Francis O'Neill (1848–1936)

I received this book as an ARC from Smith Publicity, Inc., and am providing an honest review.
I love historical fiction, and eagerly anticipated reading and reviewing The Poet’s War by Francis O’Neill.
We first meet the young protagonist, Alistair Stears, as he travels by train from Rome to Venice, just as World War I is breaking out. He is accompanying two valuable horses, as his mother is moving her residence to Venice.
The young man is a poet, and the poetry flows through and around him as he meets his current love in Venice. Later, after the experience of fighting in World War I, he marries another woman, becomes a poet of some renown, and eventually watches his beloved country of Italy slide under Hitler’s influence and into World War II.
The characters are drawn realistically, and the settings around the world are described with a detail that makes the reader feel that she is in the time and place.
The Poet’s War is written in the sweeping style of novels from nineteenth century. The emotional approach harkens back to a time when readers enjoyed the leisure for the involved writing style of the romantic period in literature. I enjoyed the Italian phrases that the author included. It added to the authentic feel of the story.
My only complaint about this novel is that the extravagant language tended to get in the way of the story. I certainly agree that a writer needs beautiful words to describe Venice, but sometimes there can be too many. Readers want a story.… (más)