Happy Thursday! Happy book review day! And, since I know a ridiculously large quantity of people who have a birthday today (seriously, what is it about April 12?!), happy birthday if you have a birthday today! Hahaha :)
Okay, so I have been on a bit a of a historical fiction kick lately. Particularly, historical-fiction-featuring-a-woman-in-a-war-who-is-doing-relatively-unwomanly-things-for-the-context.
That led me to Somewhere in France, by Jennifer Robson.
The story follows Lady Elizabeth Neville-Ashford (known to most as Lily). She struggles with the confines of British aristocratic society. She longs to travel, to attend school. She is told she must marry - the right sort of man, of course - and raise children instead. She is reunited with her brother's best friend, Robert Fraser, who of course, though a surgeon and a dashing young man (not to mention Scottish!), is entirely the wrong sort of man for her to marry. Though they write letters, they remain friends.
Then war is declared, and Lily is determined to do her part. Her parents won't hear of it, though, and after a rather impolite confrontation (she dared learn to drive!), she leaves home. She moves to London, finds work, then eventually becomes an ambulance driver in the newly formed Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps—an exciting and treacherous job that takes her close to the Western Front.
She's fulfilled by helping and working. Moreover, she's good at it. She hides her aristocratic identity from her friends, and seems to find a new life. But then she is reunited - this time in person - with Robert Fraser, when she is assigned to the same field hospital.
Their love story is just beginning, but in a world filled with war, where nothing is certain, including life or tomorrow, their love story is not a straightforward or easy one.
This book has an interesting premise. I like that Lily stands up to her parents and even Robert. While there could be a bit more depth to the characters, overall this was a solid story. I like the concerns of class and the reality of war. The writing was solid, as well. The secondary characters were more nuanced, I thought, and I wasn't surprised to see this is the first of a series, with subsequent ones filling out the secondary characters more.
I didn't know much about the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. I'd have loved to see more about life in that world, instead of focused on the romance, but perhaps that's just my personal preference. As it was, it was addressed, and what was shown was definitely interesting.
I do like the romance between Lily and Robbie. Be forewarned, though: there is a sex scene, and it is really rather graphic for this type of novel. In glancing at the reviews on Goodreads, this seems to be the most common complaint, so if you're bothered by this, you might want to steer clear.
Overall, this book was solid. It had the potential to be more, but I read it in one sitting and wasn't disappointed at all, so in my world, that's a win.
If I was ranking this of five stars, it would get four.
What do you think of historical fiction? I'm generally a fan, though I used to be a bigger one.
I'd love to hear from you!