Synopses & Reviews
In the wonderful tradition of Elizabeth Jane Howard,
War Story tells an extraordinarily authentic tale of both rationing and riches during the war years and at the same time unfolds a mesmerizing and unforgettable love story.
After war breaks out in 1939, Dulcimer Hall, deep in rural England, is a haven of tranquility in a world rocked by conflict. The Dulcimer children run amok in the rambling grounds, blissfully unaware of the threat of invasion and also unaware of the dramas developing in the lives of the sophisticated adults around them. Antonia is a vivacious yet shallow widow in search of a new husband; Dart is a dashing, sometimes reckless war hero; and David is a skilled American pilot determined to join the RAF.
Into this charmed circle comes Maggie Dunlop, a Scottish girl taken on as a nursemaid. The daughter of the gamekeeper in a Highland glen, Maggies previous life has been nothing but hardship. Soon shes thriving in her new post, adored by the children, and well liked by both staff and family. Little does she know that her popularity is sowing dangerous seeds of jealousy, or that innocent feelings of affection can grow into a deep yet impossible love.
With warmth and humor Sara Hely brings to life a rich cast of characters and an era filled with life-and-death drama, outstanding courage, and hope.
Review
Praise for Sara Hely and War Story--"I devoured War Story with enormous pleasure. What a masterly story-teller Sara Hely is, and how good at creating characters in whom one believes and whose destiny one cares about!" --Philip Ziegler, author of Soldiers: Fighting Men's Lives, 1901-2001
--"I couldn't have liked it more, especially the way Hely combines a sweeping story with a wonderful sense of intimacy--I really felt I knew these people and was totally involved. . . . Gorgeous." --Sarah Harrison, author of The Grass Memorial
--"What a plot! What a flock of characters! What a prose style!" --Washington Post
--"[An] entertaining, sprawling World War II story, with [an] Upstairs, Downstairs feel" --Booklist
--"Readers will appreciate the depth to this World War II romance. . . . The cast is fully developed so those key secondary players enable the audience to value the star-crossed lovers and obtain a sense of 1940s life while demanding Sara Hely deliver more period pieces like this delightful historical." --Midwest Book Review
--"Sara Hely writes with both compassion and humour, which she uses to breathe life into a rich array of characters and to tell a compelling love story. . . . A gifted storyteller." --Historical Novels Review
--"This is a lovely romance that captures the essence of the era and the characters who lived through those turbulent, life-changing times. There are many poignant moments, and readers' heartstrings are played upon with skill. Fans of World War II romances will find WAR STORY more than satisfying." --Romantic Times
--"An enjoyable family saga . . . [Hely] is a natural writer." --Country Life (U.K.)
Synopsis
Praise for
War Story"I couldn't have liked it more, especially the way [Sara Hely] combines a sweeping story with a wonderful sense of intimacy--I really felt I knew these people and was totally involved."
-- Sarah Harrison, author of The Grass Memorial
"I devoured War Story with enormous pleasure. What a masterly storyteller she is, and how good at creating characters in whom one believes and whose destiny one cares about."
-- Philip Ziegler, author of Soldiers
Synopsis
An unforgettable love story and epic journey through the years of World War II, featuring nursery maid Maggie Dunlop, whose popularity in the Dulcimer family sows dangerous seeds of jealousy and feelings of affection that grow into a deep yet impossible love.
About the Author
Sara Hely, born in London in the 1930s, was evacuated to America during the Second World War, and then lived in Ireland before settling with her husband in rural Ayrshire, Scotland. She has four adult children and many grandchildren.