Fiery Deirdre Brannigan had opinions on everything. She certainly hated the very idea of war in 1914. Childhood pals Jack Oakley and Will Parsons thought it a grand adventure with their friends. But the crushing weight of her guilty conscience pushes Deirdre to leave Ireland and land directly in the fray. Meanwhile the five friends from Newfoundland blithely enlist. After all, the war couldnâ??t possibly last very long... They learn quickly how wrong they are and each is torn apart by the carnage in France. What began with enthusiastic dreams of parades and dances with handsome young soldiers turned into long days and nights in the hospital wards desperately trying to save lives. And for the good and decent young men in fine new uniforms aching to prove themselves worthy on the field of battle, the horrors of war quickly descended. But it is also the war which brings them together. Deirdreâ??s path crosses with Jack and Will when theyâ??re brought to her field hospital the first day of the slaughter on the Somme. Their lives part, their journeys forward fraught with physical and emotional scars tossing them through unexpected and often painful twists and turns. But somehow, a sliver of hope, love and redemption emerges. And their paths cross again in St. Johnâ??s. When the guns finally fall silent, can Deirdre overcome her secret demons through a new life with battered Jack? Can shell-shocked Will confront his despotic fatherâ??s expectations to become the man his young family dese… (más)
Jeffrey K. Walker has created a captivating novel which does something remarkable- it plants the reader smack dab in the horror of the French trenches, then follows those lucky enough to survive to the hospital where doctors and nurses, themselves overwrought from the enormity of the wounded, care tirelessly and selflessly for their patients, then carries the reader through the beautifully drawn main characters’ struggles to forge a new way forward, all the while keeping the reader hopeful and even able to laugh occasionally! You had me at Chapter One. Nurse Deirdre Brannigan is one formidable woman! Do I love her or hate her? And the lads from Newfoundland who merrily venture off to the Great War are a fun, likable and engaging lot. I truly felt it too when tragedy struck. I felt like I was right there in WWI, in Newfoundland and on the rumrunning ship. Great story. Vividly imagined. Artfully written. Tough to put down. This is an author to watch for sure! ( )
Fiery Deirdre Brannigan had opinions on everything. She certainly hated the very idea of war in 1914. Childhood pals Jack Oakley and Will Parsons thought it a grand adventure with their friends. But the crushing weight of her guilty conscience pushes Deirdre to leave Ireland and land directly in the fray. Meanwhile the five friends from Newfoundland blithely enlist. After all, the war couldnâ??t possibly last very long... They learn quickly how wrong they are and each is torn apart by the carnage in France. What began with enthusiastic dreams of parades and dances with handsome young soldiers turned into long days and nights in the hospital wards desperately trying to save lives. And for the good and decent young men in fine new uniforms aching to prove themselves worthy on the field of battle, the horrors of war quickly descended. But it is also the war which brings them together. Deirdreâ??s path crosses with Jack and Will when theyâ??re brought to her field hospital the first day of the slaughter on the Somme. Their lives part, their journeys forward fraught with physical and emotional scars tossing them through unexpected and often painful twists and turns. But somehow, a sliver of hope, love and redemption emerges. And their paths cross again in St. Johnâ??s. When the guns finally fall silent, can Deirdre overcome her secret demons through a new life with battered Jack? Can shell-shocked Will confront his despotic fatherâ??s expectations to become the man his young family dese
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