Review: Beautifully written, believable story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 2, 2013
Rose, the heroine, starts out in the book as a rather snobbish and spoiled brat.  But, she knows that she is snobbish, and is somewhat ashamed of acting like her mother.  This insight allowed me to continue reading about someone who at first seemed rather unappealing.  Part of the beauty of the book is found in the way the characters are allowed to grow as individuals, and change their perspectives over time.  It's not an abrupt transition, and therefore believable.Alex, the hero, makes some stupid blunders early on in the book, and reluctantly takes responsibility for his foolish actions.  He is, at the beginning of the book, rather shy and callow.  By the ending he has grown into a true leader, a man of amazing integrity (save for one area - his marriage - and he is well aware of that fact). His transition from boy to man is also quite believable.Alex and Rose are thrown together in the chaos of WWI, during the dark days before the United States was involved in the conflict, and British soldiers were being massacred in the trenches at an alarming rate.  Expected life-span in the trenches for an officer?  A fortnight.  Just fourteen days.  How did those men keep their sanity?This book takes us on Rose and Alex's journeys through war-time France, and the evolution of their relationship.  The relationship is not entirely composed of sweet intervals.  There are times that they doubt each other, and doubt themselves. Both must deal with horrible situations - Rose as a nurse, Alex as an officer in the trenches - and these experiences impact their relationship.There is also a subplot involving two sisters which is also intricate and interesting.  We do not see much of one character who is a friend of one of the sisters, Nathan, but what we are allowed to see lets us know that this is one fine individual.  He is yet another character that is beautifully drawn, and who seems totally real.Not everything in the story rang true, however. Rose's parents were unbelievably harsh with her at a key point in the story, and I found their unwarranted conclusions about their daughter to be rather bizarre.Nevertheless, I was so involved with the book that when the end of the story came, I actually said, "No!" out loud, because I wanted to continue reading about these people's lives.Very Solid four stars. Highly recommended.