August 1939 and once more Britain is on the brink of a terrible global conflict. The Castells are a long-established landed farming family in rural Wiltshire. In a timespan of just over a year, Holland covers the family’s immersion in the War, both as combatants and local rural famers and workers.
A good proportion of the novel is devoted to those days of August when the country was sliding into conflict, and the dismay and trepidation that this caused in the breast of the Castells and their circle of neighbours and employees Although the subject of the approach of the Second World War in England is one that has been covered enormously in fiction, this specific emphasis on the impact upon a secluded rural community is well portrayed and engaging. All the uncertainty, regret and fear amongst the landowners, farmers and the rural population is described with feeling and authenticity.
The writing is fluid and narrative progresses capably and effectively. As one would expect from a professional historian, the factual context is excellent and the reader does not fee that they are receiving a history lesson or lecture for most of the time. The large cast of family characters introduced in the opening chapters of the book took quite a while to get familiar with and although there is a dramatis personae at the beginning of the novel, reading it via a digital copy makes it quite difficult to refer to the list and establish just who is who and what their respective familial relations are. The story ends rather abruptly in October 1940, and it would seem that a sequel to the affairs of the Castell family is in order.

A very well researched and written novel, this book explores how war can impact individuals and families. I’ve read several of Holland’s non fiction work and enjoyed it. This book was a little textbook like at some points and felt like a lot to read, but overall it was enjoyable and very well presented.

This is a really nice novel. I found it very interesting as through each member of the family, I got an informative idea about life at the beginning of WWII: whether one is called up, or decided to enlist; whether one is a German woman married to an English man and having lived in Alveado for over twenty years, or the mother of a woman working in the War Office. The reader also experiences the state of various countries through the men of the family who have been sent to: Palestine (artillery), Norway (Naval army), France, or over the Channel (RAF). I really enjoyed each of the characters with their own stories, and also a bit of romance. A novel for the heart which focuses on the values of the family and its duties to their country. The end is satisfying but I do hope there is a sequel. A very pleasant read!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.