“A beautifully evocative reminder of what it means to come back from war and to face the age-old question of whether it is better to have survived or to have died. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal, starred review
In the tradition of Jennifer Robson and Hazel Gaynor, this unforgettable debut novel is a sweeping tale of forbidden love, profound loss, and the startling truth of the broken … love, profound loss, and the startling truth of the broken families left behind in the wake of World War I.
1921. Survivors of the Great War are desperately trying to piece together the fragments of their broken lives. While many have been reunited with their loved ones, Edie’s husband Francis is still missing. Francis is presumed to have been killed in action, but Edie knows he is alive.
Harry, Francis’s brother, was there the day Francis went missing in Ypres. And like Edie, he’s hopeful Francis is living somewhere in France, lost and confused. Hired by grieving families in need of closure, Harry returns to the Western Front to photograph soldiers’ graves. As he travels through France gathering news for British wives and mothers, he searches for evidence his own brother is still alive.
When Edie receives a mysterious photograph that she believes was taken by Francis, she is more certain than ever he isn’t dead. Edie embarks on her own journey in the hope of finding some trace of her husband. Is he truly gone, or could he still be alive? And if he is, why hasn’t he come home?
As Harry and Edie’s paths converge, they get closer to the truth about Francis and, as they do, are soon faced with the life-changing impact of the answers they discover.
An incredibly moving account of an often-forgotten moment in history—those years after the war that were filled with the unknown—The Poppy Wife tells the story of the thousands of soldiers who were lost amid the chaos and ruins in battle-scarred France; and the even greater number of men and women hoping to find them again.
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Beautifully written, poignant and harrowing, The Poppy Wife makes us experience the destruction of WWI—not only the physical destruction to property and to bodies but to spirits and souls. I can’t say I loved this book, because how can one love something that embodies the suffering and futility so perfectly, but I devoured it.
A remarkable story based on the author’s family history but giving the years right after The Great War a life and immediacy that’s gripping. It’s difficult for those of us with an ocean between us and the horrendous losses in Europe to truly understand the sheer number of families who had no idea what became of their sons and fathers and brothers and husbands, even years after the war. The premise of grave photographers trying to give closure to bereaved families is one that was new to me, and the depiction of the lives of the women left behind is deeply poignant and beautifully rendered.
A tribute to remembrance, The Poppy Wife is one of the most meticulously researched WWI novels I have read. Scott’s characters rise off the page with passion, heartache, and unbreakable hope.
Part mystery, part love story, and part exploration of the aftermath of World War I, The Poppy Wife by Caroline Scott is a beautifully written, haunting novel. Scott masterfully weaves a layered story of both personal tragedy and redemption, filled with rich historical detail and lyrical prose.
I’ve visited many WWI battlefields and villages, but never has the history come to life for me the way it does in this remarkable debut. Through seamless storytelling and characters shaped with incredible care, Caroline Scott shows us that the suffering didn’t end when the artillery fell silent, but the battles carried on at the homefront for years to come.
A beautiful, tender novel which explores the aftermath of the Great War, and the shattered lives left behind. Written with gorgeous prose and a cast of memorable characters, this is a stunning debut which had me spellbound from the first page to the last.
Slow going for me. Maybe I wasn’t in the right frame of mind.
I enjoyed reading this book. the storyline has some interesting history and the characters are realistic. it is a sad story, but one which could have occurred and it is a good WWl and after book.
One of the best WWI novels I’ve read.
I loved this book. It is by far one of the best novels of WWI I’ve ever read. Don’t expect fast-paced action. This is a slow, deep, gut-wrenching dive into the destruction of war, not only to towns and villages and families and bodies, but to the spirit and the soul. The brother and wife of a soldier, reported as “missing, believed killed,” are each on a quest to determine if he had in fact survived, or if not, to find his grave. The front action is set in 1921, where the heart-breaking physical effects of the war are still everywhere, and the expertly woven back story vividly details the horrors of war in 1917. It sounds sad and tragic, and mostly is, but it is beautifully written, and I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended.
Tragic
An excellent WWI novel to start out the new year! I listened on audio, and both readers (man and woman) were superb.
The author is a fabulous wordsmith, crafting scenes from the war that were gut-wrenching and vivid. I cared a great deal about both Harry and Edie, but especially Harry, I think. And even though Francis was not a POV character, he was so thoroughly developed, I couldn’t help caring a great deal about his fate. I wanted to find out what became of him just as badly as Edie and Francis did.
The story is definitely evocative. It gave vivid portrayal of the horrors of WWI — a war that changed warfare forever–and deftly showed what the aftermath was like for the people who survived. I can hardly grasp what these young men and their families faced.
I’ll certainly pick up more by this author.
Such a sad book of loss and redemption after the First World War. Veteran’s day will never feel the same.
One of best WWI books I have read. Very good portrayal of a largely unknown side effect of war. Vivid scenes and well developed characters.
Very different view of WWI, two brothers, one girl. Tribute to families of all the fallen Known onto God. Thousands & thousands & more. So humbling what mere men can do.
A gorgeous book I’m recommending to anyone who loves historical fiction. This beautifully written story about WW1; the men who lost their lives, those who survived, and the families left behind is one that will linger in your mind long after you close the cover.
I have not seen or read many books about World War I, so when I saw this one on sale, I thought I’d give it a try. Not knowing much about that war, this book did show me bits of it through the eyes of Harry as he remembered thee battles and trenches he was in.
Harry serves as a grave photographer – taking pictures of graves for families to see where their loved ones were buried during the war. As he travels around France, he relives his own experiences there during the war and also searches for his missing and presumed dead brother. His sister-in-law, Edie, has received a mysterious photo of her missing husband in the mail and is convinced h must still be alive even though Harry was with him when he receives an injury that meant certain death.
I wish I could say this book was captivating , but unfortunately the flow of the story for me lacked the “grab” to pull me in. I found it rather tedious, but determined to finish it. The pace did pick up about 2/3 of the way through and the ending was satisfying. Would I recommend it? Maybe. It does at least give some insight into the physical and mental aftermath of World War I.
Great book about the tragedy of war and the horror of “missing, presumed dead.”
Read the first chapter and just could not get into it
A story of the forgotten time after WWI when communities picked up the pieces of their shattered lives, and family members tried to cope with the loss of loved ones. Harry, who once fought in Flanders with his brother, Francis, works as a photographer, capturing images of graves or the sites where men fought at the request of families looking for closure.
Edie receives a photo which alarms her and causes her to seek for her supposed dead husband, Francis. Her path crosses Harry’s, and together they dig to find out if Francis is still alive. Harry, who had secretly loved his sister-in-law, comes to realize just what his hidden passion destroyed.
Story/plot It kept me guessing until the end.
Point of view I did not care for the third person present tense sections. In my opinion those would have been better served set in first person.
Sex/language moderate swearing
Passive/active voice The story would have benefitted from a more active sentence structure. I’ve noticed that this may be an American preference. The books that I’ve read whose authors reside in Europe in general tend to use more verbs of “be.”