Review: Lovely War

Lovely War by Julie Berry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This masterpiece of a book braids together two love stories set in WWI and the inseparable bonds that war can create on two passionate couples. Hazel Windicott, a pianist, and James, a builder-turned-soldier, are acquainted at a London dance in 1917, on the eve of James's departure to the trenches. Hazel is not fully aware of the glances James is throwing her way as she is immersed in playing the piano. But Aphrodite cannot help but give James a nudge to ask her to dance. This single dance sets in motion the beginning of their unacquitted love for one another...

"Hazel kept on playing, but she had seen straight through those brown eyes and into the depths behind them, and felt something of the thrill of being seen, truly seen..."

'She was so, so pretty. At first it was the music, and then her eyes, and her hair, but now he saw how entirely adorable she was..."

Aubrey, a Harlem ragtime musician, and Colette, a Belgian singer scarred by German atrocities, meet at a YMCA relief hut in Saint-Nazaire, France. Aubrey is a member of the Army Band of the National Guard 15th New York Infantry Regiment when Colette is first introduced to him. Colette has been scarred by the war, as her entire family and her Stephané were brutally killed by the German forces. Meeting Aubrey is a breath of fresh air for Colette, but she is not sure if she is ready to leave her guilt and past behind for a new lease on life for herself and Aubrey.

"She kissed him. Not a thank-you kiss. A kiss that said, there's more where that came from."

War, though, takes a toll on James & Hazel, as well as Colette & Aubrey. War is neither an easy nor lovely thing to endure, but the love experienced in this novel is something I have yet to read about, much less alone experience myself. The idea of the Greek gods retelling such a story is a bit awkward at first, but the insights that are accompanied with the story truly add to the love between the characters. This story of war and love is poignant and touching, as their love is inseparable, even when the worst happens as a result of the war. War can tear families and communities apart, but it can also bring scarred people together, in which they form unbreakable bonds. This novel tears your heart, but mends it up again- it is a MUST READ!

"If you think I can live without you, Miss Windicott... you don't know me at all..."


(me waiting for another novel as touching and heartfelt as this one...)

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