Winter Roses

Description

By the summer of 1916, there is still no end to the war in sight and in the Sussex village of Ashden, as elsewhere, optimism has given way to stoicism. In the year that follows, bereavements and shortages take their toll on village life.While George Lilley leaves the Rectory to join the Royal Flying Corps, each of his four sisters finds her own way of contributing to the war effort. Gradually coming to terms with her broken engagement to Reginald Hunney, Caroline Lilley numbly continues with her agricultural work at home, until tragedy forces her into leaving Ashden.Plunged into the fascinating and often frustrating world of military intelligence, Caroline attempts to rebuild her personal life. She renews her contact with the enigmatic Belgian liaison officer Yves Rosier, but how can she tell is this new relationship is right? And will the war give them the chance to find out?

Amy Myers was born in Kent, where she still lives, although she has now ventured to the far side of the Medway. For many years a director of a London publishing company, she is now a full-time writer. Married to an American, she lived for some years in Paris.

"An underlying theme of the novel is personal change as the lives of many of the characters are forever changed by the war, sometimes in unexpected ways."--Historical Novels Review "I didn't get to read the first two books in this series, but I'm proud to be able to choose Winter Roses and Songs of Spring, the two final books in Amy's quartet of first world war family affairs as my joint adult books of the month for August. This is a saga, pure and simple, but it's of a quality far elevated above normal saga fare, and it closes with two superb titles. I wonder what the wonderful Amy Myers has in store for us next? Anyone who loved Downton Abbey will sink into this with pure unadulterated pleasure."--Books Monthly