Wake
by Anna Hope.
This was an interesting read.
Anne read it on the recommendation of a friend, and re-read it in preparation for the club review. She enjoyed it more on the second reading,
finding it quite vivid and moving.
There was general agreement over the quality of the writing,
and whilst the book covered post WW1 material unlike many others it was written mainly from the perspective of the impact on women and families,
rather than from the view of the soldiers.
Some found parts of the book harrowing and all found the sadness which follows loss well depicted.
The loss of close family is dreadfully painful.
Whilst these issues are difficult to deal with, at least one book club member found that the story had helped her understanding of the grief being felt by people known to her.
This is not “bedtime reading”, and would be very hard to read if your own family is serious problems.
There was general agreement that the convergence of the “story threads” was cleverly conceived, and all found “The Unknown Soldier” informative.
Being written 90 years after the period,
the book did not rise to the heights of “A Testament of Youth” which covered very similar material but from a first-hand perspective,
and much closer in time to the real events.
PC. ****
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