How far would you go to keep a promise? In the heat of battle, one man’s promise to another will be tested.September 1939 – As Britain is gripped by the fear and uncertainty of war, Tom Armitage stands to gain the one thing that he never thought possible – his freedom.Rosie Elliot sees her future crumbling to dust as Will Aarons leaves Whitby with Jimmy Chappell to fight in the war. As she begins … with Jimmy Chappell to fight in the war. As she begins work at The Turnstone Convalescent Home, Rosie finds something she thought she had lost. Friendship. But friendship soon turns to love. Can this new love replace Will?
This is not an ordinary love story.
It’s a story of love, loss, courage, and honour.
Of promises that must be kept or risk losing everything you’ve ever held dear.
An excerpt from POPPY FIELDS by Kathleen Harryman:
I pray upon the fields of red,
Where the poppies grow,
That one day, we learn to live,
In a world of love,
Where weapons are replaced,
With kindness, and understanding,
That we learn to accept our differences,
To truly remember, each and every life lost,
Given for peace, given in hope, given for all of us,
Given, so we could be free.
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Five young friends face the horrors of the second world war in Author Kathleen Harryman and Author Lucy Marshall’s The Promise. Rosie and Will are in love, facing the heartbreak of separation brought on by the looming of World War II. Childhood friend, Jimmy is always close by their sides–when Will decides to enlist, he is right there to support him through thick and thin. Will’s sister, Betty, is a shy nurse whose skills will soon be in demand at the convalescent home set up in their village of Whitby. Tom, a former childhood friend whose life changed with the suicide of his father, longs to join Will and Jimmy in combat to escape a life he has come to dread, but fears leaving his mother and young sister behind.
The conflict of war changes the course of many lives as we go through the years. A bizarre accident leads to a new love. Shyness and strict Catholic upbringings test a new relationship. The war shows the soldiers the horrors of life–their perspectives forever changed.
A brutal final conflict alters the friends’ destinies forever. Who will live, and who will be blessed with a relationship for the future? The Promise is an outstanding, bittersweet tale that shows the dramatic impact of war on the people who live through it on the battlefield and home front. A great read, highly recommended!
THE PROMISE is a novel that begins by transporting the reader to a small seaside town in Yorkshire, northern England just before Britain enters World War II. One of its residents, the spirited Rosie Elliot, is young and in love. She can’t believe that Will Aarons, the man she wants to marry, is willing to leave her to go off to war. However, Will and a mutual friend, Jimmy, believe that joining the military is their duty.
When Britain enters the war and Will and Jimmy enlist, Rosie is crushed and angry. She feels her youthful world, one that’s been very small and protected, has been snatched away from her. But she can’t ignore the war or the casualties who need help. She begins working in The Turnstone Convalescent Home, hoping to do her part. As she helps to care for the wounded, there isn’t any room for the person she used to be, a carefree girl who only thought about dresses, dances and being with Will Aarons.
This story does an excellent job of demonstrating how tragic events completely change a person’s life. In this case war completely changes the lives of not only Rosie and Will, but the lives of their families and friends. Each person is forced to go beyond their personal agenda and find a way to give their best. Many are surprised to know how strong and courageous they are deep down. And when it comes to love, several of the main characters learn how the concept of love changes, how it can deepen as they become less judgmental and more mature.
The first person narrative, told by each of the main characters, is very effective and beautifully handled in this story. The reader is given a close up and personal visual of what it’s like to live in extreme circumstances, to never know what the world will be like when they wake in the morning. In the case of soldiers like Will and Jimmy, we feel how uncertain the next breath can be. It could be snatched away in the next moment.
All and all, I found THE PROMISE to be a compelling, well-crafted, gripping story that engages the reader from start to finish.
There is a lot more to this story than its genre would suggest. There are touching, honest love stories set against the uncertainty and horrors of WWII, but there is the deeper pull of relationships of all kinds that really drew me in and held my interest. The author went to great care to flesh out the key players in this drama that ultimately spans decades.
What starts as a benign, happy look inside post-World War I subtly begins to take on a wary expectancy as England’s Prime Minister declares war against Germany. Suddenly, the sheltered youth who only knew of wartime horrors second-hand are now faced with the possibility of losing everything their predecessors had worked so hard to recover. Young love and the prospect of family and a future are now put on hold indefinitely.
Hearing from the key players in this rich historical drama in their own words is what really hooked me. The insights the author has for each of her characters is truly remarkable. Nothing about this story was pat or standard; everyone in this drama comes across vividly, with their own unique mindsets. Watching as they grow and adjust to the impacts of war is eye-opening and refreshing, and most of all authentic.
I think this is a wonderful story and I look forward to reading more by this insightful author