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War at Home #2
Keep the Home Fires Burning
The year is 1915, and the war is raging on . . .
The war was not 'over by Christmas' after all and as 1915 begins, the Hunters begin to settle into wartime life.
Diana, the eldest Hunter daughter, sees her fiance off to the Front but doesn't expect such coldness from her future mother-in-law. David's battalion is almost ready to be sent to the Front, but how will Beattie's fragile peace of mind endure? Below stairs, Ethel, the under housemaid, is tired of having her beaux go off to war so she deliberately sets her sights on a man who works on the railway, believing he won't be allowed to volunteer. Eric turns out to be decent, honest and he genuinely cares about Ethel - is this the man who could give her a new life?
The Hunters, their servants and their neighbours soon realise that war is not just for the soldiers, but it's for everyone to win, and every new atrocity that is reported bolsters British determination: this is a war that must be won at all costs.
Keep the Home Fires Burning is the second book in the War at Home series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, author of the much-loved Morland Dynasty novels. Set against the real events of 1915, this is an evocative, authentic and wonderfully depicted drama featuring the Hunter family and their servants.
The war was not 'over by Christmas' after all and as 1915 begins, the Hunters begin to settle into wartime life.
Diana, the eldest Hunter daughter, sees her fiance off to the Front but doesn't expect such coldness from her future mother-in-law. David's battalion is almost ready to be sent to the Front, but how will Beattie's fragile peace of mind endure? Below stairs, Ethel, the under housemaid, is tired of having her beaux go off to war so she deliberately sets her sights on a man who works on the railway, believing he won't be allowed to volunteer. Eric turns out to be decent, honest and he genuinely cares about Ethel - is this the man who could give her a new life?
The Hunters, their servants and their neighbours soon realise that war is not just for the soldiers, but it's for everyone to win, and every new atrocity that is reported bolsters British determination: this is a war that must be won at all costs.
Keep the Home Fires Burning is the second book in the War at Home series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, author of the much-loved Morland Dynasty novels. Set against the real events of 1915, this is an evocative, authentic and wonderfully depicted drama featuring the Hunter family and their servants.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published June 18, 2015
53 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
168 books496 followersCynthia Harrod-Eagles (aka Emma Woodhouse, Elizabeth Bennett)
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born on 13 August 1948 in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, where was educated at Burlington School, a girls' charity school founded in 1699, and at the University of Edinburgh and University College London, where she studied English, history and philosophy.
She had a variety of jobs in the commercial world, starting as a junior cashier at Woolworth's and working her way down to Pensions Officer at the BBC.
She wrote her first novel while at university and in 1972 won the Young Writers' Award with The Waiting Game. The birth of the MORLAND DYNASTY series enabled Cynthia Harrod-Eagles to become a full-time writer in 1979. The series was originally intended to comprise twelve volumes, but it has proved so popular that it has now been extended to thirty-four.
In 1993 she won the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award with Emily, the third volume of her Kirov Saga, a trilogy set in nineteenth century Russia.
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born on 13 August 1948 in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, where was educated at Burlington School, a girls' charity school founded in 1699, and at the University of Edinburgh and University College London, where she studied English, history and philosophy.
She had a variety of jobs in the commercial world, starting as a junior cashier at Woolworth's and working her way down to Pensions Officer at the BBC.
She wrote her first novel while at university and in 1972 won the Young Writers' Award with The Waiting Game. The birth of the MORLAND DYNASTY series enabled Cynthia Harrod-Eagles to become a full-time writer in 1979. The series was originally intended to comprise twelve volumes, but it has proved so popular that it has now been extended to thirty-four.
In 1993 she won the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award with Emily, the third volume of her Kirov Saga, a trilogy set in nineteenth century Russia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
November 23, 2025
Considering this is my sixth CHE book in three months, I think it’s safe to say I love her way of writing historical fiction. Apart from a couple of the village Mrs’s who organize various war committees, I have no trouble at all remembering who is who in a large cast of characters. I especially love Sadie. I am very curious about Diana’s story since she is now getting better acquainted with Lady Wroughton (my heart goes out to her!). And Rupert! What is he up to? Laura is another favorite character. We get to see such a different side of things from her perspective—London, the bohemian set, even lady police officers! Edward Hunter is also lovely; I enjoy his quiet competence. I like David too, but mostly because through David we get Antonia and her father.
I’m learning a lot about the WWI home front in these novels so far. There are some similarities with WWII but also quite a few differences since nothing like this war had ever been experienced before. This novel also brings home how awful the Great War was but in a manageable way for me. Suffering in all wars is terrible but somehow WWI suffering for soldiers seems particularly heart-wrenching. Poor dear Tom Piper, in this story, for example. May everything sad indeed become untrue.
I’m learning a lot about the WWI home front in these novels so far. There are some similarities with WWII but also quite a few differences since nothing like this war had ever been experienced before. This novel also brings home how awful the Great War was but in a manageable way for me. Suffering in all wars is terrible but somehow WWI suffering for soldiers seems particularly heart-wrenching. Poor dear Tom Piper, in this story, for example. May everything sad indeed become untrue.
May 25, 2019
"KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING" takes up where "GOODBYE PICCADILLY" left off. It is now 1915. For both the Wroughton and Hunter families in Northcote, the war is beginning to take on a grimness that is beginning to make itself felt throughout Britain. Charles Wroughton, the eldest son and inheritor of the family estate, has been an officer in the Territorials, training his men for the time when they will be sent to France to assume their place at the Front. He and his fiancée, Diana Hunter, have grown more in love and plans are made for a spring wedding. The Hunter family is going through wrenching changes of its own with 2 of the older sons joining the military. Diana's younger sister, Sadie, now approaching 17, is very much a tomboy with a deep love for horses and the countryside. Before the year is out, she would have a job helping to train horses for service with the army in France and become more wiser in the ways of life through charitable war work in the community.
At the same time, the lives of the servants in the Hunter's employ are also undergoing changes paralleling what is reflected in the rest of the nation. Nowhere is this more evident than in the observations made by the Hunter's chef, a proud lady known as 'Cook' by the family. At Christmas, Cook muses to herself that "[e]verything was changing, and she didn't like it. She and Ada [the chief parlour maid] had been together for over twenty years, and their lives had not been altered in that time, bar the move from London to Northcote. Life was like that, before the war. Nothing ever happened, nothing ever changed, you knew where you were, and you knew where you would be next year.
"And your life would have been instantly recognisable to your mother, your grandmother, your great-grandmother. There was a magnificent solidness to the world - by which she meant England; a dignity, a worth. If a thing was right, it was right - why would you ever change it?
"But now, just in one year, everything was as different as could be. Young men went off to war and got killed. People got blown up in their own streets, in their own beds [thanks to the Zeppelins] ... Routines couldn't be relied on. There were strangers everywhere you looked. And women in particular were doing things you could never have imagined. ... Everything was upside down, everyone was out of their place, nothing could be depended on.
"And now Ada - Ada of all people! - wanting to walk out with a man [a soldier] she hardly knew. She and Ada had been like two halves of a walnut. What would happen to her, Cook, if Ada changed? What if she went away? Why can't things be the way they were? She threw the impassioned plea to Heaven. I hate change. I hate it!"
I loved this novel, being able to experience, in ways big and small, the changes all the characters went through in the course of one full year of war. One of the things I love about reading a Cynthia Harrod-Eagles book is how she can bring vividly to life any character that graces the pages of her novel. I developed strong feelings - pro and con - about these characters. I became intensely curious to see how they would fare, which was enough to make me stay with "KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING" to the final page. Now I'll catch my breath before going on to read the third novel in the series.
At the same time, the lives of the servants in the Hunter's employ are also undergoing changes paralleling what is reflected in the rest of the nation. Nowhere is this more evident than in the observations made by the Hunter's chef, a proud lady known as 'Cook' by the family. At Christmas, Cook muses to herself that "[e]verything was changing, and she didn't like it. She and Ada [the chief parlour maid] had been together for over twenty years, and their lives had not been altered in that time, bar the move from London to Northcote. Life was like that, before the war. Nothing ever happened, nothing ever changed, you knew where you were, and you knew where you would be next year.
"And your life would have been instantly recognisable to your mother, your grandmother, your great-grandmother. There was a magnificent solidness to the world - by which she meant England; a dignity, a worth. If a thing was right, it was right - why would you ever change it?
"But now, just in one year, everything was as different as could be. Young men went off to war and got killed. People got blown up in their own streets, in their own beds [thanks to the Zeppelins] ... Routines couldn't be relied on. There were strangers everywhere you looked. And women in particular were doing things you could never have imagined. ... Everything was upside down, everyone was out of their place, nothing could be depended on.
"And now Ada - Ada of all people! - wanting to walk out with a man [a soldier] she hardly knew. She and Ada had been like two halves of a walnut. What would happen to her, Cook, if Ada changed? What if she went away? Why can't things be the way they were? She threw the impassioned plea to Heaven. I hate change. I hate it!"
I loved this novel, being able to experience, in ways big and small, the changes all the characters went through in the course of one full year of war. One of the things I love about reading a Cynthia Harrod-Eagles book is how she can bring vividly to life any character that graces the pages of her novel. I developed strong feelings - pro and con - about these characters. I became intensely curious to see how they would fare, which was enough to make me stay with "KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING" to the final page. Now I'll catch my breath before going on to read the third novel in the series.
August 28, 2024
Loved this SO much. I couldn’t stop turning the page, every character is so engaging. I especially love Diana’s story arch in this book, she goes through a lot but I think I can tell where things are headed and I’m all for it. On to book 3!
April 5, 2025
This book picks up where the last book ended and is an engaging read. It's probably a slow burn for most of the story. We're back with the Hunters and a lot has changed. The war is dragging on and dragging more and more men into it. The men being 'supplied' to the Front sounds almost like a conveyor belt is moving along spewing out soldiers.
Sadie, the younger of the Hunter girls, is my favourite and I hope she gets more of a story in upcoming books.
While the book is more about the extended family and how people coped on the Home Front, there are some great descriptions of the battles and the recruitment drive. I've learned a lot of history reading this series. For instance, I didn't realise how extensive the bombing of England was by the enemy in this war. I know that's not for everyone but I find it fascinating.
Sadie, the younger of the Hunter girls, is my favourite and I hope she gets more of a story in upcoming books.
While the book is more about the extended family and how people coped on the Home Front, there are some great descriptions of the battles and the recruitment drive. I've learned a lot of history reading this series. For instance, I didn't realise how extensive the bombing of England was by the enemy in this war. I know that's not for everyone but I find it fascinating.
September 15, 2018
I picked this up in my local library last week because I am currently looking for information on the home front in WWI. I wasn't expecting to learn a lot from it but I decided to give it a go. First of all I did learn a huge amount from the book that really fascinated me. I had no idea before now that London suffered air raids from Zeppelins during the war. I also had no idea that there were women police patrolling the streets of London, or even that the streets had to have a blackout. New facts came thick and fast. However that would have been no good without an excellent story which this had from Page 1. I know there is a preceding book in this series covering 1914 but even coming in at 1915 I had no problem engaging with and caring about the characters. Their lives leapt off the page and their personalities were real and compelling. I will definitely be reading the rest of the books in this series. Harrod Eagles is the nearest modern novellist to one of my all time favourite writers, RF Delderfield and I can give no higher praise than that.
January 1, 2016
This is the second book in what is called "War at Home". "Goodbye Piccadilly" was the first. The story follows the upper middle class Hunter family: parents, children, cousins, in-laws during 1915 when England was realizing this little battle with Germany was going to be a lot bigger and deadly than was first believed. We follow the romance of Charles and Diana that blossomed in Goodbye Piccadilly. Also the newlyweds Jack and Beth have to face the separation that war causes. I really loved this book but did have a hard time remembering all the characters that had been introduced in the first book. So I advise not letting too much time go between these two books! Read it slowly to savor all the characters and their fortunes and misfortunes! Looking forward to the next! I hope there is a book for every year of the War!
February 24, 2019
Very much enjoying this historical fiction series set in England during WWI.
May 8, 2019
Anfang 1915 ist klar, dass die Behauptung, der Krieg sei bis Weihnachten (1914) garantiert vorbei, nur eine großspurige Parole war, und im Laufe des Jahres werden die Auswirkungen der Kämpfe in Frankreich und anderswo auch an der Heimatfront mehr als spürbar. So natürlich auch für die Hunters und ihre Bediensteten, Verwandten und Nachbarn im Dörfchen Northcote und in London.
David Hunter kämpft in Frankreich, sein jüngerer Bruder meldet sich ebenfalls freiwillig, zum großen Leidwesen der Mutter. Diana, die Zweitälteste, versucht derweil, mit ihrer blaublütigen Schwiegerfamilie in spe klarzukommen, die eine Bankierstochter für keine standesgemäße Partie hält. Ihre Schwester Sadie kümmert sich nach wie vor hingebungsvoll um Pferde, die für den Einsatz an der Front ausgebildet werden, und ruft einen Besuchsdienst für verwundete Soldaten ins Leben, als eine alte Schule in der Nähe zum Lazarett umfunktioniert wird.
In London, wo Luftangriffe durch deutsche Zeppeline für großes Entsetzen sorgen, erregt derweil die erste weibliche Polizeistreife Aufsehen. Mit dabei sind Laura, die Schwester von Hunter senior, und ihre Freundin Louisa (die nach meiner Einschätzung mehr als nur eine gewöhnliche Freundin für Laura ist).
Der Krieg bedeutet einschneidende Veränderungen für alle, nicht nur für die Soldaten in den Schützengräben, die sich mit neuartigen, tödlichen Waffen und Kampfstoffen wie Giftgas konfrontiert sehen. Die Bevölkerung in der Heimat lebt nicht nur mit der Sorge um ihre Liebsten, die an der Front stehen, sondern auch mit vielen Veränderungen und Einschränkungen. Es mangelt an männlichen Arbeitskräften, so dass Frauen sich in gänzlich neuen Positionen wiederfinden. Die industrielle Produktion konzentriert sich auf kriegswichtige Sektoren, eine erste Flüchtlingswelle muss bewältigt und die Versorgung verwundeter Soldaten sichergestellt werden. Jede/r ist gefordert, sich so gut er oder sie kann im Dienste des Vaterlandes einzubringen, kritische Stimmen werden hierbei nicht gerne gehört.
Harrod-Eagles überzeugt auch in diesem Buch durch akribische Schilderungen der Kriegszeit und glänzt dabei mit liebevoll ausgemalten Details, solider Recherche und Gespür für das Zwischen- und Allzumenschliche. Am Beispiel der Hunters und ihres Umfeldes beleuchtet sie zahlreiche persönliche, gesellschaftliche und politische Aspekte und erschafft großartige, wie aus dem Leben gegriffene Charaktere, während sie gleichzeitig viel Interessantes und Wissenswertes über den historischen Hintergrund des Romans vermittelt, ohne den Erklärbären zu spielen.
Eine gelungene Fortsetzung von "Goodbye Piccadilly", die die Geschehnisse des Kriegsjahres 1915 nachzeichnet und große Lust auf den nächsten Teil weckt.
David Hunter kämpft in Frankreich, sein jüngerer Bruder meldet sich ebenfalls freiwillig, zum großen Leidwesen der Mutter. Diana, die Zweitälteste, versucht derweil, mit ihrer blaublütigen Schwiegerfamilie in spe klarzukommen, die eine Bankierstochter für keine standesgemäße Partie hält. Ihre Schwester Sadie kümmert sich nach wie vor hingebungsvoll um Pferde, die für den Einsatz an der Front ausgebildet werden, und ruft einen Besuchsdienst für verwundete Soldaten ins Leben, als eine alte Schule in der Nähe zum Lazarett umfunktioniert wird.
In London, wo Luftangriffe durch deutsche Zeppeline für großes Entsetzen sorgen, erregt derweil die erste weibliche Polizeistreife Aufsehen. Mit dabei sind Laura, die Schwester von Hunter senior, und ihre Freundin Louisa (die nach meiner Einschätzung mehr als nur eine gewöhnliche Freundin für Laura ist).
Der Krieg bedeutet einschneidende Veränderungen für alle, nicht nur für die Soldaten in den Schützengräben, die sich mit neuartigen, tödlichen Waffen und Kampfstoffen wie Giftgas konfrontiert sehen. Die Bevölkerung in der Heimat lebt nicht nur mit der Sorge um ihre Liebsten, die an der Front stehen, sondern auch mit vielen Veränderungen und Einschränkungen. Es mangelt an männlichen Arbeitskräften, so dass Frauen sich in gänzlich neuen Positionen wiederfinden. Die industrielle Produktion konzentriert sich auf kriegswichtige Sektoren, eine erste Flüchtlingswelle muss bewältigt und die Versorgung verwundeter Soldaten sichergestellt werden. Jede/r ist gefordert, sich so gut er oder sie kann im Dienste des Vaterlandes einzubringen, kritische Stimmen werden hierbei nicht gerne gehört.
Harrod-Eagles überzeugt auch in diesem Buch durch akribische Schilderungen der Kriegszeit und glänzt dabei mit liebevoll ausgemalten Details, solider Recherche und Gespür für das Zwischen- und Allzumenschliche. Am Beispiel der Hunters und ihres Umfeldes beleuchtet sie zahlreiche persönliche, gesellschaftliche und politische Aspekte und erschafft großartige, wie aus dem Leben gegriffene Charaktere, während sie gleichzeitig viel Interessantes und Wissenswertes über den historischen Hintergrund des Romans vermittelt, ohne den Erklärbären zu spielen.
Eine gelungene Fortsetzung von "Goodbye Piccadilly", die die Geschehnisse des Kriegsjahres 1915 nachzeichnet und große Lust auf den nächsten Teil weckt.
February 8, 2018
Family saga 1915
Volume two of the saga of the Hunter family and others during the First World War. The author does a great job of showing the story based on the home front, yet getting in enough information about what was happening on the various battlefields. There are rather a lot of characters to keep up with, and I suspect binge-reading the series might be best. But the cast is representative of their various classes - struggling to come to terms with the changes the war brings - social, political, and to the British way of life as a whole. Looking forward to the next volume.
Volume two of the saga of the Hunter family and others during the First World War. The author does a great job of showing the story based on the home front, yet getting in enough information about what was happening on the various battlefields. There are rather a lot of characters to keep up with, and I suspect binge-reading the series might be best. But the cast is representative of their various classes - struggling to come to terms with the changes the war brings - social, political, and to the British way of life as a whole. Looking forward to the next volume.
December 2, 2021
This is the second volume in a collection by one of my favorite authors, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. She writes in this set of books about England during World War I. This book continues the story of the Hunter family, their servants, and their friend during 1916. Diana Hunter is eagerly awaiting her up-coming marriage to Lord Dene, Charles Wroughton. Her older brother David is in training and excited about going to fight in France; sister Sadie is helping to train horses for combat; the other children are too young at the beginning of the book to be anything but excited about war. But as the year wears on, all in the household become frightened by the Zeppelin raids and how the war begins to affect them at home. After all, as one of the characters remarks, "War is supposed to take place far away, the men go off to fight and come home triumphant". This war is different.
I love Harrod-Eagles' books, and for those too daunted by her Morland chronicles (all 35 volumes!) this series is a good start. There is also a third book out that I haven't read yet so I don't know how long this series will end up being, but they are well worth it with enjoyable characters and a well-researched plot.
I love Harrod-Eagles' books, and for those too daunted by her Morland chronicles (all 35 volumes!) this series is a good start. There is also a third book out that I haven't read yet so I don't know how long this series will end up being, but they are well worth it with enjoyable characters and a well-researched plot.
March 4, 2017
Well, I told myself I'd try one more book in this series, and now that I've finished it, I've decided that I'm done with the series. It's not that the author's writing is bad; it's just that I'm not into the whole British aristocracy scene. I simply did not like some of the characters. The thing that put me over the edge was a scene where London is being bombed by the Germans, people are being killed and injured, and one of the female characters comments, "The milkman was so late we had to have our tea black at breakfast........." Quelle horreur! Enough said.
February 4, 2016
Second book in this series about First World War and residents of Northcote. I am still finding the story a little slow going but quite enjoyable. Must admit however that in my opinion these stories do not quite live up to the author's Morland Series of books.
September 8, 2015
It's not the Morland dynasty, but close enough! I really enjoyed this second book in the series!
September 20, 2015
I do like Cynthia Harrod-Eagles historical novels! This one did not disappoint, although it being only the second in this saga it does not have the depth of the Morlands - yet
April 1, 2020
Quotes:
"And your life would have been instantly recognisable to your mother, your grandmother, your great-grandmother. There was a magnificent solidness to the world - by which she meant England; a dignity, a worth. If a thing was right, it was right - why would you ever change it?
"But now, just in one year, everything was as different as could be. Young men went off to war and got killed. People got blown up in their own streets, in their own beds [thanks to the Zeppelins] ... Routines couldn't be relied on. There were strangers everywhere you looked. And women in particular were doing things you could never have imagined. ... Everything was upside down, everyone was out of their place, nothing could be depended on.
"And now Ada - Ada of all people! - wanting to walk out with a man [a soldier] she hardly knew. She and Ada had been like two halves of a walnut. What would happen to her, Cook, if Ada changed? What if she went away? Why can't things be the way they were? She threw the impassioned plea to Heaven. I hate change. I hate it!"
"And your life would have been instantly recognisable to your mother, your grandmother, your great-grandmother. There was a magnificent solidness to the world - by which she meant England; a dignity, a worth. If a thing was right, it was right - why would you ever change it?
"But now, just in one year, everything was as different as could be. Young men went off to war and got killed. People got blown up in their own streets, in their own beds [thanks to the Zeppelins] ... Routines couldn't be relied on. There were strangers everywhere you looked. And women in particular were doing things you could never have imagined. ... Everything was upside down, everyone was out of their place, nothing could be depended on.
"And now Ada - Ada of all people! - wanting to walk out with a man [a soldier] she hardly knew. She and Ada had been like two halves of a walnut. What would happen to her, Cook, if Ada changed? What if she went away? Why can't things be the way they were? She threw the impassioned plea to Heaven. I hate change. I hate it!"
April 26, 2019
The first full year of WW1 for British
The extended families, friends, and servants of The Hunters at The Elms and of the Wroughtons at Rene Park experience the massive changes created by WW1. Everyone in the village is impacted by horses being requisitioned by the military, by the army training camp nearby, and the creation of Mount Olive hospital for injured soldiers. Women's roles are changing (and skirt hens rise to two inches above the ankle!). Young Lord Dene is killed in France a mere three weeks before his marriage to Diana Hunter in June; afterwards, Diana grieves, but is comforted by visiting the soldiers at Mount Olive hospital. Conscription of men to military service looms, as war casualties mount. The devastation felt by individuals is well expressed through narrative and anecdotes. The war which surprisingly had not ended before Christmas 1914, was now without an end in sight on Christmas 1915.
The extended families, friends, and servants of The Hunters at The Elms and of the Wroughtons at Rene Park experience the massive changes created by WW1. Everyone in the village is impacted by horses being requisitioned by the military, by the army training camp nearby, and the creation of Mount Olive hospital for injured soldiers. Women's roles are changing (and skirt hens rise to two inches above the ankle!). Young Lord Dene is killed in France a mere three weeks before his marriage to Diana Hunter in June; afterwards, Diana grieves, but is comforted by visiting the soldiers at Mount Olive hospital. Conscription of men to military service looms, as war casualties mount. The devastation felt by individuals is well expressed through narrative and anecdotes. The war which surprisingly had not ended before Christmas 1914, was now without an end in sight on Christmas 1915.
August 17, 2020
Diana, the oldest Hunter daughter becomes engaged and soon after her fiancee leaves for war. She is fully aware his parents do not approve of their engagement, especially his mother but is surprised at how cold a woman she truly is. His brother Rupert, believes she is a gold digger and constantly finds ways to hurt her. He is bound and determined to she does not truly love her fiancee.
Downstairs among the servants, Ethel finds a new boyfriend, one that hasn't joined the war effort but works at a respectable job on the railway. He sees through her 'tough' exterior and still wants to get to know her better.
Diana's mother, Beatrice, is dismayed when yet another of her sons signs up.
I am quite drawn in by the story line following the various characters in the family and the servants who work for them. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Downstairs among the servants, Ethel finds a new boyfriend, one that hasn't joined the war effort but works at a respectable job on the railway. He sees through her 'tough' exterior and still wants to get to know her better.
Diana's mother, Beatrice, is dismayed when yet another of her sons signs up.
I am quite drawn in by the story line following the various characters in the family and the servants who work for them. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
June 2, 2020
I am just finishing the penultimate book in this series. Both my grandfathers were in WWI and I'm finding the war details very interesting; lots I didn’t know. The writing draws one in and the characters are finely drawn and what happens to them, to me, is incredibly interesting as I know very little about this time in domestic history, and under wartime constraints. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series - have shed a few tears even - and will be sad when I finish the last book. Cynthia writes with considerable authority and there have been gems in her prose. E.g. 'He was gone into the black night of eternity, leaving her sick and faint and alone, beached on the hard white shore of the living'
November 28, 2022
Very good book
If you like this period this is just the book for you. Think of Upstairs Downstairs (I know I said that before about first book. Still is.) and you will be able to visualise the servants, the era, the types of class of people. But unlike UD in these books you see more of the village life, you also get the city life as well from that part of the family. There isn't much about battles etc as this is about the war at home and how it affects people, families and changes everything.
You get attached to characters that pass away as happens in war. War is not civil and the way these books are written is quite civil in the fact that there are no battles but the bombings in London from the Zeppelins.
I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
If you like this period this is just the book for you. Think of Upstairs Downstairs (I know I said that before about first book. Still is.) and you will be able to visualise the servants, the era, the types of class of people. But unlike UD in these books you see more of the village life, you also get the city life as well from that part of the family. There isn't much about battles etc as this is about the war at home and how it affects people, families and changes everything.
You get attached to characters that pass away as happens in war. War is not civil and the way these books are written is quite civil in the fact that there are no battles but the bombings in London from the Zeppelins.
I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
June 2, 2019
This was a good book that took me back to World War I in England. the story was about the Hunters and their Children and Servants.
The story started with their oldest daughter Diana getting engaged to an Earl. His name is Charles Worington and she would become a Dutchess after the wedding. The groom's family (mostly his mother) hoped that the engagement would end.
The story was centered on these people and what everyone was doing during the WWI to help England win the war.
Very well written and well researched about the war and effects of the war on the English people. Was most surely well worth the time to read.
The story started with their oldest daughter Diana getting engaged to an Earl. His name is Charles Worington and she would become a Dutchess after the wedding. The groom's family (mostly his mother) hoped that the engagement would end.
The story was centered on these people and what everyone was doing during the WWI to help England win the war.
Very well written and well researched about the war and effects of the war on the English people. Was most surely well worth the time to read.
August 18, 2021
This book is the second in the War at Home series.
Different for those of us who live in the USA. The viewpoint in these novels is British. It begins in January 1915. All involved believe the war will be short-lived. However it is not. The different levels of society are all represented with scenarios in Britain and France. The battles are described and families lose loved ones or they are injured. I like the characters and look forward to seeing what will happen in 1916. If you like historical fiction I recommend this series especially it is from an era that I knew very little.
Different for those of us who live in the USA. The viewpoint in these novels is British. It begins in January 1915. All involved believe the war will be short-lived. However it is not. The different levels of society are all represented with scenarios in Britain and France. The battles are described and families lose loved ones or they are injured. I like the characters and look forward to seeing what will happen in 1916. If you like historical fiction I recommend this series especially it is from an era that I knew very little.
May 10, 2024
#2 in War at Home series. I wrote a detailed review of #1 "Goodbye Piccadilly", so this will be short. I have now read some of the Morland Dynasty series by this author, and I noticed some differences. In War at Home there is a lot more about the lives of the servants than in MD. Secondly, the sex scenes in MD are a little more explicit, though still genteel.
So far I have avoided the MD books covering WW1, wondering if they would not be carbon copies. They can wait.
I like the WaH series, and still have one to find. Rating 4.
So far I have avoided the MD books covering WW1, wondering if they would not be carbon copies. They can wait.
I like the WaH series, and still have one to find. Rating 4.
September 2, 2024
Overall, I’m enjoying the historical events that are included in parts of the characters’ stories. Still an education. Still an engaging read.
⚠️Warning to those who prefer PG ratings: the first section of Chapter 14 is not PG rated. I would rather it was deleted, no matter how true-to-life it was.
I’m not happy with the dynamic between Edward and Madame de Rouveroy. I’m hoping the connection dies out in the next installment.
⚠️Warning to those who prefer PG ratings: the first section of Chapter 14 is not PG rated. I would rather it was deleted, no matter how true-to-life it was.
I’m not happy with the dynamic between Edward and Madame de Rouveroy. I’m hoping the connection dies out in the next installment.
October 19, 2018
I was looking for some books about the experience of war in England in World War I and World War II. This book is a bit of fluffy soap opera is for those of you who didn't get enough "Downton Abbey." Actually, "Downton Abbey" was very superior to this trashy book. Obviously I was quite disappointed.
July 9, 2019
I skimmed much of this book as I did with the first one in the series. Normally, this time period appeals to me, but some of the characters lack depth. Of course, there a number of them which may be part of the issue. Once again, the book ended abruptly with little closure. I was curious about what happened to David and Jack. Consequently, I read book three.
July 17, 2019
Another brilliant book in the War at Home series from an amazing writer who seems to capture, I imagine, the mood of the times. The scenes between Sadie and Tom Piper were wonderfully sculpted. The suddenness of his demise after the optimism of his steady recovery, brought home the total waste of war and a reality check to the general population.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2021
This is the second book in the series and just as gripping as the first. Never predictable, the author manages to breath real life into her characters, who come from a wide variety of backgrounds. As at the end of the first book, you are left wanting to know what happens next to all of the varied and intriguing characters.
July 4, 2021
I am loving how much I am learning from this series about life during ww1. There are times though that this book will make you cry and I have to remind myself this is the reality of war. Interesting to see how the different characters are developing and the effect that the world events had on people from all walks of life.
June 3, 2018
Still continuing the Downton Abbey theme -- enough variety in the story lines for the various characters, from the maid Ethel to the beautiful eldest daughter Diana to the cook. Harrod-Eagles manages to keep them fresh and interesting. Still fun!
January 29, 2019
I've really "enjoyed" this series so far. Enjoyed is a tough word when the novels are about WWI, but the writing is good and the characters are interesting. Some of it is a bit predictable, but there have been so many books about that period that it would be difficult to not re-tell some things.
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