From the bestselling author of The Road Beyond Ruin comes a novel about a family torn apart by grief and secrets, then pulled back together by hope in the wake of World War I.
England 1922. It’s been four years since Rudy’s brother Edgar went missing in war-torn France. Still deep in mourning and grappling with unanswered questions, Rudy and his mother struggle to move on. When the enigmatic … on. When the enigmatic Mariette arrives unexpectedly at the family’s manor claiming to be Edgar’s widow, and the mother of his child, Rudy urges her to stay, hoping she’ll shed light on the missing pieces.
Captivated by Mariette, Rudy finds that their mutual loss and grief bind them…as does the possibility of new love. But Mariette’s revelations bring more questions than answers about Edgar’s death. Suspicions threaten to divide Rudy’s already fractured family, setting him on a quest for the truth that takes him from England to France and beyond.
In his search, Rudy is forced to confront the tragedies of war and the realities of the brother he’s lost and the woman he’s found. Will the truth set him free to find peace, or will it forever shadow his future?
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Gemma Liviero’s first eighteen chapters immediately grabbed my attention and completely fulfilled the promises of the book’s summation on Amazon. Excellent writing, wonderful descriptions, and top-notch character depth introducing Rudy Watts, youngest son of Lakeland Manor; his older brother Edgar; his middle brother Laurence; his mother Abigail; their two servants/friends Peggy and Bert; and Mariette and Samuel, possible wife and son of missing, presumed dead eldest brother Edgar.
Chapter nineteen switches back to 1906 and describes Helene and Mariette’s lives as children. These are tough chapters to read and are decidedly written with grit, realism, and the true suffering found with street life. Liviero doesn’t limit her narrative. Chapter twenty-one, however, is pivotal, in the lives of Helene and her sister Mariette when they meet Jerome Lavier and his sister Lenore in the small French town of Bailleul, and for the first time in their lives, they finally have a chance to learn about trust, caring and protecting those you love.
From this point forward, you cannot stop reading Ms. Liviero’s novel. Every scene, every moment seems filled with something that tugs at you. When Jerome’s sister moves to another town after the British soldiers move into their small town to attempt to fight off the Germans, Jerome tells Mariette that his sister’s loss of her husband in the war has affected her badly, the author writes, “Only later I would learn that deep love and loss should never be paired.”
Such small, exquisite gems of delight can be found throughout this novel, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in World War I, soldiers and veterans, families and civilians affected by the cruelties of war, and the deprivations confronted and sacrifices made in their bid for freedom. Kudos to Author Gemma Liviero and fully intend to check out more of her novels!
This is an incredibly touching book. With the knowledge we have today of battlefield fatigue, it opened my eyes to how this was perceived during WWI. The men and women experiencing it and the families trying , but sometimes failing, to understand what was happening and why. the characters are wonderful in their failings and love.I highly recommend reading this book.
By the time I nearly finished this book I had fallen in love with it. The characters were wonderfully developed. At times it was heartbreaking. A book that told the toll of post traumatic stress in World War 1 the Great War. The story unfolded the life and characters of an upper class family during the war. The stern matriarch, eldest son missing and presumed dead, the unprincipled middle brother and the younger brother assumed coddled and frail and a French woman who appears one day with a young boy she claims to be the son of the eldest.
It unfolds. Sometimes you smile. Sometimes you cry and sometimes you gasp at what emerges. When you finish the story and characters stay with you.
Very slow start and I almost considered not finishing it due to a couple romance-novel-esque type chapters. I am very glad I pushed through those chapters and really enjoyed this book.
This novel is a most excellent work giving the reader both history and insight into human character. It is not the usual predictable, happily ever after story, but rather a very realistic description of the good and the bad of humanity and the suffering brought on by war. I’m awed by the talent of the author to be able to create a work such as this.
I checked this book out through Kindle Unlimited’s Read and Listen feature. Usually I enjoy books written in first person but not this one for some reason. The story ok—but very slow moving. The word “fop” was used too many times. Rudy, a fictional male character in his 20’s, knew more about about women’s fashion than I do (a real woman approaching her 60’s). His love for Mariette was assumed from the get-go. (Chapter one: they meet. Chapter two: his background dump. Chapter three: he’s in love with her). The narration was good. The cover is gorgeous. This book might appeal to me in some other season or time, but for the covid era I found it oppressive.
Haunting fiction that reads like a collective memoir. The huge human toll of the Great War is portrayed as is dysfunction & resilient bonding within the circle of family love.
I finished reading In A Field Of Blue by Gemma Liviero a few days ago, but have yet to start a new book. I’m just not ready to let go! Although this is a fairly long book, nearly 400 pages, I would have been thrilled to read another hundred. I remember feeling the same after reading author Liviero’s The Road Beyond Ruin.
Set in 1922 England, the story begins with Rudy Watts receiving a telegram from his mother summoning him home immediately. Arriving home he finds his mother entertaining a young french woman – Mariette, and small child – Samuel. Rudy quickly learns Mariette claims to be the widow of his oldest brother Edgar, who was reported missing toward the end of WW1. The child of course, his son.
With nothing more than a questionable marriage certificate as proof, the family is skeptical but allows them to stay while they research further. As time passes and they come to have feelings for Mariette and Samuel, they begin to trust and want to believe her story.
This comes to a crushing halt when middle brother Lawrence arrives home. Samuel’s existence threatening his claim to the family inheritance, he of course wanting to believe none of it. After Mariette refuses his advances, she disappears without a trace.
Mariette’s sudden disappearance, leaving nothing behind but Samuel and a journal in Edgar’s handwriting, brings more questions and doubt.
Armed only with the cryptic entries in the journal and determined to find the truth, Rudy sets off on a journey that takes him on an adventure across multiple countries and continents, ultimately finding a truth no one expected.
The primary story takes place in 1922, but splits off to tell the story of Mariette – her life and how she came to be in current circumstances, and the story of Edgar – his experience as a soldier in WW1 and ultimate disappearance.
Typical to Gemma Liviero’s writing, the characters are well developed with rich mysterious back stories; her words creating settings so real I can hear the gunfire and exploding bombs of war, hear and feel the silence of the frozen forest.
This story is a lovely web of secrets, lies and deceit woven with the love and loyalty of family that has nothing to do with blood lines. Likely my favorite historical fiction novel read so far this year, I highly recommend.
In A Field Of Blue
Gemma Liviero
Lake Union Publishing
February 2020