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Print Copy of FALL OF POPPIES
Fall of Poppies
Stories of Love and the Great War
Contributions by:
Hazel Gaynor, Beatriz Williams, Jennifer Robson,
Jessica Brockmole, Kate Kerrigan, Evangeline Holland,
Lauren Willig, Marci Jefferson, edited by Heather Webb
Releasing March 1st, 2016
William Morrow
Top
voices in historical fiction deliver an intensely moving collection of short
stories about loss, longing, and hope in the aftermath of World War I—featuring
bestselling authors such as Hazel Gaynor, Jennifer Robson, Beatriz Williams,
and Lauren Willig and edited by Heather Webb.
A squadron commander searches for
meaning in the tattered photo of a girl he’s never met…
A Belgian rebel hides from the
world, only to find herself nursing the enemy…
A young airman marries a stranger to
save her honor—and prays to survive long enough to love her…The peace treaty
signed on November 11, 1918, may herald the end of the Great War but for its
survivors, the smoke is only beginning to clear. Picking up the pieces of
shattered lives will take courage, resilience, and trust.
Within crumbled city walls and
scarred souls, war’s echoes linger. But when the fighting ceases, renewal
begins…and hope takes root in a fall of poppies.
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From “Something Worth Landing For” by
Jessica Brockmole
I first
met her, crying, outside of the medical department at Romorantin.
She’d
been there, hunched on the bench in the hall, when I arrived for my appointment
and was still there when I stepped from the doctor’s office. She wore the same
bland coveralls and white armband as the other women who worked in the Assembly
Building and I might have walked straight past. I always managed to make a fool
of myself in front of women— on one memorable evening with an untied shoe and a
bowl of chowder— and was sure today
would be no different. After all, I’d just been standing stark naked in front
of another man and was still a little red in the face.
But she
chose that exact moment to blow her nose, with such an unladylike trumpet that
I couldn’t help but turn and stare.
I’d
never heard such an unabashed sound from a woman. She didn’t even seem to care
that she sounded like an elephant. She just kept her head down and her face
buried in an excessively crumpled handkerchief.
She looked
as healthy as a horse to be sitting outside the medical department. Not as
scrawny as the other French girls around here. She had dark hair parted on the
side and pinned up in waves, but her neck was flushed pink. I wondered what
kind of bug she’d caught to leave her so stuffy.
“Hello.
Are you waiting for the doc?” I asked. The army doc wasn’t much— despite the
file in his hand, he’d insisted on calling me “Weaselly” instead of the
“Wesley” on my paperwork— but he could
probably give her some silver salts or, at the very least, a replacement
handkerchief.
She lifted her head and blinked red,
wet eyes. I could have smacked myself. I was a dope. She wasn’t sick. She was
miserable and sobbing and I had no idea what to do.
If I’d
had a sister or a girlfriend or a mother with a heart made out of something
softer than granite, I might have known how to handle a teary woman. I’d never
gotten as far as breaking a girl’s heart.
Regardless,
a clean handkerchief would be a start, and I dug in my pockets until I found a
slightly wrinkled one. I held it out, but between two fingers, like feeding a
squirrel.
She
looked surprised at my offer, though I wasn’t sure why. A nice- looking girl
like that, surely she was used to kindness. She stared at me, then the square of
cotton, then me again, considering.
I
thought to add a few words of eloquence to my offer. “Go on,” I said instead.
“I have dozens.” It wasn’t Shakespeare, but it must have been enough.
She
swallowed and took it with a watery “Merci.”
That
probably wasn’t enough. Chaplains and grandmothers always had a reassuring word
or two. I wondered if I should take a cue from the padre and go with a pious Trust in Godor an old-fashioned There, there. I realized, belatedly,
that I knew how to say neither in French.
She saved me from having to make a
decision. “I am fine, really,” she said in quite excellent English. Tears
welled up fresh in her blue eyes, but she nodded, almost too vigorously.
“Yes,
never better.” She crushed the handkerchief to her eyes.
I
didn’t believe her. People who were fine
didn’t cry uncontrollably in the hallway. “Bad diagnosis?” She looked healthy
enough, with those pink cheeks and bright eyes, but I was no expert. Maybe she
had just found out she had a week to live.
She
blew her nose again, thunderously. “Bad, good, maybe both.”
This
was mystifying, but I suppose that was the way of women.
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Jessica Brockmole is the author of the internationally bestselling Letters
from Skye, an epistolary love story spanning an ocean and two wars. Named
one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2013, Letters
From Skye has been published in seventeen countries.
Hazel Gaynor is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling
author of The Girl Who Came Home and A Memory of
Violets. She writes regularly for the national press, magazines and
websites in Ireland and the UK.
Evangeline Holland is the founder and editor of
Edwardian Promenade, the number one blog for lovers of World War I, the Gilded
Age, and Belle Époque France with nearly forty thousand unique viewers a month.
In addition, she blogs at Modern Belles of History. Her fiction includes An
Ideal Duchess and its sequel, crafted in the tradition of Edith
Warton.
Marci Jefferson is the author of Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of
Frances Stuart, which Publisher’s Weekly called
“intoxicating.” Her second novel, The Enchantress of Paris, will
release in Spring 2015 from Thomas Dunne Books.
Kate Kerrigan is the New York Times bestselling author of The
Ellis Island trilogy. In addition she has written for the Irish Tatler,
a Dublin-based newspaper, as well as The Irish Mail and a RTE
radio show, Sunday Miscellany.
Jennifer Robson is the USA Today and international bestselling
author of Somewhere in France and After the War is Over. She holds
a doctorate in Modern History from the University of Oxford, where she was a
Commonwealth Scholar and SSHRC Doctoral Fellow. Jennifer lives in Toronto with
her husband and young children.
Heather Webb is an author, freelance editor, and blogger at award-winning
writing sites WriterUnboxed.com and RomanceUniversity.org. Heather is a member of
the Historical Novel Society and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and
she may also be found teaching craft-based courses at a local college
Beatriz Williams is the New York Times, USA Today, and
international bestselling author of The Secret Life of Violet
Grant and A Hundred Summers. A graduate of Stanford
University with an MBA from Columbia, Beatriz spent several years in New York
and London hiding her early attempts at fiction, first on company laptops as a
corporate and communications strategy consultant, and then as an at-home
producer of small persons. She now lives with her husband and four children
near the Connecticut shore, where she divides her time between writing and
laundry. William Morrow will publish her forthcoming hardcover, A
Certain Age, in the summer of 2016.
Lauren Willig is the New York Times bestselling author of
eleven works of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into over a
dozen languages, awarded the RITA, Booksellers Best and Golden Leaf awards, and
chosen for the American Library Association’s annual list of the best genre
fiction. She lives in New York City, where she now writes full time.
Each of these compelling short stories provided insight into the emotional and physical effects of war. The authors present characters who struggle with their feelings and actions during a difficult and trying time in history. I enjoyed each story and felt several could have been expanded into full length novels.
The Daughter of Belgium—Marci Jefferson
I enjoyed this suspense filled, well-paced short story set in the days leading up to the armistice. Both Amelie and Lars must find courage from within to outwit the soldiers in German-occupied Belgium in order to make their way to freedom. Can they work together and escape in time?
The Record Set Straight—Lauren Willig
Lauren Willig’s short story is an exquisitely written look into the British aristocracy before and after the Great War. The importance of duty, honor and society’s rules are woven in this story of love, compassion and misunderstanding between two brothers and the woman they both love. Superb ending to this short story—Ms. Willig stays true to her characters and surprises the reader at the same time!
All for the Love of You—Jennifer Robson
This story touched my heart. Ms. Robson creates a thoughtful story about a Father’s love for his daughter and the decisions he made for her after the Armistice was signed. Seven years later, Daisy finds a letter which leads her on a search for her true love. Daisy and Daniel’s heartfelt story was my favorite in the anthology as it shows that love endures.
After You’ve Gone—Evangeline Holland
After You’ve Gone explores how the end of the war affects people. How does one deal with the loss of a husband, friends, job and find their way during a time of tumultuous change? Can one make peace with the past and love again?
Something Worth Landing For—Jessica Brockmole
The letters Victoire wrote to her American pilot, drew me into this story. In the letters, she eloquently writes to him about her childhood, expresses her fears, desires and her wish that he return to her. With each letter, Wes gets to know his new wife ,falls in love with her and recognizes he has someone to come home to.
Hour of the Bells—Heather Webb
The Hour of the Bells is a powerful story. German born Beatrix married a French clockmaker and moved to France. The war between France and Germany takes on new meaning when her son enters the war against Germany. When she learns that her son has been killed, Beatrix is overcome by grief. Her actions drive the last part of this suspense -filled story.
An American Airman in Paris—Beatriz Williams
The story’s main character, Octavian, was shot down over Germany on November 11, 1918. He has remained in Paris for two years even though he has healed from his physical wounds. This story provides a glimpse into the life of the American airman and their emotional struggles before and after the war.
The Photograph—Kate Kerrigan
Kate Kerrigan’s The Photograph is set in Dublin in 2016. Bridie and her family are about to attend a ceremony for the 1916 Uprising. Bridie seeks some quiet time and picks up her great-aunt Eileen’s photo while in her room. The backing falls apart revealing a photo of a handsome British officer. Bridie is unsettled to think that her activist aunt was in love with a British soldier. Eileen and Clive’s well written story is another favorite of mine in this anthology set during the final days of the Great War when British soldiers occupied Dublin. Loved the characters and I cried as their heartfelt story unfolded.
Hush—Hazel Gaynor
Midwife Annie Rawlins is concerned about time. She has just delivered a child and he is not responding and time is running out. Annie has lost a son to the war and doesn’t want this child to die. As Annie is trying to save the child her other son is struggling to survive in the trenches in France. This piece is superbly written -- you could feel a mother's love with in every word in the story--and I enjoyed how the author had several connected plot lines within her main narrative.
This story and the characters stayed with me for several days after I finished reading their story.
The last paragraphs are beautifully written:
"Of all the letters she received during the war, Annie Rawlins kept just two. The only letter Jack had ever written, telling her of the poppies in the fields, and the letter Will had written soon after the Armistice was declared, a single red poppy pressed between the pages.
Life, and time ,marched on as the soldiers marched home that spring. The daffodils danced in Annie's garden, and the poppies grew once more in the fields of France."
Reviewed By Susan Gorman
ARC provided by the publisher
