Critical Praise

"This novel is a triumph."

—Elizabeth Jane Howard, author of the Cazelet Chronicles

"An epic love story, a grim war chronicle, a class study, a heartwarming tale of overcoming --- London native Young’s page-turner has “Masterpiece Classic” written all over it... a powerful account of war…a literate, moving wartime tale in which love triumphs over despair."

—Kirkus Reviews

"Singular in quality... The plot has a certain Atonement feel to it... but the similarities become increasingly irrelevant as Young’s characters come into their own and easily shoulder the burden of escorting readers through an unsensationalized and thoughtful story of English class, world war, and that universal constant --- love."

—Publishers Weekly

"A month after reading this book it is still on my mind, its characters as clear and their dilemmas still playing themselves out in my mind. I’d thought there was nothing more for fiction to do with the Great War, but Louisa Young has discovered the startlingly modern questions of that great catastrophe."

—Linda Grant, author of The Clothes on Their Backs and When I Lived in Modern Times