash her spirit. Against the wishes of her
aunt and uncle, Clara decides to travel to Madagascar to learn more
about the tragic shipwreck that took the lives of her missionary
family, and marked her forever. Clara is escorted abroad by Xavier
Mourain, a handsome young merchant who works with her uncle. The
two of them start off on the wrong foot, but Clara can't help but
be drawn to the mysterious Frenchman who helps her unravel the
mystery that has always haunted her. But as their love blossoms,
war begins. And the world will never be the same again. For Clara,
all the answers seem to lie far across the ocean. But some of them
might be closer than she thinks... Readers are loving Suzie Hull:
'Vivid, vibrant and beautiful!' 5* 'A heartwrenchingly good read'
5* 'What a gorgeous debut!' 5* 'Beautiful love story' 5* ' A really
enjoyable and engaging book with a storyline full of twists and
turns' 5* 'Breathtaking' 5* 'Love love loved it!' 5* 'What a great
read and my favourite era too ... an evocative tale of love and
loss. And the settings - just wonderful. More please!' 5*
'Johanna Bell has hit the jackpot with this striking WW1 story' -
Jenny Holmes, author of The Spitfire Girls 1914. While their men
fight in France, at home in Britain women are finally seizing the
opportunity to make a difference . . . Maggie and her new friends
Annie, Irene and Sarah come from very different backgrounds, but
they've got one thing in common: they've all signed up for the
Women Police Volunteers. They can't wait to show the men just what
they're made of. But soon, Maggie realises she's in over her head.
Hiding her involvement with the WPV from her tyrannous father is
becoming ever more difficult, and when she bumps into an old
acquaintance with a big chip on his shoulder, the dangers of her
new life become all too clear . . . As Maggie and the girls work
together to find their feet on the beat, will their friendship get
her through the darkest of times? A gritty, uplifting new saga
series about the first ever female police officers, set at the
outbreak of the First World War - perfect for fans of Dilly Court,
Daisy Styles and Call the Midwife. Praise for THE BOBBY GIRLS:
Filled with richly drawn characters that leap from the page, and a
plot that's so well researched and well written you will believe
you are in the thick of wartime policing, The Bobby Girls is a
must-read for all saga fans.' - Fiona Ford, bestselling author of
Christmas at Liberty's 'I really enjoyed reading about Britain's
first female police officers. A lot of research has gone into this
book and it's all the richer and more readable for it. An exciting
new voice in women's fiction.' - Kate Thompson, bestselling author
of Secrets of the Singer Girls 'I really did enjoy The Bobby Girls.
It has a lovely warm feeling about it and is excellently written.'
- Maureen Lee, RNA award-winning author of Dancing in the Dark 'A
well-researched and interesting story giving a great insight into
early women's policing.' - Anna Jacobs, bestselling author of the
Ellindale series 'Written with warmth and compassion, the novel
gives fascinating insights into the lives of three courageous young
women.' - Margaret Kaine, RNA award-winning author of Ring of Clay
'Johanna Bell has hit the jackpot with this striking WW1 story. The
author places the focus firmly on the girls' growth into
independent members of society in a rapidly changing world. It's a
heartening central message conveyed with verve and empathy and
remains relevant to today's readers, both young and old.' - Jenny
Holmes, author of The Spitfire Girls 'This is a story that needed
to be told. As a former Special Constable, I love Johanna Bell from
the bottom of my heart for giving a voice to the women who first
made a way for me and countless others like me - to work as real
police officers in the service of our communities.' - Penny Thorpe,
author of The Quality Street Girls 'A lovely story! The author has
researched the era and the theme very well. The characters stood
out on the page and through their eyes you are transported back to
a different age.' - AnneMarie Brear, author of Beneath a Stormy Sky
While Vili has neither the multi-generational sweep nor the moral
gravitas of Singer's family sagas, its themes are nonetheless
timeless, its struggles archetypal. A father and son grapple with
each other, and, in the process, a richly compact narrative
emerges: a rebellious son leaves his ancestral home-an unnamed
village in Poland-to find adventure among strangers and lose
tradition and family along the way. Their respective stories define
what is lost and what is gained in the immigrant passage to the new
world. The eponymous hero, Volf Rubin-or Willy (Vili) Robin in
America-is the rare agon who must share center stage with his
antagonist, that is, his more voluble paterfamilias. The
sententious Hirsh-modeled on Singer's own painful childhood
interactions with the savage brutality of the chief rabbi of
Nyesheve-tenaciously holds onto some of the more merciless and
"bone- breaking" pronouncements derived from a literalist reading
and application of Jewish law. Such is the heavy baggage which,
according to Volf, should have been left behind in steerage. Volf's
lapsed Judaism is his father's dystopian nightmare. He much prefers
nature and farm animals to any form of classroom. Eventually, he
leaves home for the New World, and there a whole new story
unfolds-or is it so "new"?
To swing the tide of the war, he must take to the air once again.It
was 1916. The First World War had still two years to run. Martin
Falconer, at eighteen an experienced pilot with service in France
to his credit, was kicking his heels in England, awaiting another
posting to the Front. Throughout the spring he watched the progress
of the war, especially the war in the air, acknowledging to himself
the German's superiority. Their machines were better, and they had
produced the war's best-known hero of the air, the Red Baron.
British machines were poor, morale was low, and the odds were
stacked against them. Finally, at the beginning of April, Martin
was sent again to France - but this was the month that became known
as Bloody April, when a pilot's life-expectancy was two weeks, and
Martin found himself in a unit demoralised and ill-managed. John
Harris's sombre picture of Britain at war is as compelling as only
the truth can be, perfect for fans of W. E. Johns, Alexander
Fullerton and David Black.
Dublin, 1914. As Ireland stands on the brink of political crisis,
Europe plunges headlong into war. Among the thousands of Irishmen
who volunteer to fight for the British Army is Stephen Ryan, a
gifted young maths scholar whose working class background has
marked him out as a misfit among his wealthy fellow students. Sent
to fight in Turkey, he looks forward to the great adventure,
unaware of the growing unrest back home in Ireland. His romantic
notions of war are soon shattered and he is forced to wonder where
his loyalties lie, on his return to a Dublin poised for rebellion
in 1916 and a brother fighting for the rebels. Everything has
changed utterly, and in a world gone mad his only hope is his
growing friendship with the brilliant and enigmatic Lillian Bryce.
The Soldier's Song is a poignant and deeply moving novel, a tribute
to the durability of the human soul.
Tatiana L. Dubinskaya was a schoolgirl who ran away from home and
served on the Eastern Front from 1916-17 as a soldier in the
Russian army during World War I. She later became a writer and in
1930 recounted her personal experiences as a soldier in an
autobiographical novel, called In the Trenches, published in
Moscow. In 1936 she revised and republished a shorter version of
her story under a new title, Machine Gunner. Both versions of her
novel had much in common. Most of the characters and much of the
storyline remained essentially the same, but there were a few
notable exceptions, which included the addition of more
revolutionary zeal to the main characters in Machine Gunner, which
likely gave it greater appeal in Stalinist Russia. This revised
edition of In the Trenches has been edited using select portions
from Machine Gunner to provide greater clarity and context to
Dubinskaya's original story. In the Trenches received critical
acclaim when first published, being favorably compared with Erich
Maria Remarque's 1929 classic World War I novel, All Quiet on the
Western Front, which portrayed the stark realism of life in the
trenches through the eyes of a young German soldier. Dubinskaya's
character, Zinaida "Zina" Kramskaya, had similar experiences. In
the Trenches was significant as it marked the first major account
of a female soldier from World War I to be published in Russia. In
April 1930 the United Press International reported that an American
publisher had acquired the rights for an English edition of In the
Trenches, but it never went into print. Russian censorship may have
stopped the English edition. In the novel, Zina develops close ties
to her brothers in arms, endures the hardships and stresses of war,
is exposed to the undercurrents of revolutionary thinking in the
ranks, and comes to grips with the disruptive effects of the czar's
abdication in March 1917, which led to the wide-scale spread of a
socialist revolution in the army. After returning home for a visit
with her family, she wrestles with remaining and returning to a
normal life. Eventually, she is drawn back to the theater of war.
Back at the front in the wake of a revolution that overthrew the
czar and the Romanov dynasty, she sees widespread changes sweeping
across the army. The revolution has brought a provisional socialist
government to power whose new policies cause havoc in the army.
Soldiers' committees emerge to challenge traditional authority from
the officers, and in some cases disgruntled soldiers summarily
execute unfavorable officers without facing any repercussions.
These sudden changes cause a massive destabilization in the army
that leads many soldiers to desert and return home, including
Zina's regiment. Although she was exposed to revolutionary
propaganda, she is not an ardent revolutionary. Her story ends
abruptly in the summer of 1917, several months before the November
1917 Bolshevik revolution.
Can she follow her heart while doing her duty? A heartwarming saga
following nurses during the First World War. Perfect for fans of
Donna Douglas's A Nightingale Christmas Promise, Lizzie Page's The
War Nurses and Margaret Dickinson's The Poppy Girls. After training
with the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, Leonora Malham Brown sets off
to Europe with her new friend, Victoria, determined to do her bit
for the war effort. The battlefield is a difficult place for a
woman so Leonora cuts her hair short and swaps her skirts for
trousers in order to better cope with the demanding duties of a
frontline nurse. But concealing her true identity becomes more
complicated when she meets the dashing Colonel Malkovic. Torn
between keeping her secret and their blossoming friendship, Leonora
must choose between her duty and her heart... A moving emotional
wartime saga about brave nurses on the battlefield, based on an
amazing true story. ________________________________ Make sure
you've read all the books in the Frontline Nurses series: 1.
Frontline Nurses 2. Frontline Nurses On Duty 3. Secrets of the
Frontline Nurses And don't miss Holly Green's new series set in a
Liverpool Workhouse: 1. Workhouse Orphans 2. Workhouse Angel 3.
Workhouse Nightingale 4. Workhouse Girl
'Ciaran McMenamin confirms his exceptional talent with this
admirably powerful and authentic novel about the First World War
and the struggle for Irish independence. Tremendous' William Boyd
Longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction Annie,
Francie and Archie were inseparable growing up, but in 1914 the
boys are seduced by the drama of the Great War. Before leaving
their small Irish village for the trenches, Francie promises his
true love Annie that he will bring her little brother home safe.
Six years later Francie is on the run, a wanted man in the Irish
war of Independence. He needs Annie's help to escape safely across
the border, but that means confronting the truth about why Archie
never came back.... For readers of Sebastian Faulks, Ian McEwan and
Sebastian Barry
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