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By the Hands of Men #1
The Old World
MAGNIFICENT STORY!!! But heart breakingTold with amazing kindness and compassion. It was a gripping, agonizing, heart-rending book that touched my heart on every page. What an author!! Thank you! -- Amazon Reviewer, 5 starsWonderful! Engrossing!While reading, I just became so fascinated by the characters and the plot that I could barely put my kindle down. While not reading, I couldn't stop thinking about the characters. I read A LOT and yet I seldom write reviews. In fact I'm forcing myself to write this instead of immediately diving into Book Two, which I've purchased and am chafing at the bit to get to. Excellently written, really. Great characterization. And to think I almost didn't read it because I've read SO MUCH about wars in Europe. Yet the perspective of a Russian countess inadvertently caught up in WW1 is so compelling, who could have guessed? And Matron! What a woman! And Ignace! Oh my goodness! And dear Orlando! Read this book. I'm rushing off to start Book Two.-- Amazon Reviewer, 5 starsA soldier fights for his soul in the trenches of France. A field hospital nurse battles death every day. When duty and honor are not enough of a reason to go on in the hell of a world at war, love gives purpose to their lives. A mere mile from the blood-drenched front lines, Russian refugee and nurse Charlotte Braninov encounters English Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald, who helps her save the life of another soldier. Robert's calm, courtly manner lingers in Charlotte's mind, a comforting memory amid the deluge of suffering that surrounds her when she returns to the hospital.Wounded during an unauthorized mission of mercy and then demoted to a Medical Supply Officer, Robert Fitzgerald once more meets the brave young Russian nurse. When Charlotte volunteers to help the Lieutenant learn about his duties in this new life of service, a quiet friendship blooms and love grows in that harshest of soils, even as the war rages on. But human cruelty and endemic disease claw at their lives. Can love survive in a world torn by warfare, greed, and deception?The Old World is the first volume of the epic globe-spanning By the Hands of Men series. From World War I France, it follows Robert and Charlote through civil-war torn Russia to pre-revolution Shanghai, across the superstition-haunted swamps of the Congo and the timeless deserts of Central Africa, through Paris and London, and into the dream factory of Hollywood in the late 1930s.Immersive, exciting, and emotionally compelling, By the Hands of Men is a gripping saga of fate, loss, redemption, and undying love.Now available on Spotify and AudibleA literary portrayal of love in a time of brutal warfareEasily the best book I have read in a decade. A moving portrayal of a tragic time in history. I can't wait to devour the rest of the series.-- Amazon Reviewer, 5 starsA story of love in dark timesThe first offering in this series was quite a welcome change from what one usually encounters in best-seller lists or featured in so-called progressive lit blogs. The story captivates you right away and keeps you engaged right through to the last page. Definitely worth checking out!-- Amazon Reviewer, 5 stars
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 24, 2011
1133 people are currently reading
682 people want to read
About the author
Roy M. Griffis
20 books144 followers I was born in Texas City, TX, the son of a career Air Force meteorologist. Attended a variety of schools at all of the hot spots of the nation, such as Abilene, Texas and Bellevue, Nebraska. Sent to my grandparent’s house in Tucson, Arizona when things were tough at home. I was pretty damn lost, as my grandparents were largely strangers to me. My older brother, a more taciturn type, refused to discuss what was going on. Fortunately, like so many kids before me, I was rescued by literature. Or, at least, by fiction.
In a tiny used bookstore that was just one block up from a dirt road, I discovered that some good soul had unloaded his entire collection of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “John Carter of Mars” series in Ballantine Paperback. Moved by some impulse, I spent my RC Cola money on the first book, “A Princess of Mars.” I think what struck me was how these books were possessed of magic: they were able to transport me far from this dusty land of relatives who I didn’t know and relatives pretended not to know me to another dusty land of adventure, heroism, nobility, and even love. It was the first magic I’d encountered that wasn’t a patent fraud, and when I closed the stiff paperback with the lurid images on the cover, I decided it was the kind of magic I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to mastering. And, thus, I was saved.
Since then, I’ve never looked back. I’ve written poems, short stories (twice runner-up in the Playboy college fiction contest), plays (winning some regional awards back East and a collegiate Historical Play-writing Award), and screenplays. I’m a member of the WGAw, with one unproduced screenplay sold to Fox Television. Along the way, I’ve done the usual starving artist jobs. Been a janitor, a waiter, a clerk in a bookstore. I was the 61st Aviation Rescue Swimmer in the Coast Guard (all that Tarzan reading wasn’t wasted). I’m also not a bad cook, come to think of it. Currently, I’m a husband, father, and cat-owner. I’m an avid bicyclist and former EMT.
I live in Southern California with my lovely wife. My friends call me “Griff,” my parents call me “Roy,” and my college-age son calls me “Dadman.” It’s a good life. By the Hands of Men, Book Three: “The Wrath of a Righteous Man” will be released in May, 2016.
In a tiny used bookstore that was just one block up from a dirt road, I discovered that some good soul had unloaded his entire collection of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “John Carter of Mars” series in Ballantine Paperback. Moved by some impulse, I spent my RC Cola money on the first book, “A Princess of Mars.” I think what struck me was how these books were possessed of magic: they were able to transport me far from this dusty land of relatives who I didn’t know and relatives pretended not to know me to another dusty land of adventure, heroism, nobility, and even love. It was the first magic I’d encountered that wasn’t a patent fraud, and when I closed the stiff paperback with the lurid images on the cover, I decided it was the kind of magic I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to mastering. And, thus, I was saved.
Since then, I’ve never looked back. I’ve written poems, short stories (twice runner-up in the Playboy college fiction contest), plays (winning some regional awards back East and a collegiate Historical Play-writing Award), and screenplays. I’m a member of the WGAw, with one unproduced screenplay sold to Fox Television. Along the way, I’ve done the usual starving artist jobs. Been a janitor, a waiter, a clerk in a bookstore. I was the 61st Aviation Rescue Swimmer in the Coast Guard (all that Tarzan reading wasn’t wasted). I’m also not a bad cook, come to think of it. Currently, I’m a husband, father, and cat-owner. I’m an avid bicyclist and former EMT.
I live in Southern California with my lovely wife. My friends call me “Griff,” my parents call me “Roy,” and my college-age son calls me “Dadman.” It’s a good life. By the Hands of Men, Book Three: “The Wrath of a Righteous Man” will be released in May, 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
May 11, 2016
We all learned about World War I in school, a sanitized version of the horrors faced by all sides. For those of us who have had the privilege of seeing or hearing of the war through relatives’ stories and pictures, most of us found that even the real-life version, although still gruesome, was also sanitized. After reading Roy M. Griffis’ The Old World, one will understand why this is such a difficult subject.
Two people, from different countries find an island of peaceful coexistence while under the threat of death at any moment. Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald never lost sight of his humanity or his honor while fighting in the mud and trenches, watching his fellow soldiers fall, maimed and bleeding or dead.
Charlotte Braninov fled the upheaval in Russia to become a wartime nurse on the frontline of battle for the English Army. Hers was probably one of the worst jobs to mentally and emotionally deal with, often being able only to hold the hand of a dying soldier, some in their teens.
Robert and Charlotte became like beacons in the dark nights for each other, and love grew, in spite of the desperate battles being waged around them. Follow the heartbreak of war, the hope of love and witness the soldiers, friend or foe take time out to share a time of humanity and temporary friendship on Christmas. If you have ever heard a firsthand account of these monumental times, you will be there to be part of it.
War makes friends out of strangers, weaves lives together in desperation and solidifies lasting relationships and Roy M. Griffis has brought the past to life in often gruesome detail, with no sanitized words. This tale honors the men and women who went to war, many never to return. Through his story of love, loss, pain and hope.
I received this copy from Roy M. Griffis in exchange for my honest review.
Series: By the Hands of Men - Book 1
Publication Date: December 25, 2013
Publisher: Roy M. Griffis
ISBN-10: 1492731420
ISBN-13: 978-1492731429
Genre: Historical Fiction
Paperback: 263 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Two people, from different countries find an island of peaceful coexistence while under the threat of death at any moment. Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald never lost sight of his humanity or his honor while fighting in the mud and trenches, watching his fellow soldiers fall, maimed and bleeding or dead.
Charlotte Braninov fled the upheaval in Russia to become a wartime nurse on the frontline of battle for the English Army. Hers was probably one of the worst jobs to mentally and emotionally deal with, often being able only to hold the hand of a dying soldier, some in their teens.
Robert and Charlotte became like beacons in the dark nights for each other, and love grew, in spite of the desperate battles being waged around them. Follow the heartbreak of war, the hope of love and witness the soldiers, friend or foe take time out to share a time of humanity and temporary friendship on Christmas. If you have ever heard a firsthand account of these monumental times, you will be there to be part of it.
War makes friends out of strangers, weaves lives together in desperation and solidifies lasting relationships and Roy M. Griffis has brought the past to life in often gruesome detail, with no sanitized words. This tale honors the men and women who went to war, many never to return. Through his story of love, loss, pain and hope.
I received this copy from Roy M. Griffis in exchange for my honest review.
Series: By the Hands of Men - Book 1
Publication Date: December 25, 2013
Publisher: Roy M. Griffis
ISBN-10: 1492731420
ISBN-13: 978-1492731429
Genre: Historical Fiction
Paperback: 263 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
May 2, 2016
Roy M. Griffis Presents a Tale of Life, Loss & Love
Enter to win One of FIVE Series eSets
The Hell of WWI - Their paths are destined by Fate
International Where Allowed - Click on Banner to Enter
Enter to win One of FIVE Series eSets
The Hell of WWI - Their paths are destined by Fate
International Where Allowed - Click on Banner to Enter
May 2, 2016
Roy M. Griffis Presents a Tale of Life, Loss & Love
Enter to win One of FIVE Series eSets
The Hell of WWI - Their paths are destined by Fate
International Where Allowed - Click on Banner to Enter
There is still time to enter!
We all learned about World War I in school, a sanitized version of the horrors faced by all sides. For those of us who have had the privilege of seeing or hearing of the war through relatives’ stories and pictures, most of us found that even the real-life version, although still gruesome, was also sanitized. After reading Roy M. Griffis’ The Old World, one will understand why this is such a difficult subject.
Two people, from different countries find an island of peaceful coexistence while under the threat of death at any moment. Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald never lost sight of his humanity or his honor while fighting in the mud and trenches, watching his fellow soldiers fall, maimed and bleeding or dead.
Charlotte Braninov fled the upheaval in Russia to become a wartime nurse on the frontline of battle for the English Army. Hers was probably one of the worst jobs to mentally and emotionally deal with, often being able only to hold the hand of a dying soldier, some in their teens.
Robert and Charlotte became like beacons in the dark nights for each other, and love grew, in spite of the desperate battles being waged around them. Follow the heartbreak of war, the hope of love and witness the soldiers, friend or foe take time out to share a time of humanity and temporary friendship on Christmas. If you have ever heard a firsthand account of these monumental times, you will be there to be part of it.
War makes friends out of strangers, weaves lives together in desperation and solidifies lasting relationships and Roy M. Griffis has brought the past to life in often gruesome detail, with no sanitized words. This tale honors the men and women who went to war, many never to return. Through his story of love, loss, pain and hope.
I received this copy from Roy M. Griffis in exchange for my honest review.
Series: By the Hands of Men - Book 1
Publication Date: December 25, 2013
Publisher: Roy M. Griffis
ISBN-10: 1492731420
ISBN-13: 978-1492731429
Genre: Historical Fiction
Paperback: 263 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Enter to win One of FIVE Series eSets
The Hell of WWI - Their paths are destined by Fate
International Where Allowed - Click on Banner to Enter
There is still time to enter!
We all learned about World War I in school, a sanitized version of the horrors faced by all sides. For those of us who have had the privilege of seeing or hearing of the war through relatives’ stories and pictures, most of us found that even the real-life version, although still gruesome, was also sanitized. After reading Roy M. Griffis’ The Old World, one will understand why this is such a difficult subject.
Two people, from different countries find an island of peaceful coexistence while under the threat of death at any moment. Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald never lost sight of his humanity or his honor while fighting in the mud and trenches, watching his fellow soldiers fall, maimed and bleeding or dead.
Charlotte Braninov fled the upheaval in Russia to become a wartime nurse on the frontline of battle for the English Army. Hers was probably one of the worst jobs to mentally and emotionally deal with, often being able only to hold the hand of a dying soldier, some in their teens.
Robert and Charlotte became like beacons in the dark nights for each other, and love grew, in spite of the desperate battles being waged around them. Follow the heartbreak of war, the hope of love and witness the soldiers, friend or foe take time out to share a time of humanity and temporary friendship on Christmas. If you have ever heard a firsthand account of these monumental times, you will be there to be part of it.
War makes friends out of strangers, weaves lives together in desperation and solidifies lasting relationships and Roy M. Griffis has brought the past to life in often gruesome detail, with no sanitized words. This tale honors the men and women who went to war, many never to return. Through his story of love, loss, pain and hope.
I received this copy from Roy M. Griffis in exchange for my honest review.
Series: By the Hands of Men - Book 1
Publication Date: December 25, 2013
Publisher: Roy M. Griffis
ISBN-10: 1492731420
ISBN-13: 978-1492731429
Genre: Historical Fiction
Paperback: 263 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
September 21, 2016
‘By the Hands of Men’ is an historical novel by American author, Roy M Griffis and set in a base hospital behind the allied lines during the battle of Passchendaele in 1917. We were plunged immediately into the chaos of war as we met Charlotte Braninov, a young Russian nurse who has experience and skills well beyond her years.
At the beginning, I was engrossed in the situation in which Charlotte and her cohort found themselves prior to her meeting a British officer, Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald. With the introduction of Fitzgerald at the frontline field hospital, I wondered if the author was going down the road of a run-of-the-mill romance. Thankfully this did not happen and whilst the theme was the bitter sweet aspects of wartime relationship dynamics, there was an awful lot more going on than two people falling in love. In particular, some of the descriptive passages really tugged at the heartstrings as we witnessed tragic and senseless loss of life and its aftermath.
There was a good balance between description and dialogue as an attraction developed between Charlotte and Fitzgerald in the early part of the novel. Also, Griffis created a striking contrast between the brutality of war and the tenderness of those who ministered to the injured, with the backdrop providing a plethora of scenes designed to bring out the strength of the cast.
Charlotte was a strong character and her foils gave good support to the tale with a twist of tension between her and Alice, an upper class English nurse. I found Alice to be rather stereotypical, however Matron was a three-dimensional character and the cameo of Madame provided gentle daily respite amid the horror.
The Great War provided a wealth of real life events around which the author has woven his story. Griffis was well-informed regarding processes, procedures and conditions faced by both troops and clinicians during this time. He also imparted a lot of situational information for those readers who have little knowledge of this period of history.
As usual, I am being a little pedantic regarding the use of American-English; in this case, ‘walkway built over the railroad tracks’; Charlotte was educated in England therefore it was unlikely she would use such a phrase, however by-and-large the author’s use of British-English was fairly sound.
(NB: I would suggest, ‘footbridge over the railway line’).
The writing style was competent but I found the pace a little uneven towards the final third of the book; nonetheless this was a good read.
I would recommend this work if you are a fan of romance with a sociohistorical backdrop. I hope to have the opportunity to follow the adventures of Robert Fitzgerald and Charlotte Bravinov et al in the sequel and award ‘By the Hands of Men’ four stars.
Reviewed by Julie at www.whisperingstories.com
At the beginning, I was engrossed in the situation in which Charlotte and her cohort found themselves prior to her meeting a British officer, Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald. With the introduction of Fitzgerald at the frontline field hospital, I wondered if the author was going down the road of a run-of-the-mill romance. Thankfully this did not happen and whilst the theme was the bitter sweet aspects of wartime relationship dynamics, there was an awful lot more going on than two people falling in love. In particular, some of the descriptive passages really tugged at the heartstrings as we witnessed tragic and senseless loss of life and its aftermath.
There was a good balance between description and dialogue as an attraction developed between Charlotte and Fitzgerald in the early part of the novel. Also, Griffis created a striking contrast between the brutality of war and the tenderness of those who ministered to the injured, with the backdrop providing a plethora of scenes designed to bring out the strength of the cast.
Charlotte was a strong character and her foils gave good support to the tale with a twist of tension between her and Alice, an upper class English nurse. I found Alice to be rather stereotypical, however Matron was a three-dimensional character and the cameo of Madame provided gentle daily respite amid the horror.
The Great War provided a wealth of real life events around which the author has woven his story. Griffis was well-informed regarding processes, procedures and conditions faced by both troops and clinicians during this time. He also imparted a lot of situational information for those readers who have little knowledge of this period of history.
As usual, I am being a little pedantic regarding the use of American-English; in this case, ‘walkway built over the railroad tracks’; Charlotte was educated in England therefore it was unlikely she would use such a phrase, however by-and-large the author’s use of British-English was fairly sound.
(NB: I would suggest, ‘footbridge over the railway line’).
The writing style was competent but I found the pace a little uneven towards the final third of the book; nonetheless this was a good read.
I would recommend this work if you are a fan of romance with a sociohistorical backdrop. I hope to have the opportunity to follow the adventures of Robert Fitzgerald and Charlotte Bravinov et al in the sequel and award ‘By the Hands of Men’ four stars.
Reviewed by Julie at www.whisperingstories.com
August 5, 2012
"Everyone has heard that war is hell, but a young Russian émigré, Charlotte Braninov, experiences the horror and devastation firsthand as a volunteer nurse for the English Army in 1917.
Stranded without her surgical team less than 500 feet from the front lines she encounters a wounded English soldier, the almost inappropriately courteous Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald. With his help, she saves the life of a grievously wounded man, but in the press of new casualties, he slips away before she has time to thank him. As the long days pass, she realizes that the hands of that man, for a little while, brought salvation instead of savagery."
A truly remarkable historical novel- so finely rendered in period detail - that the reader becomes one with the plot and characters.
Mr. Griffis has a superb talent for capturing the small details that make up the whole- from the horrors of war to the very intricit procedures involved with early 20th Century Wartime medicine.
Charlotte Braninov is a very complex character, one who is beautifully drawn by the pen of Mr. Griffis. Her conflicting feelings on war and her intense emotions sparked by her time treating Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald left me breathless- they were so emotionally powerful.
All of the secondary characters are also so very well written, and the atmosphere created by the excellent prose is to be praised! This is a novel that will not only entertain and inform, but pull at your emotions as well- a truly beautiful novel set during a horric time in history.
AN OFFICIAL JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ
RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
Stranded without her surgical team less than 500 feet from the front lines she encounters a wounded English soldier, the almost inappropriately courteous Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald. With his help, she saves the life of a grievously wounded man, but in the press of new casualties, he slips away before she has time to thank him. As the long days pass, she realizes that the hands of that man, for a little while, brought salvation instead of savagery."
A truly remarkable historical novel- so finely rendered in period detail - that the reader becomes one with the plot and characters.
Mr. Griffis has a superb talent for capturing the small details that make up the whole- from the horrors of war to the very intricit procedures involved with early 20th Century Wartime medicine.
Charlotte Braninov is a very complex character, one who is beautifully drawn by the pen of Mr. Griffis. Her conflicting feelings on war and her intense emotions sparked by her time treating Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald left me breathless- they were so emotionally powerful.
All of the secondary characters are also so very well written, and the atmosphere created by the excellent prose is to be praised! This is a novel that will not only entertain and inform, but pull at your emotions as well- a truly beautiful novel set during a horric time in history.
AN OFFICIAL JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ
RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
November 27, 2024
Worthy of more than 5 stars....
I'm a sucker for historical fiction, and this is an exceptional story circa WW1. I was completely captivated with the characters and the setting. Appropriate details were plentiful, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. No spoilers, just begin the journey. You won't be disappointed.
I'm a sucker for historical fiction, and this is an exceptional story circa WW1. I was completely captivated with the characters and the setting. Appropriate details were plentiful, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. No spoilers, just begin the journey. You won't be disappointed.
June 19, 2024
Wow what a story, brilliant and well worth a read..enjoyed Charlotte and Robert..
May 13, 2016
By The Hands Of Men (Book 1: The Old World) told an amazing story. I have always loved history, but with it comes pain, war, death, hope, and sometimes even love. This story gives you all of these things.
Charlotte and Robert meet amongst the battlefield. They then find themselves forming a bond while working together in the field hospital during World War 1. He is a soldier and she is a nurse. Any relationship between them is forbidden, but they seem to find a peace together. One that is hard to come by in a world torn apart by the death of men and women all around them. Near the end they become separated by thousands of miles. But their love is still there and very real.
This book told a sad tale of the war. The world and the people are literally torn apart. Mentally and physically they fight against the horrors. This story brought many tears to my eyes. These types of books normally do. It was so good and so descriptive that at times it's like I was standing in Charlotte's place amongst the broken men and amongst the battlefield. That is what makes a good book. And this was better than good. It was intriguing and powerful. It was a work of art. It painted a picture in my mind, a sad one, but true and colorful, all the same. I look forward to reading the next book in this series....Stormi
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Charlotte and Robert meet amongst the battlefield. They then find themselves forming a bond while working together in the field hospital during World War 1. He is a soldier and she is a nurse. Any relationship between them is forbidden, but they seem to find a peace together. One that is hard to come by in a world torn apart by the death of men and women all around them. Near the end they become separated by thousands of miles. But their love is still there and very real.
This book told a sad tale of the war. The world and the people are literally torn apart. Mentally and physically they fight against the horrors. This story brought many tears to my eyes. These types of books normally do. It was so good and so descriptive that at times it's like I was standing in Charlotte's place amongst the broken men and amongst the battlefield. That is what makes a good book. And this was better than good. It was intriguing and powerful. It was a work of art. It painted a picture in my mind, a sad one, but true and colorful, all the same. I look forward to reading the next book in this series....Stormi
http://www.boundlessbookreviews.com
https://www.facebook.com/BBReviews
August 22, 2019
Outstanding!!
I read mainly historical fiction. And since the beginning of this year I have almost solely focused on WAY and WWII novels. This book is truly a five-star read.
The story of a Russian nurse and English officer during WWI in France is very well researched and written. The plot is fascinating and the burgeoning romance surrounded by suffering and death at an army field hospital is full of intricate descriptions of emotions, day-to-day experiences under the worst conditions imaginable at the front and the overall fatigue and despair with death and destruction a constantcy.
I could almost smell the fetid air of the hospital as the medical personnel work to save lives under overwhelming odds. The few moments of kindness and normalcy are pointed!
This is a diamond of a fine for me as a reader of historical fiction and I most definitely recommend to readers of historical fiction and romance novels. I cannot wait to begin the next book of the series!
I read mainly historical fiction. And since the beginning of this year I have almost solely focused on WAY and WWII novels. This book is truly a five-star read.
The story of a Russian nurse and English officer during WWI in France is very well researched and written. The plot is fascinating and the burgeoning romance surrounded by suffering and death at an army field hospital is full of intricate descriptions of emotions, day-to-day experiences under the worst conditions imaginable at the front and the overall fatigue and despair with death and destruction a constantcy.
I could almost smell the fetid air of the hospital as the medical personnel work to save lives under overwhelming odds. The few moments of kindness and normalcy are pointed!
This is a diamond of a fine for me as a reader of historical fiction and I most definitely recommend to readers of historical fiction and romance novels. I cannot wait to begin the next book of the series!
November 4, 2020
Good read
Something different than what I usually read but good. The setup was a bit long but once I read past that I could not put it down.
Something different than what I usually read but good. The setup was a bit long but once I read past that I could not put it down.
April 26, 2016
In my high school English class, our teacher screened Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet, assuring us that we would love it because the leads were played by actual teenagers. And I tried, really I did, to get into the tale of star-crossed lovers. Only… not so much. Romeo seemed whiny. Juliet had a bit more backbone, but still didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t until several more versions of the story later that I realized the problem. Romeo and Juliet isn’t a love story—it’s a hate story. The events unfolded, the emo lovers angsted and died, all because of the hatred their parents didn’t hesitate to escalate to the level of open warfare.
In his brilliant epic depiction of the first World War, author Roy M. Griffis introduces us to another star-crossed pair whose love story is set against the backdrop of the hell on earth that is the Great War. Like all the best tropes, the Romeo and Juliet devices continue to be effective. Charlotte is a young teen, a Russian aristocrat whose family has disappeared into the maelstrom of the Russian Revolution. Educated in England, she volunteers as a nurse to the British Army and finds herself assisting at a field hospital in France. The son of an unpopular Irish duke, Robert Fitzgerald is suffering from prolonged assignment in the trenches, an ingrained sense of obligation to his men, and an inconveniently persistent code of honor.
War itself is the third main character, perhaps even the primary one. Neither Charlotte nor Robert can pretend that the hell around them is anything but manmade. She realizes that “…no one could look on that shattered land and feel confident in the sanity of man, nor the mercy of the Almighty.”
Charlotte remembers being taken as a child to view the Sistine Chapel in Rome. But in the war, she learns that while the hands of men can paint heaven, they can also create hell.
[quote]“She could not credit that something so wondrous had been made by the hands of men. As she worked and struggled to keep breath and life in the ruined men on the operating table, she was continually reminded how the hands of man could as easily make a hell on earth, even as she used the memory of the Chapel in Rome as a talisman to push away despair.”
As eighteen year old Charlotte—already an experienced nurse—heads to the front lines, she compares the nightmare landscape around her to a painting by Hieronymus Bosch. “Instead of bird-headed imps torturing the damned or winged monstrosities flaying sinners, she saw bloated corpses of horses and lorries blown inside-out scattered like broken toys along the way.”
When Charlotte and Robert meet, their conversation is a parody of flowery romantic love, with him calling her “My Lady” and Charlotte responding with “My Knight”—all as he holds down one of his men while she operates without anesthetic. While not precisely love at first sight, neither can forget the other even as the sweep of war separates them. From their alternating points of view, we see Charlotte and Robert develop from relatively shallow and inexperienced youths who pass through the crucible of war, honing each to self-confident strength.
Despite the rules and regulations of that most looming of parents, the British Army, the two fall in love. Of course, their relationship must be secret, but just as Juliet has her Nurse, they are aided by Matron, the hospital’s head nurse.
As their story proceeds, Robert and Charlotte are torn apart. Both believe the other dead or lost to them, and their star-crossed romance seems to end in heartbreak and loss.
In Book 2, their separate stories continue, but now the tropes are more aligned with what Gertrude Stein named the Lost Generation. “All of you young people who served in the war. You are a lost generation… You have no respect for anything. You drink yourselves to death.” (Statement quoted by Ernest Hemingway in A Moveable Feast (1964))
Alone in an alien world, both Robert and Charlotte struggle to find their identities. She decides to return to Russia to look for her family, while Robert breaks with his controlling father and returns to the only thing he knows, service to his country.
Although the Great War is officially over, Charlotte is back in Russia, where even the horror of her previous war hasn’t prepared her for the nightmare of pain and suffering that awaits a country in the throes of revolution. Taken captive, starved and abused, she struggles to stay alive, while despairing of escape. “The entire country was her prison.”
Meanwhile, believing her dead, Robert rejects his father and his heritage, and returns to serving his country, this time as a spy— part of the Great Game. As he heads to Shanghai to help uncover and block the spread of Soviet-style socialism, Robert begins finally to try gain perspective by studying history. The impulsive romantic of Book 1 is growing up.
The pace of these books is definitely more marathon than sprint. Apparently, there are two more volumes coming, with Book 3 due out next month. (You pretty much have to read them in order to understand what’s built each story arc.) The supporting characters are both well-rounded, plus they stimulate the character development of our two heroes. And that development is remarkable, as we see them react to the experience of love and of war. And it doesn’t hurt that the writing is terrific. Historical data seems exhaustively well-researched, and descriptions of the various settings are superb. There is even an ever-so-slightly formal tone that hints at Edwardian phrasing without dumping readers headfirst into a flowery Victorian word-vat.
My only complaints (and they are minor) are that while most of the characters are British, the spellings and quite a bit of the syntax are all-American. In addition, author Griffis is not above cliffhanger endings. There are several episodes that seem a bit superfluous, such as Charlotte’s interactions with the Jewish pawnbroker (like that’s not stereotype!) and his viciously bigoted aristocratic customer. It seems as if some scenes with minor characters have as their only purpose to hit us over the head with the racial, religious, or ethnic stereotypes that Charlotte and Robert have (presumably due to their purification in the fires of war) purged from their repertoire.
But as I debated how to rate these books, I looked back at my own criteria for five stars. (Author goes straight to my auto-buy list, books I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone, books I would buy hard copies of and not lend out.) That pretty much nails my reaction to this fascinating series. I can’t wait for the next book!
***I received this book for free from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.***
In his brilliant epic depiction of the first World War, author Roy M. Griffis introduces us to another star-crossed pair whose love story is set against the backdrop of the hell on earth that is the Great War. Like all the best tropes, the Romeo and Juliet devices continue to be effective. Charlotte is a young teen, a Russian aristocrat whose family has disappeared into the maelstrom of the Russian Revolution. Educated in England, she volunteers as a nurse to the British Army and finds herself assisting at a field hospital in France. The son of an unpopular Irish duke, Robert Fitzgerald is suffering from prolonged assignment in the trenches, an ingrained sense of obligation to his men, and an inconveniently persistent code of honor.
War itself is the third main character, perhaps even the primary one. Neither Charlotte nor Robert can pretend that the hell around them is anything but manmade. She realizes that “…no one could look on that shattered land and feel confident in the sanity of man, nor the mercy of the Almighty.”
Charlotte remembers being taken as a child to view the Sistine Chapel in Rome. But in the war, she learns that while the hands of men can paint heaven, they can also create hell.
[quote]“She could not credit that something so wondrous had been made by the hands of men. As she worked and struggled to keep breath and life in the ruined men on the operating table, she was continually reminded how the hands of man could as easily make a hell on earth, even as she used the memory of the Chapel in Rome as a talisman to push away despair.”
As eighteen year old Charlotte—already an experienced nurse—heads to the front lines, she compares the nightmare landscape around her to a painting by Hieronymus Bosch. “Instead of bird-headed imps torturing the damned or winged monstrosities flaying sinners, she saw bloated corpses of horses and lorries blown inside-out scattered like broken toys along the way.”
When Charlotte and Robert meet, their conversation is a parody of flowery romantic love, with him calling her “My Lady” and Charlotte responding with “My Knight”—all as he holds down one of his men while she operates without anesthetic. While not precisely love at first sight, neither can forget the other even as the sweep of war separates them. From their alternating points of view, we see Charlotte and Robert develop from relatively shallow and inexperienced youths who pass through the crucible of war, honing each to self-confident strength.
Despite the rules and regulations of that most looming of parents, the British Army, the two fall in love. Of course, their relationship must be secret, but just as Juliet has her Nurse, they are aided by Matron, the hospital’s head nurse.
As their story proceeds, Robert and Charlotte are torn apart. Both believe the other dead or lost to them, and their star-crossed romance seems to end in heartbreak and loss.
In Book 2, their separate stories continue, but now the tropes are more aligned with what Gertrude Stein named the Lost Generation. “All of you young people who served in the war. You are a lost generation… You have no respect for anything. You drink yourselves to death.” (Statement quoted by Ernest Hemingway in A Moveable Feast (1964))
Alone in an alien world, both Robert and Charlotte struggle to find their identities. She decides to return to Russia to look for her family, while Robert breaks with his controlling father and returns to the only thing he knows, service to his country.
Although the Great War is officially over, Charlotte is back in Russia, where even the horror of her previous war hasn’t prepared her for the nightmare of pain and suffering that awaits a country in the throes of revolution. Taken captive, starved and abused, she struggles to stay alive, while despairing of escape. “The entire country was her prison.”
Meanwhile, believing her dead, Robert rejects his father and his heritage, and returns to serving his country, this time as a spy— part of the Great Game. As he heads to Shanghai to help uncover and block the spread of Soviet-style socialism, Robert begins finally to try gain perspective by studying history. The impulsive romantic of Book 1 is growing up.
The pace of these books is definitely more marathon than sprint. Apparently, there are two more volumes coming, with Book 3 due out next month. (You pretty much have to read them in order to understand what’s built each story arc.) The supporting characters are both well-rounded, plus they stimulate the character development of our two heroes. And that development is remarkable, as we see them react to the experience of love and of war. And it doesn’t hurt that the writing is terrific. Historical data seems exhaustively well-researched, and descriptions of the various settings are superb. There is even an ever-so-slightly formal tone that hints at Edwardian phrasing without dumping readers headfirst into a flowery Victorian word-vat.
My only complaints (and they are minor) are that while most of the characters are British, the spellings and quite a bit of the syntax are all-American. In addition, author Griffis is not above cliffhanger endings. There are several episodes that seem a bit superfluous, such as Charlotte’s interactions with the Jewish pawnbroker (like that’s not stereotype!) and his viciously bigoted aristocratic customer. It seems as if some scenes with minor characters have as their only purpose to hit us over the head with the racial, religious, or ethnic stereotypes that Charlotte and Robert have (presumably due to their purification in the fires of war) purged from their repertoire.
But as I debated how to rate these books, I looked back at my own criteria for five stars. (Author goes straight to my auto-buy list, books I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone, books I would buy hard copies of and not lend out.) That pretty much nails my reaction to this fascinating series. I can’t wait for the next book!
***I received this book for free from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.***
November 30, 2022
Robert Fitzgerald is a young English Lieutenant fighting in WW1. Robert assists Charlotte Braninov, a nurse, save the life of another soldier. Parting, their encounter lingered long in their minds until they are reunited once again. As the war continues wreaking havoc, death, and destruction across Europe their journey takes them around the world. One must question whether the strength of their love will survive.
The author, Roy M. Griffis delivers a fascinating, engrossing creative fictional novel based on historical events and several people. He goes into vivid and graphic details leaving nothing to the imagination. His character development is just as rich and detailed as well. The listener cannot help but be drawn into the story.
The narrator, Ian Pringle does a great job of narration utilizing unique voices for each and projecting the appropriate emotions. I found his performance to be equally rich and entertaining, especially when voicing Robert Fitzgerald in his stiff and proper manner equal to his personality. I found his performance to be entertaining and added to the story.
While this is a rich and excellent experience due to the efforts of the author and narrator, the story became bogged down in details. Overall, this book about fate, loss, and cruelty of humanity is well worth the time to hear.
There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.
The author, Roy M. Griffis delivers a fascinating, engrossing creative fictional novel based on historical events and several people. He goes into vivid and graphic details leaving nothing to the imagination. His character development is just as rich and detailed as well. The listener cannot help but be drawn into the story.
The narrator, Ian Pringle does a great job of narration utilizing unique voices for each and projecting the appropriate emotions. I found his performance to be equally rich and entertaining, especially when voicing Robert Fitzgerald in his stiff and proper manner equal to his personality. I found his performance to be entertaining and added to the story.
While this is a rich and excellent experience due to the efforts of the author and narrator, the story became bogged down in details. Overall, this book about fate, loss, and cruelty of humanity is well worth the time to hear.
There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.
October 13, 2019
THE OLD WORLD (#1 in By the Hands of Men series) by Roy Griffis takes place in 1917 France during World War I. Charlotte Braninov is a nurse who fled the chaos and danger of the impending Russian Revolution and serves as a front line and hospital nurse. She experiences all the horrors and dangers of that duty while forming relationships with other nurses, a special supervisor, and the wounded, especially an Englishman, Lt. Robert Fitzgerald. severely wounded and later afflicted with a life and memory-threatening disease at the end of the war. Their love story is interrupted by battles, wounded, and eventually by the peace that separates them, he to recover in England, she to the new Soviet Russia. Books 2 & 3 of the series continue the story. Wonderful period descriptions, especially of the fighting at the front and the treatment of the wounded, the role of nurses, and the horrible conditions they and the fighting men face. Four out of five stars.
August 20, 2018
I found myself “finding” “creating” and “needing” time to read after I began “The Old World.” Being an historian, I have studied The Great War, now called World War I; however, that front line horror of war is hard to tell. Griffis brought the story right to me with words that created characters whom I quickly came to enjoy so much I had to read. Set in a military hospital, very near the front line, The Old World is actually the story of a group of about six characters and their existence, their human drama, during the war. The story delivers fear, horror, love, salvation, humor, friendship, honor, and death all meshed together to create a book, I won’t soon forget. The ending can stand alone or you can proceed right to the next book in the series. I haven’t yet, but will. I need to know what happens next.
July 11, 2024
A story of war, love and friendship
I loved this book, it had a bit of everything! It tells the story of a beautiful immigrant Russian nurse. How she came to France to help look after the soldiers from World War 1, in the front line and trenches. We read of Charlotte's strengths, how she forged friendships through her kindness and ability to work under dire conditions. Charlotte's friendship with Matron, her mentor, was deeply soaked with the love you have for a mother. During the atrocities of war, she meets an English lieutenant. A man of integrity, in this godforsaken hell. Don't be deceived, this isn't just a love story, it is much more. It's about life, death, war, love, hatred, strength. All this and much more was acutely felt, in an otherwise ugly war! I highly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed.
I loved this book, it had a bit of everything! It tells the story of a beautiful immigrant Russian nurse. How she came to France to help look after the soldiers from World War 1, in the front line and trenches. We read of Charlotte's strengths, how she forged friendships through her kindness and ability to work under dire conditions. Charlotte's friendship with Matron, her mentor, was deeply soaked with the love you have for a mother. During the atrocities of war, she meets an English lieutenant. A man of integrity, in this godforsaken hell. Don't be deceived, this isn't just a love story, it is much more. It's about life, death, war, love, hatred, strength. All this and much more was acutely felt, in an otherwise ugly war! I highly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed.
December 6, 2020
I recommend this book for historical romance fans. I'm not one of those, and not sure what prompted my to purchase it off a book bub. I enjoy romance in a story, but not a primarily romance story. So this book wasn't really for me, but it wasn't meant to be. The writing is excellent. It tells of the romance between an English nobleman (we think) and a young Russian nurse (also of noble family.) Most the action takes place in a hospital on the Western Front during WW I. That tragedy is well told. Episodic personal tragedies follow and apparently continue through another 5 books.
December 28, 2020
Great story!
I coud not leave it, after the first pages! It's a great picture of the WWI. War's scenes are so vivid that I had the sensation I'm there, in trenches, in mud, along with all those that tried to stay alive. Very well documented and very well written! And, Sir, you are a master of description. I can only hope the other parts are as good as this one....I'm not fond of ..."to be continued " movies or books. They lose the sparkle. But I'll give it a shot.
A pleasure to read it!
I coud not leave it, after the first pages! It's a great picture of the WWI. War's scenes are so vivid that I had the sensation I'm there, in trenches, in mud, along with all those that tried to stay alive. Very well documented and very well written! And, Sir, you are a master of description. I can only hope the other parts are as good as this one....I'm not fond of ..."to be continued " movies or books. They lose the sparkle. But I'll give it a shot.
A pleasure to read it!
March 10, 2025
Sometimes hard to follow. Story jumps around
I found the author a bit over descriptive at times making the story occasionally hard to follow. One instance I found confusing is we jumped from the field hospital to the battlefield for a few chapters. Then eventually found ourselves somehow back in the field hospital with no explanation. It was like two different books for a moment. Shame. I really enjoyed the battle scenes he laid out and overall the story is good but I think I have to sit out the remaining books.
I found the author a bit over descriptive at times making the story occasionally hard to follow. One instance I found confusing is we jumped from the field hospital to the battlefield for a few chapters. Then eventually found ourselves somehow back in the field hospital with no explanation. It was like two different books for a moment. Shame. I really enjoyed the battle scenes he laid out and overall the story is good but I think I have to sit out the remaining books.
August 17, 2019
For most of the 20th century the wars were men's wars. You didn't think of the women that were involved other than the victims of the war that raged about them. Here is a fascinating telling from the vantage of a few women who's bravery saved so many lives. The chapter's were much to long -- I hate to drop a reading in the middle of a chapter but for this I had to. But still - Fascinating reading and I had a hard time setting it down even when I knew I must. Highly recommend it.
September 16, 2019
A well written love story/war story
This is a well written story of love and war. Set during the World War One the story follows a nurse and soldier who meet under adverse circumstances, are separated and meet again only to be separated again. The conditions under which both of them operate are well researched and developed. The pain and suffering, both mental and physical will at times make you cringe.
This is a well written story of love and war. Set during the World War One the story follows a nurse and soldier who meet under adverse circumstances, are separated and meet again only to be separated again. The conditions under which both of them operate are well researched and developed. The pain and suffering, both mental and physical will at times make you cringe.
September 30, 2024
Spellbinding
I have previously been engrossed in the history of WWII, by this book has piqued my interest on learning more about WWI and the trials and tribulations that the people of England and Europe sustained during that time. We of today can't even imagine the primitive conditions under which that war was fought or what their Doctors and nurses had to endure while doing their best to treat the wounded.
I have previously been engrossed in the history of WWII, by this book has piqued my interest on learning more about WWI and the trials and tribulations that the people of England and Europe sustained during that time. We of today can't even imagine the primitive conditions under which that war was fought or what their Doctors and nurses had to endure while doing their best to treat the wounded.
October 28, 2024
Typically....
I never purchase a series of books at one time. However, this book and its characters, left me wanting more....enough to buy the entire series. Book one tells the story of Charlotte, a nurse, and Robert, a soldier during World War 1.
Since I'm a nurse, I am very fascinated with The history of nursing. This book is far more than that.... Prepare yourself to be swept away to another time and place in history .
I never purchase a series of books at one time. However, this book and its characters, left me wanting more....enough to buy the entire series. Book one tells the story of Charlotte, a nurse, and Robert, a soldier during World War 1.
Since I'm a nurse, I am very fascinated with The history of nursing. This book is far more than that.... Prepare yourself to be swept away to another time and place in history .
February 18, 2019
Exceptional
I rarely interrupt my reading by taking the time to post, but this book deserves a favorable acknowledgement. With such a vivid accounting of history and a most memorable portrayal of characters, I am compelled to continue reading. Thank you Mr. Griffin for such an engaging work of art!
I rarely interrupt my reading by taking the time to post, but this book deserves a favorable acknowledgement. With such a vivid accounting of history and a most memorable portrayal of characters, I am compelled to continue reading. Thank you Mr. Griffin for such an engaging work of art!
June 25, 2019
Wonderful piece of literature
Step into the shoes of a very young nurse in WWI. In this historical fiction you find yourself immersed in the care of the wounded as well as the life of a Russian aristocrat nurse. She learns of life ,death and love. This book is well worth the time to read.
Step into the shoes of a very young nurse in WWI. In this historical fiction you find yourself immersed in the care of the wounded as well as the life of a Russian aristocrat nurse. She learns of life ,death and love. This book is well worth the time to read.
November 13, 2019
Intense novel
I love the book, d not get me wrong. It is intense as we're the times. The description of surroundings and people are great. That puts you in it. As you fall in love with the people, you become very involved in this story. It does drone on in some parts. That was why the 4star.
I love the book, d not get me wrong. It is intense as we're the times. The description of surroundings and people are great. That puts you in it. As you fall in love with the people, you become very involved in this story. It does drone on in some parts. That was why the 4star.
November 15, 2019
A touching story of friendship, character, love, and pain, against the horrors of daily life at the trenches of WWI and at a hospital on the French front. A young Russian nurse and an English Lieutenant who gradually fall in love. A powerful description of the beautiful sentiments that can develop in places of intense suffering and hardship.
November 20, 2021
Excellent
This is a well written book about WW1 in France. The author has done his research regarding the fighting and medical care of the injured and wounded. This is a story of love, friendship, loyalty, courage and survival. I am anxious to read book 2 in the series.
I was also pleased that this novel is free of profanity and illicit sex.
This is a well written book about WW1 in France. The author has done his research regarding the fighting and medical care of the injured and wounded. This is a story of love, friendship, loyalty, courage and survival. I am anxious to read book 2 in the series.
I was also pleased that this novel is free of profanity and illicit sex.
December 18, 2024
Beginning of A Sweeping Saga
I can't wait to start book 2!!!! This is truly the beginning of a great saga. The characters are real. The descriptions real. I feel as if I am there watching as the story unfold. A must read for anyone who enjoys reading World War 1 & post WW1 novels. Be sure you have plenty of tissues nearby.
I can't wait to start book 2!!!! This is truly the beginning of a great saga. The characters are real. The descriptions real. I feel as if I am there watching as the story unfold. A must read for anyone who enjoys reading World War 1 & post WW1 novels. Be sure you have plenty of tissues nearby.
February 23, 2025
Great and Enlightening Book
I learned much about WW1 from this book particularly those who tended the wounds of the many soldiers. Much of it was sad but still too interesting to put down. It is about great friendships and a great love that I must read more volumes to find out about.
I learned much about WW1 from this book particularly those who tended the wounds of the many soldiers. Much of it was sad but still too interesting to put down. It is about great friendships and a great love that I must read more volumes to find out about.
August 26, 2019
Wonderful!
I found myself swept up in the horrors of WWI yet touched by the tenderness of the characters portrayed by Mr. Griffis. Inspiring is probably most descriptive of my feelings.
I found myself swept up in the horrors of WWI yet touched by the tenderness of the characters portrayed by Mr. Griffis. Inspiring is probably most descriptive of my feelings.
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