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courtneyw5's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t consider myself a hopeless romantic but this book punched me in the heart.
amyelle14's review against another edition
5.0
"Leave nothing out," says the god of fire. "Make your tale a long one."
A truly captivating novel about two love stories (or three), and how they all tie together in the midst of the Great War. This novel is written so beautifully that any reader will feel Berry's words come to life. Told from the perspective of Greek gods (how cool, right?) we learn of two love stories and how there is love out there that can survive anything.
What I found to be admirable about this novel, besides the beautiful writing about surviving love in a hard time, is that Berry addressed issues of this time period, being sure not to overly romanticize one of the most historically tragic moments in history. She addressed the bigotry, discrimination, and power of white supremacy during this time period. She cites history and how this was a war for the older generation to be fought by the young. How some soldiers never returned home and for others, they still faced hate despite putting their lives on the line. How can love really exist in a time like this? Well, that's for you to find out. Pull up a chair and have some lemon cake, and let the gods tell you if all is really fair in love and war.
A truly captivating novel about two love stories (or three), and how they all tie together in the midst of the Great War. This novel is written so beautifully that any reader will feel Berry's words come to life. Told from the perspective of Greek gods (how cool, right?) we learn of two love stories and how there is love out there that can survive anything.
What I found to be admirable about this novel, besides the beautiful writing about surviving love in a hard time, is that Berry addressed issues of this time period, being sure not to overly romanticize one of the most historically tragic moments in history. She addressed the bigotry, discrimination, and power of white supremacy during this time period. She cites history and how this was a war for the older generation to be fought by the young. How some soldiers never returned home and for others, they still faced hate despite putting their lives on the line. How can love really exist in a time like this? Well, that's for you to find out. Pull up a chair and have some lemon cake, and let the gods tell you if all is really fair in love and war.
skyward's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the ww1 setting, lit rally was so stressed during the wartime James/audrey scenes, + whenever i saw a hades pov... stress lvl 9000 ! esp loved the development between Colette and Audrey and ngl I wish there was more of them in this book
catiewrong's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely beautiful. There's so much else I could say but I think that perfectly summarizes this story.
melandthebooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lindsay1212's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
verabklover's review against another edition
4.0
After 2 months I finally finished it.
I love books about gods and hate books about war. This had both and I loved it.
Tbh I didn't felt as emotional about characters as I was listening to historical note read by Julie Berry herself. That's understandable, because it was about real people who didn't get their happy endings.
I guess it's time to re-read my fave book with gods as mcs
I love books about gods and hate books about war. This had both and I loved it.
Tbh I didn't felt as emotional about characters as I was listening to historical note read by Julie Berry herself. That's understandable, because it was about real people who didn't get their happy endings.
I guess it's time to re-read my fave book with gods as mcs
authorcagray's review against another edition
5.0
What an incredibly creative way to tell a story!
A frame story pitched the Greek gods, particularly Aphrodite and Ares, against Aphrodite's jealous husband Haephestus, who had caught the two in a tryst. He tells Aphrodite that he intends to put her on trial, but is stymied when she admits plainly that yes, she was having an affair. But then the conversation devolves into a discussion of the value of her of "work". Aphrodite herself takes the stand, and to defend herself, tells a story of two couples.
The couples meet and fall in love during WWI. At first, James and Hazel's story was so stilted and predictable that I almost gave up, but I'm so glad I didn't! That was just the setup. Later, Hazel meets Collette, a Belgian girl who lost everything when the Germans invaded her town and killed her sweetheart. She later meets Aubrey, an African American soldier with a tremendous talent for jazz, and finds a second chance at love. But the couples are each plagued by various trials. As a black man in the war, racism plagues Aubrey, especially because of the relationship with a white woman. When another soldier in his regiment is killed in his place by a white American soldier, Aubrey is forced to vanish into the night--leaving an already traumatized Collette to presume him dead. Meanwhile, war injuries nearly tear James and Hazel apart, several times: first his, then hers.
Throughout the story, Aphrodite calls other "witnesses" to tell their portions of the story: Apollo, the god of art and music, as Hazel is a pianist, Aubrey is a jazz musician, and Collette turns out to be a singer. Ares, of course, when war tears them all apart. Hades when various characters die and reach the Underworld. Several times I feared I might not get my happily-ever-after, but I did: not only for the two couples, but even for the frame story too! Very clever and well done.
My rating: ****1/2
Sexual content: none
Language: none
Violence: present but as mild as can be expected in a story that partially takes place in the WWI trenches
Political content: historical only
A frame story pitched the Greek gods, particularly Aphrodite and Ares, against Aphrodite's jealous husband Haephestus, who had caught the two in a tryst. He tells Aphrodite that he intends to put her on trial, but is stymied when she admits plainly that yes, she was having an affair. But then the conversation devolves into a discussion of the value of her of "work". Aphrodite herself takes the stand, and to defend herself, tells a story of two couples.
The couples meet and fall in love during WWI. At first, James and Hazel's story was so stilted and predictable that I almost gave up, but I'm so glad I didn't! That was just the setup. Later, Hazel meets Collette, a Belgian girl who lost everything when the Germans invaded her town and killed her sweetheart. She later meets Aubrey, an African American soldier with a tremendous talent for jazz, and finds a second chance at love. But the couples are each plagued by various trials. As a black man in the war, racism plagues Aubrey, especially because of the relationship with a white woman. When another soldier in his regiment is killed in his place by a white American soldier, Aubrey is forced to vanish into the night--leaving an already traumatized Collette to presume him dead. Meanwhile, war injuries nearly tear James and Hazel apart, several times: first his, then hers.
Throughout the story, Aphrodite calls other "witnesses" to tell their portions of the story: Apollo, the god of art and music, as Hazel is a pianist, Aubrey is a jazz musician, and Collette turns out to be a singer. Ares, of course, when war tears them all apart. Hades when various characters die and reach the Underworld. Several times I feared I might not get my happily-ever-after, but I did: not only for the two couples, but even for the frame story too! Very clever and well done.
My rating: ****1/2
Sexual content: none
Language: none
Violence: present but as mild as can be expected in a story that partially takes place in the WWI trenches
Political content: historical only