Day: April 19, 2020

It’s been a while since I read a historical fiction novel, so I was pleased to see that this one was next up on my list. There was a lot to like about it, and I very much enjoyed it from start to finish.

Very often, a book has a contemporary plot-line that then dovetails with the historical one in some fashion. One thing I liked about this story is that the “contemporary” line is only 7-8 years after the initial action, which works for two reasons. One is that the characters are primarily involved in both storylines (so obviously the times need to be close).

It also allows for the characters to be still carrying the weight of the war on their shoulders. There hasn’t been time to recover fully from the war itself, not to mention the aftermath. This closeness of storylines makes the switching back and forth more seamless than some others that have a more distant time difference.

I thought the characters were also well-crafted. Each one of them was flawed and trying to find their way in their new situations. Ambition, guilt, betrayal, family loyalty, and even love play significant parts in each of the character’s journeys. Harriet was the anchor for all of it, even as she struggled to find her footing in her new life.

Sebastien was the only character I had a difficult time pinning down. On the one hand, he was a temperamental teenager who had experienced significant personal tragedies. On the other, it seemed as if there was something off with him even as a young child. There is an allusion to a schoolmaster and his pupils that is briefly mentioned and then never addressed again. It makes me wonder if that was to be a reason for Sebastien’s temperament.

I did like Cecilia’s journey. She was the embodiment of how guilt could destroy a person from the inside. Even though she made her choices and had to live with them, I found her story to be satisfying and was glad the author gave her the arc that she did.  I especially liked the connections of music as colors; that is something that has always fascinated me, and I was interested in Cecilia and Emil’s descriptions.

Ultimately, this is an epic story spanning roughly a decade that showcases how ambition and desire can drive people to fatal decisions, and how families don’t always do best by each other. It was a great read, and I would highly recommend it.

AUTHOR BIO

Clara Benson is the author of traditional English whodunits and other historical fiction. Over the years she’s lived in London, Milan and Florence, and can still speak a bit of Italian if pressed. Now she lives with her family in the north of England, where she spends her days writing and trying to ignore an ever-lengthening to-do list.