Rachel Reads & Reviews

In the midst of of WW1, the four Purcell sisters come of age in the backyard of the local pastor’s family, the Mackenzies finding love, fufillment, and venturing out to the big world after their parents’ deaths.

1. Frances’s Story: As the eldest, Frances is the most driven to provide for her sisters as well as pursue her own art. In fact, she’s been accepted into one of the most prestigious academies for art despite her age, gender and lack of finances. She knows there are a lot of barriers in her way, so she works doubly hard to prove herself. But therein lies the conflict for most of the book as she longs for the boy next door, but her mother’s prophetic words that she’ll lose her art if she marries, has Frances closing herself off. That single-mindedness makes her quite unlikable in other books as she dismisses everyone else, and it hurts to see her be so stubborn and hurtful to Gabriel and herself, unable to reconcile that she can have love and art. But you can understand her struggle as she tries hard to keep it together all the time, and make it in a difficult field. This messy internal struggle makes for a fascinating read along with the devasting backdrop of WW1 as the locals realize that this war is not long the ones before, it is far more devasting than they could imagine and will truly change the world as they know it.
2. Julia’s Story: While Frances’ story is on the homefront, Julia decides to go and help those on the front lines. Heading up as a nurse allows her to be close to Geoffry but as the war continues Julia experiences loss and horror that she’ll never be able to share with her sisters when she comes home. Harris goes in-depth in describing the suvivor’s guilt, shellshock and PTSD, the soldiers and nurses deal with during the war as well as the isolation afterwards that estranges Julia from the rest of the Purcells who can’t understand the things she’s seen. The story is also unique in that it deals with the grief after Geoffry’s death and how it haunts Julia’s life and marriage afterwards, encouraging communication and healing with her current husband as she tries to let go of her first love. While the previous book highlights Harris’ character skills, this novel shows off her imagery and descriptive skills as you feel you’re there in the shambled tents and battle-scarred lands.
3. Gwen’s Story: Gwen has always been the most introverted and sheltered of the sisters, preferring to putter in the garden. Her boyfriend, Anthony, goes as far as accusing her of cowardice and hiding from the world. The final words he says to her before dying in a dogfight during the war. So when the disturbing murmurs of WW2 approaches, Gwen is determined to do something. It’s almost a full circle redemption as the the new war begins, allowing Gwen a chance to risk her life and ideals for strangers she never met. By forcing her out of her comfort zone, Gwen is able to truly live for the first time. However, this book is more slow than the others and the action only appears in the end, making Gwen’s development feel rushed.
4. Sarah’s Story: Sarah’s a preteen during her story, slowly realizing how unfair the world is as the country pitches into WW1. Unfortunately, Sarah’s age makes her oblivious and uninformed about the big events around her, relying on readers to pick up the historical context and subtext that Sarah is missing. It’s a coming of age story as Sarah struggles through her education without the class or means of her fellow students, but it’s so trite compared to what’s happening around her.