Devon Book Club discussion
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War Fiction
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Ian wrote: "Next week we will be having our second themed week of the year - this time, by popular request, War Fiction. I think mainly WW2 but not going to be too precious about that. So, two things1. If you would like to read about what was going on in Britain during WWII my award-winning Bob Robbins Home Front Mystery series should fit the bill. Each story is based on strange-but-true events in North Devon and the Looe/Liskeard area of Cornwall, including what became known as Churchill's Secret Army - the British Resistance movement. Here are links to Book 1 & the series:
http://getbook.at/LocalResistance
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08BP128T8
I suggest:'Where Stands a Winged Sentry'
by Margaret Kennedy
(Handheld Press Classic 20)
and:
There's No Story There: Wartime Writing, 1944-45.
by Inez Holden
(Handheld Press Classic 19)
NB... I would also add:
'ROF Swynnerton: Bullets, Bombs and Roses'
from the work of Graham Bebbington.
It's about women munitions workers in WWII, and is close to my heart... as my mother was one of the many single women in North Staffordshire who was called up to do such work, there.
Also: The Love-charm of Bombs:
Restless Lives in the 2nd World War.
by: Lara Feigel.
Pub: Bloomsbury.
Mod
'Where Stands a Winged SentryWhere Stands a Winged SentryWhere Stands a Winged SentryWhere Stands a Winged SentryWhere Stands a Winged SentryWhere Stands a Winged SentryWhere Stands a Winged SentryWhere Stands a Winged Sentry'
by Margaret Kennedy
(Handheld Press Classic 20)
and:
There's No Story There: Wartime Writing, 1944-45.
by Inez Holden
(Handheld Press Classic 19)
NB......"
DrMama wrote: "I suggest:
'Where Stands a Winged Sentry'
by Margaret Kennedy
(Handheld Press Classic 20)
and:
There's No Story There: Wartime Writing, 1944-45.
by Inez Holden
(Handheld Press Classic 19)
NB......"
I think that is partly why WW2 fiction is so popular -it is still only one or two generations away and the experience still feels personal.
Mod
If you fancy a long read, Olivia Manning's The Balkan Trilogy is absolutely amazing - It's based on her own experience and as an added bonus there's the superb TV adaptation (Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson were made to play the Pringles). Also H E Bates wrote some fantastic war fiction, including The Scarlet Sword (set in India in 1947, a Catholic mission is under attack from tribesmen), and The Purple Plain (set in Burma during the second world war). :)
Mod
Ian wrote: "This is from Sara - sent to me as a messageIf you fancy a long read, Olivia Manning's The Balkan Trilogy is absolutely amazing - It's based on her own experience and as an added bo..."
I read The Balkan Trilogy donkeys' years ago and still remember scenes - the mark of a really good book. Thanks for reminding me: I shall revisit the Balkans now.
Ian wrote: "Next week we will be having our second themed week of the year - this time, by popular request, War Fiction. I think mainly WW2 but not going to be too precious about that. So, two things1. If you..."
Hi Ian, Many apologies for the weird, multiple repeats of the book title! I have no idea why I/my pc... generated 'Where stands a Winged Sentry' umpteen times! Carole
Mod
The Paris Spy's Girl: An utterly breathtaking and heartbreaking World War II novel, inspired by true events.
Paris, 1943. I stare at Charlie across the crowded room. Working deep undercover, we’re surrounded by Nazi high command. Slowly, he smiles at me and my breath catches. I have to trust him, or we’re both dead…
As war rages across France, English exile Christine has become the most deadly asset the British Secret Service has in occupied Paris. But when Suzanne, her best friend and the sole agent who knows the details of the top-secret D-Day landings, is betrayed to the Nazis by someone at the heart of their spy network, she is devastated. Going undercover with Charlie – a handsome but elusive American spy with an agenda of his own – is her only chance to catch the traitor in their midst.
Pretending to be not only Nazi collaborators but lovers too, they must save Suzanne from almost certain death and prevent the D-Day landing plans from ending up in the wrong hands. But as Christine and Charlie’s pretend desire turns to true love, her past – and the real reason she had to leave England forever – puts their whole mission in terrible danger.
With the Nazis closing in and Suzanne’s life on the line, Christine is forced into one last, desperate act: heading back into deepest, darkest enemy territory, knowing her disguise could have been exposed. With even her trust in Charlie shaken, will Christine have to choose between her love for him, her best friend’s life, and freedom for France? And who will pay the ultimate sacrifice…?
A totally compelling, page-turning historical novel of love, bravery and sacrifice in the darkest of times. Set in wartime Paris, this is an utterly gripping and tear-jerking read perfect for readers of Kate Quinn, Rhys Bowen and Mandy Robotham.
Buy link: https://geni.us/B0CLKV2LPVsocial
About the author:
Amanda Lees is an author, broadcaster and an actress. She has written for, or contributed to, the Evening Standard, The Times, US Cosmopolitan and Company Magazine, as well as numerous online publications. Amanda appears regularly on BBC radio and LBC and was a contracted writer to the hit series Weekending on Radio 4.
As well as her new World War Two romantic thriller series, she has published two bestselling satirical fiction novels, a YA thriller trilogy and a number of non-fiction titles including The Dictionary of Crime.
Author social media:
Website
amandalees.com
Facebook URL
https://www.facebook.com/AmandaLeesAu...
Twitter URL
https://twitter.com/amandalees
Newsletter sign up
https://www.bookouture.com/amanda-lees/
Mod
The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah
The Regeneration Trilogy - Pat Barker
The Blood of Others- Graham Hurley
Mrs. Sinclair's Suitcase- Louise Walters
The Little Wartime Library - Kate Thompson
Mod
I put it down to enthusiasm! No apology needed
Mod
Richard is an internationally respected scientist, editor, and author of WWII spy thrillers, and other war fiction. He has over thirty years of experience in publishing and is a leading expert on the history of secret technology. His spy thriller series, set in the 1930s and 1940s, involves the escapades of Danny Nash of the British Secret Intelligence Service. His most recent book in the series, The Wolfsberg Deception, is a high-octane thriller set in 1941. The Nazis and Soviets are meeting in the desserts of Iran to make a clandestine deal to share secret weapons technology and Britain risks losing the war. A soviet spy offers Nash a way in, but there’s a catch – he must send Emily Sinclair, daughter of the head of British Intelligence. It all looks like a double cross. Emily is in danger from her past and a mysterious Persian assassin. Nash wants to save her, but the price could be the annihilation of Britain.
Find out more about Richard’s activities and books: www.richardhandy.com
Find The Wolfsberg Deception on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolfsberg......
Goodread: https://www.goodreads.com/.../5364130......
Mod
The Winds of War - Herman Wouk (a favourite of mine)
Templar's Acre, Fields of Clay and more - Michael Jecks
A Very Long Engagement - Sebastien Japrisot
At Night All Blood is Black - David Diop
All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque
Birdsong - Sebastien Faulks
Mod
The Valley of Lost Secrets by Lesley Parr
Private Peaceful - Micahel Morpurgo
The Shadow of the Poppy - Emily Edwards
Letters from the Lighthouse - Emma Carroll
The Silver Sword - Ian Serraillier
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit - Judith Kerr
After The War From Auschwitz To Amblesid - Tom Palmer
Mod
Injured Ethelred the Unready is one of only three elite carrier pigeons trained to undertake two-way flights. Konstantin von Essen is the traumatized 14-year-old son of Generalfeldmarschall Dieter von Essen, the Commander for Operations in the North Zone of Occupied France. Eleven-year-old Dottie Latymer is evacuated from London to Surrey where her Anglo-American identity, together with her affected American accent, makes her a target for bullies. Rose Clarke, Dottie’s only friend, has a violent father and a mother struggling with mental ill-health. Together, they must overcome their personal obstacles to supply MI5 with game-changing intelligence.
Not the Work of an Ordinary Boy has had excellent reviews, including from Christine Lenunens, author of Caging Skies, made into the Academy-award winning film JoJo Rabbit.
About Victoria:
Victoria L. Humphreys was born in Surrey, but now lives in Dorset. She has a PhD in creative writing from the University of Southampton, and has also studied at the University of Ulster, the University of Surrey, and the Moscow State Institute for International Relations.
Not the Work of an Ordinary Boy was inspired by a newspaper article about the skeletal remains of a World War Two carrier pigeon found in a chimney. Attached to the pigeon's leg bone was a canister containing a coded message. Since then, she has been fascinated by the war-time flights of these intelligent creatures and the secret messages they once delivered.
Victoria is currently working on a new cosy crime series and also work as a Battlefield Guide taking people to France and Belgium to look at sites connected to the SOE, Resistance and Holocaust.
Mod
Graham is a Devon-based writer, whose work I've had the pleasure of sharing before and it has been wonderful to follow his writing career. Read to the end to find out how to enter the draw to have a chance of winning a copy of the book. I have 5 copies to give away.
Praise for Graham's previous novels
'Historical fiction of a high order' The Times
'Tense, absorbing and faultlessly plotted' Sunday Times
'Beautifully constructed... This is one of Hurley's finest' Daily Mail
‘I liked this. It went some way to plugging the ginormous hole that Philip Kerr’s sad passing has left in my life.’ Dermot O’Leary
'Capable and understated characterization' Publishers Weekly
About the book:
Set against the Dieppe campaign of World War Two, The Blood of Others follows the behind-the-scenes machinations of the Allied and German forces as they prepare for the attack on the German-occupied French Coast. Part of the SPOILS OF WAR Collection, a thrilling, beguiling blend of fact and fiction born of some of the most tragic, suspenseful, and action-packed events of World War II.
Dieppe, August 1942. A catastrophe no headline dared admit. Plans are underway for the boldest raid yet on Nazi-occupied France. Over six thousand men will storm ashore to take the port of Dieppe. Lives will change in an instant-both on the beaches and in distant capitals.
Annie Wrenne, working at Lord Mountbatten’s cloak¬and¬dagger Combined Operations headquarters, is privy to the top secret plans for the daring cross-Channel raid. Young Canadian journalist George Hogan, protege of influential Lord Beaverbrook, faces a crucial assignment that will test him to breaking point. And Abwehr intelligence officer Wilhelm Schultz is baiting a trap to lure thousands of Allied troops to their deaths…
Three lives linked by Operation Jubilee: the Dieppe Raid, 19 August 1942. Over six thousand men will storm the heavily defended French beaches. Less than half of them will make it back alive.
The blockbuster SPOILS OF WAR collection features compelling recurring characters whose fragmented lives mirror the war that shattered the globe. For fans of Philip Kerr and Robert Harris.
About Graham Hurley
Graham worked for ITV for fifteen years as an award-winning documentary director/producer. Networked documentaries included the discovery and filming of the seabed remains of the Titanic; Richard Branson’s near-fatal crossing of the North Atlantic in a hot-air balloon; an investigative account of the Brighton bombing; four freezing weeks in the high Canadian Arctic exploring the last of the Eskimo culture; plus, revisionist documentaries on the retreat to Dunkirk (Comrades in Arms) and the post-D-Day thrust into Europe (The War Within).
Graham is the author of the acclaimed Faraday and Winter crime novels. Two of the critically lauded series were shortlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Award for Best Crime Novel. His Spoils of War Collection thriller Finisterre was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.
Follow Graham at grahamhurley.co.uk
The inspiration for The Blood of Others (in Graham's own words)
"The Blood of Others is the book I’ve always wanted to write. It’s about the very brief descent of thousands of Allied troops, mainly Canadians, onto the beaches of Dieppe at dawn on the 19th August, 1942, the latest of a series of expeditions masterminded by an outfit called Combined Operations.
Combined Ops was the brainchild of Louis Mountbatten, the youngest Vice Admiral since Nelson. But unlike earlier Combined Ops, Operation Jubilee was a disaster. Over six thousand troops landed under intense fire from the waiting Germans. That same night less than half made it back to Portsmouth and Newhaven.
I wanted to explore every corner of my father’s war and the Dieppe Raid was an irresistible temptation. Previously when on tour in Canada, I met and talked to a handful of Dieppe survivors, guys who’d made it back alive, and many decades later their anger was still palpable. A senior general had assured them that giving Dieppe’s German garrison a taste of steel would, in his phrase, be ‘a piece of cake’. The horror of those landings, and the carnage that followed, stayed with every man and on the 19th August as the years rolled by the said general received hundreds of slices of cake through the post.
When researching the Dieppe raid and as my understanding of events deepened, I began to glimpse ways in which an over-ambitious plan, flawed on several levels, had made it through the countless conversations and top-level conferences that should have never happened. The events of 19th August, 1942, in short, was the textbook example of how the best and most ambitious of intentions can so easily turn into a bloodbath.
Any war, by definition, always offers twin points of view on the same set of events. And so, I invented a young Canadian journalist, George Hogan, who grows up in New Brunswick town of Newcastle. In Germany, meanwhile, Abwehr Major Willi Schultz – no stranger to The Spoils of War – is using his intelligence skills to analyse the pattern of Combined Ops expeditions and hatches a plan to lure Louis Mountbatten’s finest into the most lethal of traps. In every respect, thanks to the misfortunes of war, the jaws of this trap close around Mountbatten’s Canadians and the resulting story, from dawn to dusk, is history.
The first draft complete, I went to Dieppe to walk the beaches, check out numberless details, and somehow reimagine ourselves into the darkest of days.
The tiny settlement of Puys lies to the east of Dieppe and was the assigned beach for several fictional military characters who develop as the book gathers speed. We walked there on a grey June morning, descending to the tiny beach where we found the beachside blockhouse from which so many young soldiers had been slaughtered. We gazed up at the neighboring chalk cliffs a handful of them had managed to scale. And we crouched beneath the seawall, scant shelter for the handful of assault troops who made it up the beach.
Here was where Larry Elder, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War and a newcomer to the Royals, managed to claw his way up a narrow defile and survive the climb. And there, back on the beach, was where Lt Colonel Frank O’Donovan, who’d long anticipated the coming disaster, died in a tangle of barbed wire as he tried to blow a hole in the seawall. The Blood of Others, I thought, spilled because no plan, no matter how meticulous, survives contact with the enemy."
Ends
I've long admired Graham's writing and I know you are going to love this book, whether you are lucky enough to win a copy or get a copy in another way.
To enter our Giveaway competition all you need to do is leave a comment below by noon on 16th March 2024, asking to be entered (UK only I am afraid)
As soon as I saw the comment about Robert Harris, I knew I'd enjoy this book by Graham Hurley! Hope I win a copy! H x
Mod
Good luck Helen - you are duly entered. If you've not read him before he comes highly recommended
Mod
All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
In Spite of All Terror - Hester Burton
A Long Way from Verona - Jane Gardam
Fireweed - Jill Paton-Walsh
The Cazalet Chronicles: Five Novels in One Collection - Elizabeth Jane Howard
I don't have any recommendations for WW2-themed books, but I can recommend Garaham Hurley's previous books, as I've devoured many of them. I'd love to add a copy of this new one to my shelf!
Oh...! Memory Lane!! As a child I loved Ian Serralier's 'The Silver Sword'!!! I read and reread it... umpteen times. I first met it as a 'junior school library book': in that our teacher would read a chapter of a new (to us) book at the end of the day, then whoever had their hand up first, was the one to take it home and read, before it rejoined the stash of 'books to borrow' that she created for us. I'm almost tempted to skive off my daily 'read and write' in order to re-read it again! 'But, at my back I always hear...' Plus, I no longer have a copy, while Kingsbridge Library - and wonderful 'Harbour Books' bookshop will already be closed. Enjoy it!!
Mod
I have been delighted to get to know some new (to me) writers this week and I'm very happy to share with you the work of Louise Morrish who I've been chatting to over the course of the week
Louise Morrish is a librarian and author, from Hampshire but who is a frequent visitor to Devon. Her passion is discovering the stories of women in the past whom history has forgotten. Her debut novel, Operation Moonlight, which I'm happy to share with you today, won the 2019 Penguin Random House First Novel Competition, and was published in 2022. Louise is currently working on another two historical novels for Penguin Random House, the first of which - Women of War - will be published this coming September.
Operation Moonlight:
WARTIME FRANCE, 1944
Trust absolutely no one. This is the only advice newly recruited SOE agent Elisabeth Shepherd is given when faced with the impossible.
Her mission: to enter Nazi-occupied France and monitor the Germans' deadly long-range missiles.
GUILDFORD, 2018
Betty is celebrating her 100th birthday when she receives an invite from the Century Society to reminisce on the past.
She remains mysteriously tight-lipped about her past, however.
And then her carer, Tali, discovers a box full of maps, letters and a gun . . .
How fantastic is this - I am hooked and I've not yet had a chance to read the book, something I will definitely put right. Many congratulations to Louise on her the book and on her forthcoming novel.
Mod
Hi Claire - you are duly entered. Good luck
Mod
I love how books trigger such memories
Ian wrote: "Claire wrote: "I don't have any recommendations for WW2-themed books, but I can recommend Garaham Hurley's previous books, as I've devoured many of them. I'd love to add a copy of this new one to m..."Thanks Ian, hope you are well.
Mod
All good with me thanks - hope all is good with you too
Mod
Today I'm pleased to bring you an update on Jane G. Harlond' series of books. I've shared Jane's books with you before and they've always been well received
The latest, in her Home Front mystery series is Secret Meetings, which includes a fictional ‘what if’ about an ultra-secret meeting between Eisenhower and Churchill in the weeks leading up to DDay (details about the plans for landings well-researched). It’s set in the Looe area, where North American troops were living in the rain under canvas or billeted on astonished locals. Bob Robbins becomes Mr Churchill’s double, plus stooge poodle for the real Rufus.
Secret Meetings was one of this years Author Shout Award winners, which Jane says is very reassuring given that her readers tend to be in the older age bracket and the dark humour is a bit too British for some US readers.
Here are a couple of links for Local Resistance (Book1) and the series:
http://getbook.at/LocalResistance
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08BP128T8
Jane is the award-winning author of The Bob Robbins Home Front Mysteries, The Chosen Man Trilogy, The Empress Emerald, Dark Night, Black Horse and The Doomsong Sword
She can be found at: https://www.jgharlond.com/
Penmore Press: www.penmorepress.com
Amazon USA.
Amazon.co.uk
Mod
A great example of this is Helen Parusel, a Londoner who now lives in Hamburg, who has shared a lot of insights and recommendations of war fiction with us over the last two weeks. So, it is with great pleasure that I also share details of Helen's books. Her debut novel, ‘A Mother's War’ is set in occupied Norway and tells the forbidden love story between a Norwegian girl and a German soldier. The Nazi run maternity homes of Lebensborn are a feature in this novel.
Helen's latest book, The Austrian Bride, has just been released.
About the book:
A powerful and unforgettable story of the strength of women and the unwavering courage of those who seek a better world.
Austria, 1938
After years of hardship, Ella is full of hope for a better future for Austrians, and when Hitler marches into Linz, she can’t help but become swept up in the euphoria of her boyfriend, Max.
But she soon realises her mistake. When she witnesses a woman being shot in the street and a childhood friend’s Jewish department store is closed down, she knows she must do something.
It’s a dangerous time to be a resistor, especially when her fascist boyfriend proposes to her. Knowing the secrets she can uncover, Ella enlists in a Reich Bride School, finding herself propelled into the social elite of the Nazi circle.
Ella knows she has a duty – to her family, her friends, and her country – so while Europe teeters on the brink of WW2, a desperate race begins to save the people she loves. But betraying the Nazis could be her death sentence…
Fans of Suzanne Goldring, Mandy Robotham and Debbie Rix will devour this heartbreaking tale.
'Pacy, twisty and emotional... a beautiful page-turner ... I highly recommended it.' Amanda Geard, author of The Midnight House
‘This novel is a true page turner, as well as being a heart-wrenching, emotional story of one of the darkest chapters of history ...first class research and captivating story-telling!' Louise Fein, author of People Like Us
'I adored The Austrian Bride ... The story is poignant and compelling - and what an ending: wow! ... A brilliant story with a powerful message. I wholeheartedly recommend it.' Gill Thompson, author of The Child on Platform One
'...an amazing, edge of your seat, nail bitting, heart racing read.' netgalley reviewer
'Wow, what a powerful book ... absolutely heartbreaking but also beautiful at points.' netgalley reviewer
'The Austrian Bride is a heart warming story... of family, trust, love, loss, courage, friendship and above all bravery to do the right thing.' netgalley reviewer
'a heart-breaking but, oh, so wonderfully powerful and important read.' netgalley reviewer
Mod
Mod
Even the romance with the American agent kept me wondering whether all was as it seemed. Could I trust that it was genuine or was there another treachery waiting to be played out? You'll have to read the book to find out.
Fact-paced, engaging and revealing this is a book I enjoyed very much and would certainly recommend.
Devon Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Paris Spy's Girl (other topics)A Mother's War (other topics)
The Austrian Bride (other topics)
Secret Meetings (other topics)
Operation Moonlight (other topics)
More...
1. If you are a writer who would like your book(s) featured, let me know and
2. I shall be looking for lots of lovely recommendations for great books to build a list from
Looking forward to hearing from you all