The Poppy Factory by Liz Trenow
The Blurb On The Back:
A captivating story of two women bound together by the tragedy of two very different wars.
With the end of the First World War, Rose is looking forward to welcoming home her loving husband, Alfie. Traumatised by his experiences on the battlefield, Alfie returns a shadow of his former self. Pushed away by Alfie, Rose’s head is soon turned by another man and she struggles with temptation.
Many years later, Jess returns from her final tour of Afghanistan. Haunted by nightmares from her time at the front, her longed-for homecoming is a disaster and she wonders if her life will ever be the same again. Can comfort come through her greatgrandmother Rose’s diaries?
For Jess and Rose, the realities of war have terrible consequences. Can the Poppy Factory, set up to help injured soldiers, rescue them both from the heartache of war?
Three years ago Jess joined the army as a Combat Medical Technician, determined to save soldiers’ lives after her friend James died from blood loss in Afghanistan when none of his platoon knew how to stem his wounds. Having served a tour in Afghanistan, she’s seen the horrors of warfare and the nightmares they’ve left her with drive her to leave the army. Her boyfriend Nate is waiting for her, as is a job in the paramedic service but the nightmares won’t stop and the only relief she finds come from the bottom of a bottle.
Rose’s alcoholism soon spirals out of control, threatening everything she holds dear but help comes in the form of diaries written by her great-grandmother Rose. Rose’s husband Alfie fought in World War I and returns home traumatised by his experiences and missing part of his leg. Rose tries to make the best of things but Alfie isn’t interested in her help and it isn’t long before she finds herself tempted by another man …
Liz Trenow’s third novel looks at the psychological and physical effects of war on veterans from World War I and the more recent Afghanistan campaigns. It has a special focus on The Poppy Factory, a real charity formed after World War I initially to give work to disabled service men in making Remembrance Day poppies but now to also provide careers advice and support for veterans and a donation is made to the charity for each book sold. The best part of the book are Rose’s diaries - Rose’s voice is authentic as she struggles both with the unfairness of giving up the independence that work gave her as the soldiers come home and the stress put on her marriage as Alfie struggles to come to terms with what’s happened to him. I particularly enjoyed her reaction to ‘new’ inventions, e.g. elevators and to the inception of the cenotaph and the poppy campaign. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy the Jess sections, mainly because the PTSD and alcoholism sections seem clichéd (especially as it’s so familiar from literature and TV drama) but also because I’d always understood that counselling was mandatory for those in her situation rather than just cutting her loose. Although the writing is a little workmanlike at times, the Rose sections really held my attention and for that reason I would definitely check out what Trenow writes next.
The Verdict:
Liz Trenow’s third novel looks at the psychological and physical effects of war on veterans from World War I and the more recent Afghanistan campaigns. It has a special focus on The Poppy Factory, a real charity formed after World War I initially to give work to disabled service men in making Remembrance Day poppies but now to also provide careers advice and support for veterans and a donation is made to the charity for each book sold. The best part of the book are Rose’s diaries - Rose’s voice is authentic as she struggles both with the unfairness of giving up the independence that work gave her as the soldiers come home and the stress put on her marriage as Alfie struggles to come to terms with what’s happened to him. I particularly enjoyed her reaction to ‘new’ inventions, e.g. elevators and to the inception of the cenotaph and the poppy campaign. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy the Jess sections, mainly because the PTSD and alcoholism sections seem clichéd (especially as it’s so familiar from literature and TV drama) but also because I’d always understood that counselling was mandatory for those in her situation rather than just cutting her loose. Although the writing is a little workmanlike at times, the Rose sections really held my attention and for that reason I would definitely check out what Trenow writes next.
THE POPPY FACTORY will be released in the United Kingdom on 28th August 2014. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
A captivating story of two women bound together by the tragedy of two very different wars.
With the end of the First World War, Rose is looking forward to welcoming home her loving husband, Alfie. Traumatised by his experiences on the battlefield, Alfie returns a shadow of his former self. Pushed away by Alfie, Rose’s head is soon turned by another man and she struggles with temptation.
Many years later, Jess returns from her final tour of Afghanistan. Haunted by nightmares from her time at the front, her longed-for homecoming is a disaster and she wonders if her life will ever be the same again. Can comfort come through her greatgrandmother Rose’s diaries?
For Jess and Rose, the realities of war have terrible consequences. Can the Poppy Factory, set up to help injured soldiers, rescue them both from the heartache of war?
Three years ago Jess joined the army as a Combat Medical Technician, determined to save soldiers’ lives after her friend James died from blood loss in Afghanistan when none of his platoon knew how to stem his wounds. Having served a tour in Afghanistan, she’s seen the horrors of warfare and the nightmares they’ve left her with drive her to leave the army. Her boyfriend Nate is waiting for her, as is a job in the paramedic service but the nightmares won’t stop and the only relief she finds come from the bottom of a bottle.
Rose’s alcoholism soon spirals out of control, threatening everything she holds dear but help comes in the form of diaries written by her great-grandmother Rose. Rose’s husband Alfie fought in World War I and returns home traumatised by his experiences and missing part of his leg. Rose tries to make the best of things but Alfie isn’t interested in her help and it isn’t long before she finds herself tempted by another man …
Liz Trenow’s third novel looks at the psychological and physical effects of war on veterans from World War I and the more recent Afghanistan campaigns. It has a special focus on The Poppy Factory, a real charity formed after World War I initially to give work to disabled service men in making Remembrance Day poppies but now to also provide careers advice and support for veterans and a donation is made to the charity for each book sold. The best part of the book are Rose’s diaries - Rose’s voice is authentic as she struggles both with the unfairness of giving up the independence that work gave her as the soldiers come home and the stress put on her marriage as Alfie struggles to come to terms with what’s happened to him. I particularly enjoyed her reaction to ‘new’ inventions, e.g. elevators and to the inception of the cenotaph and the poppy campaign. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy the Jess sections, mainly because the PTSD and alcoholism sections seem clichéd (especially as it’s so familiar from literature and TV drama) but also because I’d always understood that counselling was mandatory for those in her situation rather than just cutting her loose. Although the writing is a little workmanlike at times, the Rose sections really held my attention and for that reason I would definitely check out what Trenow writes next.
The Verdict:
Liz Trenow’s third novel looks at the psychological and physical effects of war on veterans from World War I and the more recent Afghanistan campaigns. It has a special focus on The Poppy Factory, a real charity formed after World War I initially to give work to disabled service men in making Remembrance Day poppies but now to also provide careers advice and support for veterans and a donation is made to the charity for each book sold. The best part of the book are Rose’s diaries - Rose’s voice is authentic as she struggles both with the unfairness of giving up the independence that work gave her as the soldiers come home and the stress put on her marriage as Alfie struggles to come to terms with what’s happened to him. I particularly enjoyed her reaction to ‘new’ inventions, e.g. elevators and to the inception of the cenotaph and the poppy campaign. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy the Jess sections, mainly because the PTSD and alcoholism sections seem clichéd (especially as it’s so familiar from literature and TV drama) but also because I’d always understood that counselling was mandatory for those in her situation rather than just cutting her loose. Although the writing is a little workmanlike at times, the Rose sections really held my attention and for that reason I would definitely check out what Trenow writes next.
THE POPPY FACTORY will be released in the United Kingdom on 28th August 2014. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.