‘A beautiful, heartbreaking novel of war and loss and the resilience of the human spirit’ Rosemary, Netgalley Reader
The USA Today bestseller!
Young nurse, Gemma, is struggling with the traumas she has witnessed through her job. Needing to escape from it all, Gemma agrees to help renovate a rundown farmhouse in Doullens, France, a town near the Somme. There, in a boarded-up cupboard, wrapped … Doullens, France, a town near the Somme. There, in a boarded-up cupboard, wrapped in old newspapers, is a tin that reveals the secret letters and heartache of Alice Le Breton, a young volunteer nurse who worked in a casualty clearing station near the front line.
Set in the present day and during the horrifying years of the war, both women discover deep down the strength and courage to carry on in even the most difficult of times. Through Alice’s words and her unfailing love for her sweetheart at the front, Gemma learns to truly live again.
This epic historical novel will take your breath away.
Readers are falling in love with The Poppy Field:
‘Both heartbreaking and full of hope and happiness’ Pam, Goodreads
‘Exceptional’ Cassie’s Books
‘A beautifully written, highly enjoyable read’ Nicki’s Book Blog
‘One to watch’ Good Housekeeping
more
The Poppy Field by Deborah Carr is super split time Historical Fiction. The story centers around two nurses, Alice serves in 1916 as a volunteer nurse in World War I France and Gemma in 2018 England. Mysterious hidden letters and a brooch are found in a house being remodeled. Vivid descriptions of scenery, people, food, and the medical care in World War I. I loved the story of the reality’s of life in both love and tragedy. Excellent writing style and flow Of the story. I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more by Deborah Carr. I am also hoping to read more of Alice‘s story following World War I and more of Gemma’s story in the present. My thanks to the author, Harperimpulse and Netgalley for allowing me to read, review and enjoy this exceptional book.
I enjoy dual time line books and the fact that this one was set during WWI was a new experience for me. I enjoyed the part of the story that focused on that time period because I have not read many books about WWI. This was a romance book, but not sick syrupy sweet.
I loved the trip back in time through the 100-year-old hidden letters that are discovered in the process of renovating a french farmhouse. It was fun to uncover the various similarities between the female characters as they were revealed. This story was emotional, devastating, encouraging, and full of growth and self discovery. The lesson that love can develop and grow during times of crisis is something we need to frequently be reminded.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperImpulsive Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Two women, separated by 100 years, living remarkably similar lives… The Poppy Field, by Deborah Carr, tells the tales of two English nurses, Alice and Gemma, living in northeastern France. Alice is a World War I VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) nurse working near the front line, and Gemma is an NHS (National Health Service) trauma center nurse. And although both women suffer immense losses, in the end, they find lasting love.
For more, go to http://www.kindredconnection.wordpress.com/2018/12/01/the-poppy-field/.
The Poppy Field truly a moving book, set around two remarkable nurses, and though this book is labeled under the historical romance genre, but I would honestly put it under women’s fiction, because even though I love and review romance regularly, The Poppy Field is SO much more than to be pigeonholed into a just one category.
We begin with Gemma; a modern-day trauma nurse, who is betrayed by the man she cared for! And on top of that has to deal with a mother who has less personality than a piece of ice! But she took a break from her hospital, to take care of a piece of property her father inherited in a small village in France, after finally managing to find a contractor to work on the crumbling house, she finds letters, that take her back to WW1.
And those letters belong to Alice; who is a WW1 auxiliary nurse, serving in a small town in chance! Who is finally free of her overbearing mother and falls in love, but things don’t go to plan, and she finds that her life has changed forever!
I cannot even express just how much this book moved me! It sucks you right it, and you feel like one minute you are in modern-day France and the next moment you are in the middle of a WW1 field hospital, with bombs, pain, and blood everywhere.
I could literally go on about The Poppy Field FOREVER! But instead, I’m going to give it 5 stars and demand that you buy this truly beautifully painful book.
War is an intense time, and can create intense relationships. Readers learn what it was like working as a nurse at a casualty clearing station near the front line in France, and about attending to traumas in a present-day emergency room trauma center. Center to this story is Alice’s devotion to a WWI Army officer who had been her patient, and her relationship with a gifted surgeon she assists. The author does a good job of combining parallel stories between Alice and Gemma, a present-day trauma nurse dealing with PTSD from one particularly shocking accident. Both women end up with men who love and care for them.
A wonderful historical novel, full of the details of the people who were doing their best to save their country during WWI. But two love stories, also, of the sweetest kind. The novel begins in the present day, when a young woman named Gemma goes to France to prepare an old family home to be sold. She discovers a packet of letters hidden away, written by a nurse during the war, and is entranced by them. With two love stories wound around two different eras, it shows that love is the same, no matter which generation we’re observing. And the last letter from the WWI nurse will melt your heart.
Fabulous engrossing read
This is a emotional World War 1 historical romance. I really loved the characters. It is a heartbreaking story of the suffering of wounded soldiers and the hard working medical staff that try to save lives in the field hospital. I enjoyed the intertwining stories of the two nurses and hardships they go through. I would highly recommend this book a fascinating read.
Liked this book!
Deborah Carr has written a beautiful dual narrative where our heroines, Alice and Gemma, share intriguing threads of their lives, even though those lives are 100 years apart.
I longed for both to find love and happiness.
Enjoyed the premise for the story, while appreciating the historical details. The characters were believable and likable.
Ok, but not fantastic.
Good historical novel. A bit of a romance but a more intelligent one. Insights into the devastation WWI had on France. Not literature. A good break from more heavy reading.
This book was excellent and beautifully written. I recommend it.
Enjoyed the story. Comparisons of both female characters becomes very obvious.
Lovely blending of past & present romance stories.
Although I liked the story, the spelling and some words like leant instead of leaned, and realised instead of realized was distracting.
This was a wonderful WWII story about nurses in Europe and I would encourage anyone who likes that kind of book to read this one. Very few books keep me up at night to finish but this one did!!
Great book, well written and great characters. This storyline takes you back and forth from WWI to current day. I’ve found few books that transitioned well between two time periods and was very pleased with how this author wrote.
Easy reading. Kept your interest.