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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > War fiction > Second World War fiction
In the dying days of the Battle for Italy, who can stay alive, sane and in love? Summer 1944. War-torn Naples teems with Allied troops but the inhabitants struggle with lack of food and work. Prostitution is rife. As the Italian campaign enters its second year, Frank, a British officer, knows he has been lucky. Since reopening an abandoned theatre, he has entertained thousands of Tommies by staging operas. Vermillion, an ATS officer, feels fulfilled working at the theatre; and with Frank falling for her, she begins to return his feelings. But firebombs from an air raid fan the flames of Frank's memories of war. Nightmares threaten to engulf him. Should he hang on in Naples or confront his fears by rejoining his former comrades as they fight their way north? And if Frank does return to the front, what will Vermillion do? She won't stay in Naples just waiting for his return. This is RJJ Hall's second novel set in Italy during WWII. The first Theatres of War- also published by Troubador - won The People's Book Prize (Fiction) 2013/14. Both novels, seen through the eyes of combatants and civilians, evoke the convulsions of the 'forgotten' Italian campaign. They make engrossing reading for anyone with an interest in historical wartime novels, Italy, opera and love stories.
When Esme's past as a secret operative comes calling, she must choose - her husband or her job?After a bomb destroys Esme's London home, killing her son instantly, she moves to her old country house in Devon to begin the impossible task of recuperating. Soon she is drawn back into the world of espionage, and as her marriage starts to crumble, a local airman pulls her closer. Meanwhile her cousin Louise is awaiting confirmation that she can relocate to Canada to be with her husband, Douglas. Biding her time back home, she notices her father behaving strangely and disappearing at odd hours to wander the nearby cliffs. With rumours of spies afoot, she needs to learn the truth before anyone else does... Louise and Esme still have battles to overcome as the war continues. Will Esme betray her wedding vows or can she find her way back to Richard? A stunning and heartwrenching Second World War saga, for fans of Liz Trenow and Ellie Curzon. Praise for Ties That Bind:'Wow what a book it is! I had every feeling possible while reading this book. This was such a beautiful yet emotional story, and I really and truly felt for each and every character, I welled up with tears at times, I smiled and cooed when it came to it. I really struggled to put the book down.' Reader review 'If you love family saga and wartime books you will definitely love this.' Reader review
The first rocket will take five minutes to hit London. You have six minutes to stop the second. Rudi Graf used to dream of sending a rocket to the moon. Instead, he has helped create the world's most sophisticated weapon: the V2 ballistic missile, capable of delivering a one-ton warhead at three times the speed of sound. In a desperate gamble to avoid defeat in the winter of 1944, Hitler orders ten thousand to be built. Haunted and disillusioned, Graf - who understands the volatile, deadly machine better than anyone - is tasked with firing these lethal 'vengeance weapons' at London. Kay Caton-Walsh is an officer in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, and a survivor of a V2 strike. As the rockets devastate London, she joins a unit of WAAFs on a mission to newly liberated Belgium. Armed with little more than a slide rule and a few equations, Kay and her colleagues will attempt to locate and destroy the launch sites. But at this stage in the war it's hard to know who, if anyone, you can trust. As the death toll soars, Graf and Kay fight their grim, invisible war - until one final explosion of violence causes their destinies to collide.
'Moves so intensely and inexorably that it almost seems like the war it is describing' The New York Times Book Review 'Is it really worth it to die, to be dead, just to prove to everybody that you're not a coward?' On Guadalcanal in the south Pacific, the soldiers of C Company are about to enter the war. The men know they face their baptism of fire. But none know if they will be one of 'the lucky ones' to make it safely off the island. From Captain Stein, who feels like a father to his troops, and 'Mad' Sergeant Welsh, condemning all nations while swigging gin from his canteen, to Private Bell, who just wants to get home to his wife, they will discover the line that divides sanity from madness, and life from death. A scathing critique of heroism, The Thin Red Line is among the greatest masterpieces of war writing. 'The men are real, the words are real, death is real, imminent and immediate' Los Angeles Times
'Brilliantly written and researched . . . I loved it.' Rosie Goodwin The second book in an emotional and heartwarming WWII Series. For fans of Ellie Dean, Annie Groves and the Home Fires series. Dover, 1940 With the Battle of Britain raging overhead and German guns firing across the Channel, the people of Dover suddenly find themselves on the front line. But despite the danger, Nellie Castle is determined to keep the cafe open, no matter what. For Nellie's daughter, Lily, it is an exciting time as she starts her nursing career. The work is demanding, but with romance on the horizon, she still finds time to enjoy herself. That is until a prisoner escapes from the hospital and everything she holds dear - including her freedom - is put at risk. Meanwhile there are strange goings-on at the cafe: rumours are circulating and long-buried secrets are surfacing. Secrets that could tear the Castle family apart once and for all . . . Don't miss the next book in the brilliant Dover Cafe Series, The Dover Cafe Under Fire. Available to pre-order now. 'Starring a cast of superbly drawn characters who touch the hearts of readers everywhere, The Dover Cafe series is fast becoming a favourite with saga fans.' Lancashire Evening Post 'Brimming with endearing characters, it's a gripping read.' Women's Weekly - - - - - - - - - Readers love The Dover Cafe at War: 'A brilliant evocation of a family and community pulling together in wartime. Full of drama, laughter, and nail biting cliff hangers. A triumph!' Annie Clarke, author of The Factory Girls series 'Well-researched and expertly written . . . Perfect for those days when all you want is a book to lose yourself in.' Fiona Ford, author of The Liberty Girls 'A joyous read, the sort of book to read in one sitting.' Kitty Danton, author of A Wartime Christmas 'A rattling good novel that gives the reader a front seat at the Dover cafe during World War 2 . . . a really good start to what looks to be a fascinating saga.' Shirley Mann, author of Lily's War 'Brilliantly researched, written with warmth and insight, brimming with emotion and drama, and starring a cast of superbly drawn characters who are guaranteed to touch the hearts of readers everywhere.' Lancashire Post
Originally published in 1926, as the second edition of a 1920 original, this highly popular novel narrates the experiences of a British colonel in France during World War I. Maurois draws on his experience as a translator and liaison officer to the British army from 1915 to 1916 to create this study of humanity in wartime. By turns sad and whimsical, and published in the original French, this book will be of value to anyone interested in Allied experiences in the First World War or in wartime fiction.
The Fifth Column is a thrilling novel about the only man who can thwart a Nazi sympathizer uprising in New York during the Second World War, from bestselling author Andrew Gross. A Man in Trouble February 1939 and Europe is on the brink of war. Charles Mossman is in a bar in Hell's Kitchen, New York, reeling from the loss of his job and his failing marriage, whilst outside thousands of Nazi sympathizers are attending a hate-spewing rally. As he confronts one, Charles makes a horrendous mistake with deadly consequences. A City of Secrets Two years later, Charles is released from prison and tries to make amends with his wife and daughter. America is wrestling with whether to enter the war but support is growing, driving Nazi sympathizers underground. Charles begins to understand that surrounding them there are forces that will use any means necessary to bring about the downfall of his nation. The Enemy Within When Charles's daughter is befriended by a seemingly amiable Swiss couple, it brings to the surface his fears of a 'Fifth Column' of embedded German spies in their new neighbourhood. All Charles wants is to redeem himself as a husband and father, but sometimes a man must do whatever it takes to stand up for his family and what he believes, even sacrificing his life to do so . . .
Available in English for the first time, Joaquim Amat-Piniella's searing Catalan novel, "K.L. Reich," is a central work of testimonial literature of the Nazi concentration camps. Begun immediately after Amat-Piniella's liberation in 1945, the book is based on his own four-year internment at Mauthausen. "When the war is over, remember all this. Remember me," implores one of the book's characters on his deathbed, and it is this call to bear witness that Amat-Piniella takes up in his account of the Spanish Republican fighters who were exiled in France at the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 and soon swept up into the German concentration camp system. As an already organized anti-fascist army, they played an important role as a nucleus of resistance within the camps, and their story is little known to English-language readers. Because of the length of his internment, his decision to write his book as fiction, and his staggering powers of observation and recollection, Amat-Piniella's portrayal of life in the camps is unmatched in scope and detail. It is also a compelling study of three powerful ideological movements at work at the time: anarchism, communism, and fascism, all within the desperate and brutal world of the camps. "My book does not seek to deepen wounds or differences, but to unite people before cruelty," said Amat-Piniella. This is an essential text as we ponder the twentieth century and its meaning to us today. This edition includes a new introduction, annotations, and a translators' note.
CLOSE COMBAT is W.E.B. Griffin's epic novel of World War II--a powerful, dramatic tribute to the brave men and women who lived it...The captain who led his squadron in to the fiercest air battles of the Pacific. The correspondent who learned more about combat than he bargained for. The Marine who embarked on a top secret mission from which there was no certain return...
'Intriguing, comforting and endearingly familiar' Katie Fforde 'The BBC's most downloaded radio show' The Guardian 'Incredible legacy' The BBC 'Longest running drama in the world' The i News 'a gripping plot full of love affairs, deceit, loss and more' Radio Times In celebration of the 70th anniversary of The Archers hitting the radio waves. It's 1940 and war has broken out. It is midnight at the turn of the year, and Walter Gabriel speaks the same line that opened the very first radio episode - 'And a Happy New Year to you all!' For Ambridge, a village in the heart of the English countryside, this year will bring change in ways no one was expecting. From the Pargetters at Lower Loxley to the loving, hard-working Archer family at Brookfield Farm, the war will be hard for all of them. And the New Year brings the arrival of evacuees to Ambridge, shaking things up in the close-knit rural community. As the villagers embrace wartime spirit, the families that listeners have known and loved for generations face an uphill battle to keep their secrets hidden. Especially as someone is intent on revealing those secrets to the whole village . . . Beautifully produced, with stunning endpapers, this is the perfect read for all Archers fans.
Zvi Preigerzon (1900-1969), a Hebrew writer in the Soviet Union, wrote this book in complete secrecy, to the extent that he even hid its existence from his own family. The book is about the Jewish community in Hadiach, a small town in Ukraine where Shneur Zalman Schneerson, the founder of the Chabad movement, is buried. The town was occupied by the German army during the war and most of its Jewish population perished. Zvi Preigerzon describes the life of the simple Jewish people and their suffering under the Nazis, with a Kabbalistic spiritual touch: the Perpetual Flame of the Menorah at the grave of Shneur Zalman Schneerson symbolizes the very spirit of Jewish life, which it is said will persist as long as the flame is burning.
A moving and powerful novel of love, secrets and redemption in a country torn apart by war. For readers of Kate Furnivall and Dinah Jefferies. It's 1941 and Kate is living in Rangoon, Burma, a world away from her traditional English upbringing. When she meets Edwin, a young teacher from London, she senses that he too is looking for a place to call home, and soon a friendship develops between them. As their bond grows, Kate begins to learn of the secrets in Edwin's past and the tragic events that brought them both to Burma. But war is coming and, when the Japanese forces invade, Kate and Edwin are forced to flee, along with thousands of others. They begin a perilous journey to India but soon become separated. As Kate continues on alone, she can't get this troubled young man out of her head. With the fallout of war all around them, in a place far from home, will Kate and Edwin survive their journey and find the new beginning they both seek? 'A sweeping historical fiction masterpiece' My Weekly 'Evocative and atmospheric. Blench captures the wild and perilous journeys made by so many at the arrival of the war' Wilbur Smith The Long Journey Home is a Wilbur Smith adventure writing prize winner. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Readers are loving The Long Journey Home: 'Wow . . . The characters are beautifully alive, the locations so craftily described that I felt like I was there . . . a magnificent, well-researched novel.' Netgalley reviewer 'Written with compassion and thought . . . you really feel the emotions of the characters.' Netgalley reviewer 'The ending is delightful yet sad but at the same time life affirming. A soaring saga that will touch the reader and leave footprints on your heart.' Netgalley reviewer 'Well written with great detail . . . What a great writer Cecily Blench is.' Netgalley reviewer 'A real page turner from the very beginning . . . Cecily Blench is an excellent writer.' Netgalley reviewer 'Rich in emotion and description this book is just amazing . . . highly recommended.' Netgalley reviewer
Death still comes to Everyman, but this study of three twentieth-century German plays shows the harder challenge of living without salvation in an age of war and unprecedented mass destruction. Death comes to everyone, and in the late-medieval morality play of Everyman the familiar skeleton forces the universalized central figure to come to terms with this. Only his inner resources, in the forms of Good Deeds and Knowledge, ensure that he repents and is redeemed. Three important twentieth-century German plays echo Everyman - Toller's Hinkemann, Borchert's The Man Outside, and Frisch's The Arsonists/Firebugs - but the unprecedented scale of killing in the First and Second World Wars changed the view of death, while in the Cold War the nuclear destruction literally of everyone became a possibility. Brian Murdoch traces the heritage of Everyman in the three plays in terms of dramatic effect, changes in the image of Death, and especially the problem of living with existential guilt. Death, now over-fed, still has to be faced, but Everyman has the harder problem of living with the awareness of human wickedness without the possibility of salvation. All three plays have tended to be viewed in their specific historical contexts, but by viewing them less rigidly and as part of a long dramatic tradition, Murdoch shows that all present a message of lasting and universal significance. They pose directly to the theater audience questions not just of how to cope with death, but how to cope with life.
When everything you hold dear is torn apart by war, can love put you back together again? It's 1943, and the Second World War is raging. Ruby Mottram works for her local newspaper, the Bartonford Herald, typing up adverts and obituaries, whilst dreaming of a more exciting life. Between her shifts as an ARP warden and caring for her ailing father, the chance for escape doesn't come often to Devon. Meanwhile, in America's deep south, Sam Archer is hatching a plan to raise enough money to get his mother and sister away from his abusive stepfather. Using falsified documents to hide his age, he enlists with the U.S. Army. Two chance encounters bring Ruby and Sam together from opposite sides of the Atlantic, giving them the chance of love, hope and freedom from their troubled lives. But fate, in the shape of D-Day and Omaha Beach, has other ideas. When their very lives are at risk, will their promise to wait for one another be what keeps them alive? For fans of Suzanne Kelman, Ellie Midwood and Catherine Hokin. Readers love Before the Dawn: 'An absolutely stunning book... I adored everything about this. I would definitely watch this if it were a movie! I already can't wait to re-read this' NetGalley Reviewer, 'OH MY GODDESS this book has become a new favourite... Ruby and Sam's love is addicting and heart-warming, leaving me feel the same emotions alongside them through every bump in the road. Their love was so enchanting and strong' @haleyyneal, 'What a gorgeous book!!... It would make an exquisite movie. The chemistry between the two main characters was off the charts. This book kept me up late into the night turning page by page like it was on fire to see what happened next' NetGalley Reviewer, 'I need this to be a movie!... A beautiful story of love and the dual perspective was perfect! I am adding this to my historical fiction favourites' NetGalley Reviewer, 'I couldn't put this down! Beautiful writing kept me turning the pages!' NetGalley Reviewer, 'Lovely, raw WWII romance... Quite heart-breaking... Definitely a rocky and emotional one... A really great WWII historical romance' Wayfaring_reader, 'Wonderful book... If you are a fan of World War novels of history and romance, then you need to read this... A stunning book I couldn't put down. At the end I was overwhelmed with the story and replayed it in my mind for several days. A read not to be missed' Goodreads Reviewer, 'I read this over a rainy stormy weekend... Just what I needed to curl up with... This was an immersive, historically well researched story of WW2... All that one might want from this genre: romance, historical fact and some sense of suspense... 5 stars from me!' NetGalley Reviewer,
When everything you hold dear is torn apart by war, can love put you back together again? It's 1943, and the Second World War is raging. Ruby Mottram works for her local newspaper, the Bartonford Herald, typing up adverts and obituaries, whilst dreaming of a more exciting life. Between her shifts as an ARP warden and caring for her ailing father, the chance for escape doesn't come often to Devon. Meanwhile, in America's deep south, Sam Archer is hatching a plan to raise enough money to get his mother and sister away from his abusive stepfather. Using falsified documents to hide his age, he enlists with the U.S. Army. Two chance encounters bring Ruby and Sam together from opposite sides of the Atlantic, giving them the chance of love, hope and freedom from their troubled lives. But fate, in the shape of D-Day and Omaha Beach, has other ideas. When their very lives are at risk, will their promise to wait for one another be what keeps them alive? For fans of Suzanne Kelman, Ellie Midwood and Catherine Hokin. Readers love Before the Dawn: 'An absolutely stunning book... I adored everything about this. I would definitely watch this if it were a movie! I already can't wait to re-read this' NetGalley Reviewer, ***** 'OH MY GODDESS this book has become a new favourite... Ruby and Sam's love is addicting and heart-warming, leaving me feel the same emotions alongside them through every bump in the road. Their love was so enchanting and strong' @haleyyneal, ***** 'What a gorgeous book!!... It would make an exquisite movie. The chemistry between the two main characters was off the charts. This book kept me up late into the night turning page by page like it was on fire to see what happened next' NetGalley Reviewer, ***** 'I need this to be a movie!... A beautiful story of love and the dual perspective was perfect! I am adding this to my historical fiction favourites' NetGalley Reviewer, ***** 'I couldn't put this down! Beautiful writing kept me turning the pages!' NetGalley Reviewer, ***** 'Lovely, raw WWII romance... Quite heart-breaking... Definitely a rocky and emotional one... A really great WWII historical romance' Wayfaring_reader, ***** 'Wonderful book... If you are a fan of World War novels of history and romance, then you need to read this... A stunning book I couldn't put down. At the end I was overwhelmed with the story and replayed it in my mind for several days. A read not to be missed' Goodreads Reviewer, ***** 'I read this over a rainy stormy weekend... Just what I needed to curl up with... This was an immersive, historically well researched story of WW2... All that one might want from this genre: romance, historical fact and some sense of suspense... 5 stars from me!' NetGalley Reviewer, *****
Originally published in 1949, Storm Below tells the story of a fictional Royal Canadian Navy ship and its crew. The adventure unfolds over six days of an escort run across the Atlantic Ocean to Newfoundland during the Second World War. The ship, the HMCS Riverford, is a composite of the vessels, mostly corvettes, that author Hugh Garner served on during his time in the Canadian navy, and the Canadian sailors whose experiences he relates are masterfully drawn from the crewmen he knew during his months at sea. In his preface to Storm Below, his first novel, Garner says: "It takes all kinds to make a world, and it also takes all kinds to make a war -- or fight one after some of the others make it.... They his characters] are not even 'typical' sailors, if such exist. All I can say to justify them is that they are drawn in the image of hundreds who made up the Royal Canadian Navy. They do not need an apology -- they were out there, and we won."
They joined an R.A.F. known as 'the best flying club in the world', but when war pitches the young pilots of 409 Squadron into battle over Germany, their training, tactics and equipment are soon found wanting, their twin-engined bombers obsolete from the off. Chances of completing a 30-operation tour? One in three. At best. Robinson's crooked salute to the dogged heroes of the R.A.F.'s early bombing campaign is a wickedly humourous portrait of men doing their duty in flying death traps, fully aware, in those dark days of war, there was nothing else to do but dig in and hang on. |
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