Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780062418562 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 03/01/2016 |
| Sold by: | HARPERCOLLINS |
| Format: | NOOK Book |
| Pages: | 368 |
| Sales rank: | 137,044 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War
4.5 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
4 reviews.
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A fantastic short story collection from authors that I mostly read before and all centered around the end of World War I. From war widows to families reuniting the collection included each group that was involved with World War I and how they coped with the ending.
When reviewing short story collections by multiple authors, I don't tend to review each story but instead talk about the collection as a whole. In this collection one story didn't stand out in a good way or bad way, they actually all worked as a cohesive group. I like when the collection has a focus so each author's work feels like it was meant to go in the collection.
If you are a historical fiction fan that has read just one of the authors included then this is the perfect chance to try out any one of the others that write in this genre.
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I love the theme of the end of World War I. Such an interesting time in history to experience the mixed emotions of celebration and loss.
Daughter of Belgium - Author pulls you into the story and transports you to running side by side with the main character.
Record Set Right - What a voice! The author has mastered this character.
All for the Love of You - Brings you into France at the end of the war and I loved the ending.
After You've Gone - Diverse point of view character! Nice to see the perspective from a person of color during the war.
Something worth landing for - Wow!! Make sure you read this one!! Fun page turner with a hint of sarcasm in the voice that draws you in, makes you smile and won't let you put the book down.
Hour of the Bells - A suspenseful read. The author pulls you into the character's mindset. You feel her desperation. The story unfolds quickly and leaves the reader breathless.
An American Airman in Paris - LOVE. Fantastic voice for male point of view. Author draws you in from the first few pages and you can't put the book down. The secondary characters shine in this story.
The Photograph - Another gem! This story takes place in Ireland during a rebellion against Britain, at the same time as the end of the war. Such a fascinating setting for historical fiction! I could not stop reading this beautiful piece. Perfect voice for a young male soldier. Well done.
Hush - The story moves back and forth, intertwines and intersects. Brilliant, beautiful writing.
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Over the years I’ve had many chances to read collections, but fewer are available in Historical Romance, fewer still that have a focus of the years surrounding World War 1. Nine authors have come together to produce short stories that deal with love, loss and moving on after a world-shaking event.
Each story arrives and is completely engrossing: drawing you into the world and the struggles: a mixed group with perspectives from a single mother, an artist, the soldiers, a woman recounting her story from long ago, old photographs, domestic strife in Ireland. Cleverly mixing depressing and disturbing with notes of hopefulness and the sense of impending change as the world moves into the Roaring 20’s, as the characters work to accept the past and find a reason to move forward.
While some stories are notable for a hopeful nature, others present facts and tidbits of information that readers may not have known: each brings the story to completion in ways that may seem improbable or far-fetched, yet completely fitting to the characters involved. Moments run the range of emotion: and I was pulled in to see and understand choices, struggles and options for each. Overall this was a sold collection that introduced some new to me authors and presented others who have long been favorites. Favorites included The Record Set Straight by Lauren Willig for the depth of emotion and looking back on opportunities lost and gained. Something Worth Landing For by Jennifer Brockmole mixed a marriage of convenience, a secondary family struggle and the gradual transition of a relationship to one of need.
Alternating between hopeful and melancholy, never glossing over the struggles that each character has faced, and a wonderful story in All For the Love of You by Jennifer Robson, where soldiers with facial injuries from the war find some relief and healing in prosthetic masks. Something I didn’t have knowledge of before, yet presented in such a way that I could see and understand the soldier’s transformations.
If you appreciate a wide range of stories and characters all set in a similar time, one that highlights the resilience of the human spirit, this is the collection for you. With the ability to sample several different authors, and find a wide range of emotionally present stories, there is something for every reader.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
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One of my favorite poems is In Flanders Fields, by John McCrae and I requested to be part of the blog tour for Fall of Poppies based on the title alone. I wasn't familiar with any of the authors, but the concept drew me in. Especially since it's an anthology.
I love anthologies. I love being introduced to new (to me) authors. I love reading a collection of stories where each one takes me on a different ride. The ups and downs. The highs and lows. Fall of Poppies is just such an anthology. Each story is heart wrenching and hopeful, in a time of loss like the world had never seen. The Great War. The war that was supposed to end all wars. When your mortality is staring you in the face, what better way to fight it than through love?
Each author more than does justice to this concept. Faith. Renewal. Love. Everything we need to rebuild shattered lives. They not only invoke the time period through the images they create with their words, but also managed to invoke the time period with their words. Through the speech and eloquence of their prose. For any historical romance fan, Fall of Poppies is a must have.
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