For Jess and Rose, the realities of war have terrible repercussions …
2012 and Jess, an army medic, is back home following her tour of
Afghanistan. Shell-shocked by what she has seen, she wonders if her life will
ever be the same again. Can help come through her great-grandmother Rose’s
diaries?
1922 and Rose has just welcomed her beloved husband Alfie home from the
First World War. But the homecoming is not what Rose had expected; Alfie
returns from war a changed man, and not the same person Rose married. As he
struggles to find work and to cope with life, Rose struggles with temptation…
Can an old factory, set up to help injured soldiers, help Jess, Rose and
Alfie and save them from the heartache of war?
Last
year I got the opportunity to be introduced to Liz Trenow’s writing when I
received a review copy of her novel ‘The Forgotten Seamstress.’ I ended up
loving the book and I looked forward to her next one. A few weeks ago I was
contacted to be part of the blog tour for Liz’s latest release, ‘The Poppy
Factory’, which will be released on the 28th of August. I couldn’t
say yes quick enough, because I couldn’t wait to sit down with this new story.
The book has a simply stunning cover and the blurb immediately managed to
intrigue me as well, so I had my fingers crossed, hoping I would end up
enjoying this book just as much as Liz’s previous one!
Jess
works as an army paramedic; a job she has always loved and knows she was meant
to do in her life. However, after coming back from her tour of Afghanistan, she
is finding it difficult to get back into the routine of everyday life. Jess is
physically fit, but mentally things don’t seem to go as well as she originally
expected. While spending some time at her family home, she comes across a
collection of diaries from her great grandmother Rose, who was married to
Alfie, a World War I soldier who lost his leg and also has to try to find his
place in society after the war has ended. Jess is immediately captivated by
Rose’s story, and especially the similarities between her own life and Rose’s,
even though it happened roughly 100 years ago, are difficult to ignore...
Liz
Trenow has become one of my favourite historical authors during the past year.
I really loved her novel ‘The Forgotten Seamstress’ and I enjoyed ‘The Poppy
Factory’ just as much. Her writing is simply wonderful; really captivating and
easy to read. Her detailed descriptions are written in such a way that it’s
really easy to picture it all and I felt incredibly close to the two main
characters, Jess and Rose. I really enjoyed how the book switches between time
periods, the modern day and age on the one hand and around World War I on the
other, and how the characters are dealing with similar issues.
I loved
both Jess’ and Rose’s stories, wondering what would happen to them, even though
I have to admit I enjoyed Rose’s story a tiny bit more. Liz Trenow’s strength
is definitely the historical aspect of her novels, and I think I will never
tire of her stories. Every time I’ll see a poppy after having read this book, I
will think of the factory and Rose’s story, and I can’t wait to recommend this
book to others. ‘The Poppy Factory’ is another amazing Liz Trenow read; a
captivating, touching and wonderfully well-written wartime story that will stay
with me for years to come.
9,0/10
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