They Also Serve

Follies #2

by Hilary Green

January, 1941. Dark days for Britain, standing alone against the menace of Nazi Germany, and for four friends fighting their own personal battles . . .When Rose Taylor receives two proposals on New Year's Eve she has to face an agonising choice that threatens to separate her from all those she loves.Meanwhile, Richard Stephens has to come to terms with his shattered dream - the only thing that sustained him through the chaos of Dunkirk and the long months on the run as an escaped prisoner of war.For beautiful Felix, badly burned when his Spitfire was shot down in flames, there is the prospect of weeks of painful surgery, watched by his anguished lover. But as the months go by each of them finds the courage to face danger. For it lurks on every side...

Genres: Fiction, Romance, War

Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Hilary Green is a trained actress and spent many years teaching drama. She has always written, producing novels, scripts for the BBC, and short stories, one of which one the Kythira Prize awarded by the Historical Novel Society.

When not writing she gardens, rides horses, walks in the countryside and plays bridge as well as enjoying travel and has been round the world several times. Hilary is married, a grown-up son and two grandchildren.

Reviews

[Redfox5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one even more than the first one and found myself gripped from the first page.

It starts with Rose having to choose between Richard and Matthew and to everyone surprise she chooses neither but then later tried to get in contact with Richard but he has buried himself in secret work and is no where to be found.

The characters in this book are really strong. I love Felix and Merry's relationship, it's so sweet and I feel bad that they have to hide it at time when everyone should have been able to embrace love.

I like Richard and Rose but to be honest I hope they don't end up as a couple. I just don't think they are right for each other. Richard seems to have trouble staying faithful and I don't think they would be happy. I felt he was more suited to Chantal who I wasn't that keen on in the last book but really warmed to her this time round. Their story does not end well and it left me in tears.

I really want to find out what happens in the next book but I don't have it! Onto the wishlist it goes!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book of three in the follies series and although it isn't a cliff hanger in the true sense, it certainly leaves you wanting to know how it will all end!

This book starts where the first finished off - and lets us see how the decisions they have made will alter the courses of their lifes. For Rose it seems that her dream is now over an all she has to look forward to is plain (as plain as plain is in the middle of a war) everyday life. Richard closes himself off from the world after his shattering discovery on new years eve and leads himself back into danger. And for Felix and Merry it seems all is well - but is it?

This series seems to improve with every chapter and has managed to fully engross me! Would recommend to anyone with a heart!

[Hayley Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! I actually found it harder to read than the first one, but only because I was scared about what would happen to certain characters! Can not wait to read the third in this series! Though I don't know if I can take any more sobbing over these books!

[Tina Milledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent if you love stories based on SOE and The Resistance in WW2. I was totally engrossed from one evening to the next. I hadn’t realised this was the second in a series when I picked it up in a charity shop but it didn’t matter.

[Dylan]

I haven’t actually read this but I found it in an Airbnb and I don’t want to forget it exists and that I found it.

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is what it is. I think the problem with this book is that the description on the back of it isn't very clear. To explain, this is apparently a book of a trio now when I picked up the books cheap it seemed okay - all the descriptions mentioned different characters and as someone not aware of the author or the series I just assumed they were all in the same 'world' but unrelated. As it was I picked up this book and started reading only to realise that when it started abruptly the story wasn't going to be told in flashbacks to fill in the blanks, that in actual fact the characters had been introduced earlier.

It was pretty easy to get a jist of what's going on, but hard to feel a connection with any of the characters - perhaps because I missed a key part of their development but perhaps more likely because I just didn't really warm to them. The premise is interesting of a group of people who used to perform together in a show before the war and how their lives have changed, and I found the relationship between Felix and Merry interesting just on the basis of it being a homosexual relationship in the military during WWII and the efforts they had to make in order to hide it. Richard...he was a strange character, at the beginning he's professing his love for Rose, but not wanting to compete with another man he leaves before she can reciprocate and after a daliance with another woman goes to work getting people out of France where he meets back up with another woman he was having a thing with, professing to love her and...yeah, very soap opera like. I don't quite know if we're supposed to have sympathy for him, or hate him or what but...yeah. I will eventually get around to reading the follow up (if I can work out which one it is) to see what happened to them all, but for me it was just okay. I enjoy books set during the war but this was maybe a little too...I don't want to say soapy, but...yeah, maybe a little soapy and there's nothing wrong with that, but maybe I'd have felt it more if I'd read it in the right order.

[Rachel Mckenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Hilary Green - her books never fail to delight. The research is wonderful, the stories amazing and serve to remind us how awful war is on the lives of those who live through them. This series is set in WW2 and I have read them all. Want to start on the WW1 series next.

[Fi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book in this series, but didn't find any of the characters compelling enough to make me rush to read the sequel. However, I'm now very glad that I did make the effort: the character have all become far more real, & I now can't wait to read book three.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ditto "Now is the Hour".

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story continues...and wow...it's good...I really enjoyed reading it...let's see what the third book will bring....

[Mary Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book, but I hate how Richard left Rose without even asking her side.

[Gillian Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this series of books. Two read two to go.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Read :)