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jo_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Occupied France in early 1944.
Three women, sisters, Helene, Elise and Florence living together at the edge of a village in the Dordogne.
Helene is a nurse for the local doctor and wants to keep everyone close to her safe.
Elise runs a little café which is at the centre of resistance work and she is determined to be defiant and help defeat the Germans.
Florence the youngest, tends to the home, the garden and dreams of the day that everything is okay again in the world.
As the book progresses, events occur which change the course of all these three women’s lives. A knock at the door brings the resistance far closer than Helene would like to their life. Sheltering someone on the run from the wrong side could lead to problems. Florence’s innocence is shattered and the behaviour of the girls’ mother has a lasting affect on them all, despite her being in England.
The book moves between the three sisters, as we see their perspective, their take on what is happening around them. There are some upsetting scenes, which the author doesn’t shy away from and the impact they had whilst I was reading made me recoil, but also knew that this went on and to have it brought to life off the page was quite disturbing but necessary to understand the impact of the actions of the few.
I have read and enjoyed many books set during the Second World War and this will be one that will stay with me for a while. It was interesting to take another aspect of the war; Occupied France and the French Resistance, and not use some of the well written about areas, to create a powerful and evocative storyline.
The skill Jefferies brings is the details into which she goes. From the descriptions, I knew the cottage that the three sisters lived in, the garden that Florence tended in all of it’s glory; the flowers, the food, the necessities that were needed to survive were rich in detail. Which when the horrors that were witnessed made them all that more impactful.
I am glad that there is more to learn about these three sisters, as there are many unanswered questions that I have and I cannot wait until I can be swept away again with such an impactful setting and story.
It is authors and books like this that remind me why I love historical fiction so much.
Three women, sisters, Helene, Elise and Florence living together at the edge of a village in the Dordogne.
Helene is a nurse for the local doctor and wants to keep everyone close to her safe.
Elise runs a little café which is at the centre of resistance work and she is determined to be defiant and help defeat the Germans.
Florence the youngest, tends to the home, the garden and dreams of the day that everything is okay again in the world.
As the book progresses, events occur which change the course of all these three women’s lives. A knock at the door brings the resistance far closer than Helene would like to their life. Sheltering someone on the run from the wrong side could lead to problems. Florence’s innocence is shattered and the behaviour of the girls’ mother has a lasting affect on them all, despite her being in England.
The book moves between the three sisters, as we see their perspective, their take on what is happening around them. There are some upsetting scenes, which the author doesn’t shy away from and the impact they had whilst I was reading made me recoil, but also knew that this went on and to have it brought to life off the page was quite disturbing but necessary to understand the impact of the actions of the few.
I have read and enjoyed many books set during the Second World War and this will be one that will stay with me for a while. It was interesting to take another aspect of the war; Occupied France and the French Resistance, and not use some of the well written about areas, to create a powerful and evocative storyline.
The skill Jefferies brings is the details into which she goes. From the descriptions, I knew the cottage that the three sisters lived in, the garden that Florence tended in all of it’s glory; the flowers, the food, the necessities that were needed to survive were rich in detail. Which when the horrors that were witnessed made them all that more impactful.
I am glad that there is more to learn about these three sisters, as there are many unanswered questions that I have and I cannot wait until I can be swept away again with such an impactful setting and story.
It is authors and books like this that remind me why I love historical fiction so much.
kindleandkettle's review against another edition
4.0
Daughters of War is the first book in a trilogy, set during WWII France.
It is the story of three sisters, who live in a cottage on the edge of a beautiful valley in war-torn France. Hélène is the eldest sister, who is a nurse and tries her hardest to care for & protect her family. The middle sister, Elise is a member of the resistance and Florence, the youngest, is at home with cooking, gardening and dreaming of the end of the war.
The sisters find themselves called to action to assist with hiding a Special Operations agent, while also housing a German deserter. Soon the sisters are caught up in the perils of war and also the difficulty of learning of their own past.
Daughters of War is a beautiful and immersive start to the series. This is a complex historical read, but it was very engaging. I found myself particularly enjoying the detail about how the sisters lived their lives and the little things they did for comfort during such a tumultuous time. One theme that was evident throughout the book was the strength of family. Time and again, we see the sisters relying heavily upon their support for each other and working together. The differences in their personalities, really helped tie together this family unit.
The book portrays the ruthless and brutal nature of the war, while also delving into the emotional impacts it has on the characters. After some events that occurs in the book, we really see the effect it has on each of the sisters and how they cope with it differently.
Please note this book is honest about the brutality of war and does include scenes of rape & execution.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Thank you so much to Harper Collins Australia for gifting me with a copy of this book.
It is the story of three sisters, who live in a cottage on the edge of a beautiful valley in war-torn France. Hélène is the eldest sister, who is a nurse and tries her hardest to care for & protect her family. The middle sister, Elise is a member of the resistance and Florence, the youngest, is at home with cooking, gardening and dreaming of the end of the war.
The sisters find themselves called to action to assist with hiding a Special Operations agent, while also housing a German deserter. Soon the sisters are caught up in the perils of war and also the difficulty of learning of their own past.
Daughters of War is a beautiful and immersive start to the series. This is a complex historical read, but it was very engaging. I found myself particularly enjoying the detail about how the sisters lived their lives and the little things they did for comfort during such a tumultuous time. One theme that was evident throughout the book was the strength of family. Time and again, we see the sisters relying heavily upon their support for each other and working together. The differences in their personalities, really helped tie together this family unit.
The book portrays the ruthless and brutal nature of the war, while also delving into the emotional impacts it has on the characters. After some events that occurs in the book, we really see the effect it has on each of the sisters and how they cope with it differently.
Please note this book is honest about the brutality of war and does include scenes of rape & execution.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Thank you so much to Harper Collins Australia for gifting me with a copy of this book.
hellsie's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fine tale dealing with the lives of 3 sisters in a very difficult period in French history - the Nazi occupation in Vichy France. The book did a great job of setting the scene, and delineating the characters of the sisters so that you were never in any doubt as to who was who, and there was something to admire in each sister's character. The one failing in the book was that I found the sisters to be a little more naive with sharing information with strangers than they would have actually been in the circumstances.
Overall though, the story was compelling and left me wanting more at the end, so I'm very glad that this is the start of a series as I'll definitely be looking out for the next one. Thanks to Pigeonhole and the author for access to this book!
Overall though, the story was compelling and left me wanting more at the end, so I'm very glad that this is the start of a series as I'll definitely be looking out for the next one. Thanks to Pigeonhole and the author for access to this book!
akaasia's review against another edition
3.0
I had such high hopes for this book and it certainly had a lot of potential. The three sisters, Helene, Elise and Florence are living in occupied France in 1944, inhabiting a small farm house on the outskirts of a small village in Dordogne.
The sensible, eldest Helene, the rebellious middle child Elise and the innocent dreamer, youngest Florence. There are lots of vivid descriptions of the lush countryside and the idyllic surroundings but for me, the magic ends there.
The sisters face the horrors of war but the events read like Emotions for Dummies. When sensible Helene does something daring, the author spends far too much time pointing out that this is something Helene wouldn’t normally do. I get it, she’s branching out.
Men appear in and out of their lives and over a course mere hours these supposedly independent living ladies form such strong attachments to these men that they are suddenly incapable of thinking about anything else. The author really did the sisters a disservice by reducing them to bags of emotions that can only be soothed by the presence of a man.
Elise’s work with the Resistance is glossed over and played out outside the main narrative, she merely goes off on a mission and comes back with no more than a few words dedicated to her work.
All in all, this had so much promise but fell flat on its face.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley
The sensible, eldest Helene, the rebellious middle child Elise and the innocent dreamer, youngest Florence. There are lots of vivid descriptions of the lush countryside and the idyllic surroundings but for me, the magic ends there.
The sisters face the horrors of war but the events read like Emotions for Dummies. When sensible Helene does something daring, the author spends far too much time pointing out that this is something Helene wouldn’t normally do. I get it, she’s branching out.
Men appear in and out of their lives and over a course mere hours these supposedly independent living ladies form such strong attachments to these men that they are suddenly incapable of thinking about anything else. The author really did the sisters a disservice by reducing them to bags of emotions that can only be soothed by the presence of a man.
Elise’s work with the Resistance is glossed over and played out outside the main narrative, she merely goes off on a mission and comes back with no more than a few words dedicated to her work.
All in all, this had so much promise but fell flat on its face.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley
leemac027's review against another edition
4.0
Dinah Jefferies has written a fascinating story about life in occupied France during World War II. Her main characters are three sisters: Helene, Elise and Florence, who despite growing up in England, have been deposited in a cottage in rural France to fend for themselves while their mother stayed in England.
What is interesting is that Helene is naturally a protector, Elise a rebel and Florence someone who nurtures and these tendencies play a big role in what they do during the occupation.
There is the ongoing problem of rationing, being cautious about everyday life, fear of the Germans and helping the the Resistance but as you move through the narrative, the sisters have to face tougher and at time horrifying challenges which tests every part of resolve they may have to keep on going.
Although I found one part of the plot a stretch too far in terms of its coincidence (won't provide a spoiler), the novel does build and draw you in to the characters. Of course there is romance gained and romance lost - but there is also a romance that although blossoming, may or may not ever be able to grow.
A very easy and compelling read.
What is interesting is that Helene is naturally a protector, Elise a rebel and Florence someone who nurtures and these tendencies play a big role in what they do during the occupation.
There is the ongoing problem of rationing, being cautious about everyday life, fear of the Germans and helping the the Resistance but as you move through the narrative, the sisters have to face tougher and at time horrifying challenges which tests every part of resolve they may have to keep on going.
Although I found one part of the plot a stretch too far in terms of its coincidence (won't provide a spoiler), the novel does build and draw you in to the characters. Of course there is romance gained and romance lost - but there is also a romance that although blossoming, may or may not ever be able to grow.
A very easy and compelling read.
cathylpowell's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first book in a trilogy about three sisters, Elise, Helene and Florence. It is set in France towards the end of WWII. I love a historical fiction book and this was a captivating read. Not an easy period to write about but I am a firm fan of Jefferies work and this did not disappoint. It brought the situation to life as we see the sisters face several challenges as the war draws towards its end.
fasmina's review against another edition
4.0
Set in 1944, Daughters of War is a family saga that focuses on the lives of three sisters, Helene, Elise and Florence and how the WW-ll played different roles in their lives. After their mother left to England and with no father, the three sisters are left to look after themselves in the Nazi-occupied Sainte Cecile, France. There is mystery, love and emotions and above all, how important it is to look out for your family, people and your country and focus on changes that help you grow. Each sister is faced with a different challenge and how each of them react and overcome the different emotions and turmoils make the plot intriguing. The description of the nature is as engaging as the description of their emotions, which is presented in alternative narratives of the three sisters. First in a series, each sister carries elements that we can look forward to in the next part of the series.
dennyhb's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
sci_mom's review
3.0
I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway. I had high hopes for this book, but among WWII books, I would say it is only average. I liked the character development of the main characters well enough, the setting was good, and the storylines were compelling enough to finish reading the book. The secondary characters were one-dimensional and the tension did not build as much suspense as some of the scenes warranted. Overall, it was a nice read, but I most likely will not read #2.