Helpful Score: 1
FIELDS OF BATTLE is the story of Rilla, a young, lower-class English working girl, and Barnaby Wainright, the second son of a family of landed gentry. They meet just as WWII is breaking out, and almost against Barney's will, he's forming a relationship with Rilla, who is sweet, rather shy and naive. They are married in December of 1939 and their relationship covers the war years.
I don't want to write much about the plot because that would provide too many spoilers. This is a well written, involving story, with a strong flavor of realism (in other words, the reader gets the sense that these characters could have actually existed).
It's not always 'just' a romance novel. Barney's war service is exciting and tense, and in some ways, these chapters are the best part of the book. The war years and various tragedies help to form Rilla into a determined and brave woman, and Barney loses his superficiality and arrogance. I thought the author did a superb job with these characters, and also in pulling all the threads together and giving the reader a strong, believable ending. A very good read, I recommend it highly. I honestly had a hard time putting it down.
I don't want to write much about the plot because that would provide too many spoilers. This is a well written, involving story, with a strong flavor of realism (in other words, the reader gets the sense that these characters could have actually existed).
It's not always 'just' a romance novel. Barney's war service is exciting and tense, and in some ways, these chapters are the best part of the book. The war years and various tragedies help to form Rilla into a determined and brave woman, and Barney loses his superficiality and arrogance. I thought the author did a superb job with these characters, and also in pulling all the threads together and giving the reader a strong, believable ending. A very good read, I recommend it highly. I honestly had a hard time putting it down.
