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A Time for Courage
Perfect for fans of Valerie Wood, Dilly Court, Lily Baxter.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
416 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2014
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Graham
87 books23 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Margaret Graham is a bestselling author and has been writing for 30 years. Margaret's novels have been published in the UK, Europe and the USA. Margaret has written two plays, co-researched a television documentary - which grew out of Canopy of Silence, and has written numerous short stories and features.
Margaret Graham is a bestselling author and has been writing for 30 years. Margaret's novels have been published in the UK, Europe and the USA. Margaret has written two plays, co-researched a television documentary - which grew out of Canopy of Silence, and has written numerous short stories and features.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 24, 2026
So a quick explanation: book snob that I clearly am, I would never have picked this book up ordinarily, and was given it at work's book Secret Santa so felt I should try it. At 200 pages in, I was so tempted to give it up but felt that I had put too much effort in so far to give up and pushed on. I have to say the second half was slightly more readable than the first, mainly because there were fewer interminable descriptions about the surroundings of every single room (Graham has done a lot of research and wants you to know it!).
My main quibble was that the story was too disjointed and trying to do too many things (votes/equality for women, civil rights in South Africa, repressive Victorian attitudes, welfare reform, first world war etc etc), as well as trying to make you see into too many character's minds (the bits about Harry in South Africa were some of the more interesting bits but seemed weird when we'd spent hundreds of pages with Hannah, and what the heck with the random scenes with the dad?!). There were loads of plotholes and characters behaving in really odd ways - for instance why are Arthur and his family ok with Hannah being arrested and imprisoned twice, and with her working as a teacher, if they're supposedly so posh? Too much time was covered and there were huge jumps forward between chapters and sometimes in one sentence. It would have been better to concentrate on one person, place and shorter time span.
The writing style as well, oh heck. More than once I had to reread a sentence several times to try and parse what Graham meant. Sometimes she tried to write in a dramatic style with repetition or fragments which almost never worked at all. And all of the characters were awful, including Hannah (found her annoying) and Joe (meant to be so lovely but was so horrible to Hannah for basically no reason to try and force her to be less selfish or something?).
Finally, the blurb made me think a good proportion of the book would take place in the first world war. It only starts in the last 50 pages along with the romance, and the votes for women plotline (which thus far has been a main focus) is dismissed in half a sentence.
Anyway, needless to say, I'm glad I saw it through but I don't think this author or particular sub genre of historical fiction is for me.
My main quibble was that the story was too disjointed and trying to do too many things (votes/equality for women, civil rights in South Africa, repressive Victorian attitudes, welfare reform, first world war etc etc), as well as trying to make you see into too many character's minds (the bits about Harry in South Africa were some of the more interesting bits but seemed weird when we'd spent hundreds of pages with Hannah, and what the heck with the random scenes with the dad?!). There were loads of plotholes and characters behaving in really odd ways - for instance why are Arthur and his family ok with Hannah being arrested and imprisoned twice, and with her working as a teacher, if they're supposedly so posh? Too much time was covered and there were huge jumps forward between chapters and sometimes in one sentence. It would have been better to concentrate on one person, place and shorter time span.
The writing style as well, oh heck. More than once I had to reread a sentence several times to try and parse what Graham meant. Sometimes she tried to write in a dramatic style with repetition or fragments which almost never worked at all. And all of the characters were awful, including Hannah (found her annoying) and Joe (meant to be so lovely but was so horrible to Hannah for basically no reason to try and force her to be less selfish or something?).
Finally, the blurb made me think a good proportion of the book would take place in the first world war. It only starts in the last 50 pages along with the romance, and the votes for women plotline (which thus far has been a main focus) is dismissed in half a sentence.
Anyway, needless to say, I'm glad I saw it through but I don't think this author or particular sub genre of historical fiction is for me.
January 21, 2015
This book was originally published with the title 'A Measure of Peace', in 1989. It opens in an Edwardian house in London just after the death of Queen Victoria. In the opening chapter we are introduced to Hannah Watson, Harry her older brother, her mother Edith And John Her father. We also meet Mrs Brennan, the housekeeper, known as 'Beaky' by Hannah and Harry. Within this family, the father rules with a rod of iron. It soon becomes clear that he expects his wife and daughter to know their place.
During a visit to Cornwall, Edith's original family home, Hannah is exposed to a different outlook on life by Mr and Mrs Arness and their son Joe. They had lived in America before returning to Cornwall.
As Hannah grows into adult hood she has a close relationship with her mother, but not her father. She also develops a close friendship with Miss Fletcher, the headmistress of her old school. I will not go into full detail, for fear of spoiling the plot of this complex story.
The story follows several linked themes. The place of women in society, the attitude of the British in South Africa during and after the Boer War. Then, with subtlety the difference between the suffragist and suffragette movements is explored.
The book ends as the Great War draws towards a close in 1914.
This was a book which I did not want to end. I liked the characters and I found the quality of the descriptive writing to be very engaging. This is the first book I have read by Margaret Graham. I will certainly look for others on the strength of this. It is a book which I would recommend to anybody.
During a visit to Cornwall, Edith's original family home, Hannah is exposed to a different outlook on life by Mr and Mrs Arness and their son Joe. They had lived in America before returning to Cornwall.
As Hannah grows into adult hood she has a close relationship with her mother, but not her father. She also develops a close friendship with Miss Fletcher, the headmistress of her old school. I will not go into full detail, for fear of spoiling the plot of this complex story.
The story follows several linked themes. The place of women in society, the attitude of the British in South Africa during and after the Boer War. Then, with subtlety the difference between the suffragist and suffragette movements is explored.
The book ends as the Great War draws towards a close in 1914.
This was a book which I did not want to end. I liked the characters and I found the quality of the descriptive writing to be very engaging. This is the first book I have read by Margaret Graham. I will certainly look for others on the strength of this. It is a book which I would recommend to anybody.
July 30, 2018
This is such a good book, particularly if you are interested in women's sufferage. Set in the Edwardian era, Hannah is the daughter in a wealthy household which is dominated by her tyrannical father. As she grows up she nurses her mother through several failed pregnancies and begins to campaign for women's rights. She then turns her attention to the suffragist movement and the ill treatment of women in all walks of life. I sometimes found the story difficult to read due to the dreadful attitude held by the men towards all women but I think I can say that this was my best read for several months. I shall be looking out for more Margaret Graham novels from now on.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews