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Ladataan... Tides of War: A Novel (alkuperäinen julkaisuvuosi 2011; vuoden 2011 painos)Tekijä: Stella Tillyard
TeostiedotTides of War (tekijä: Stella Tillyard) (2011)
![]() Ei tämänhetkisiä Keskustelu-viestiketjuja tästä kirjasta. ![]() ![]() I was not wild about this book. It was a disappointment, because I liked Tillyard's book Aristocrats very much. But I did not think this book was particularly well-written, and the story never really grabbed me. Part of the problem, I think, is that I am not all that interested in the time period; but the other part of the problem is that I never believed Harriet and James as real people. Just didn't work for me. ![]() It took me a long, long time to finish this one; it just never really captured my interest, and I found myself putting it aside for long periods to get on with more enjoyable books. Tillyard's setting, the Peninsular War, was something about which I knew little, and it was interesting, for the most part. But as others have said, Tillyard could never quite put the historian aside. The result was that every fact added to an already huge cast of characters and yet another subplot. If it had kept my interest, I might have been fine with that; but instead, I felt a bit lost whenever I returned to the book. In addition, as others have mentioned, the tone was a bit offputting. It wasn't that she tried to imitate the style of the period or of the aristocracy, but there was an academic undertone that she apparently could not shake. I did like her portrait of high society and the character of Lady Wellington, and I learned something about an unfamiliar period; but I have to say that I was much relieved to come to the end of Tides of War. Would I give Tillyard a second chance at fiction? Yes. Hopefully she will have learned something about novel writing from her first effort and will put her historical knowledge to better, more restrained use in her second. Tides of War is the first fictional book by historian Stella Tillyard. Told from a multitude of viewpoints, this book focuses on the battlefront and home front of the Peninsular War during the early 1800's. Tillyard mixes a cast of fictional and real-life characters to tell her story. The novel opens shortly before the British Army sends their forces to Spain to battle Napoleon's invading armies. Captain James Raven is newly married to Harriet, and this campaign will be a test to their young marriage. Meanwhile, General Wellington sees this as the opportunity of a lifetime - a chance to emerge as one of the best British generals of all time. His wife, Kitty, is no weeping Army wife. In fact, she is glad to be rid of her husband and his philandering ways. As you would expect from a historian, the story was very much a lesson in history. Tillyard examines all aspects and effects of the war, from military battles to the financial nuisances of supporting a war chest. The Peninsular War, though taught to me years ago, were unfamiliar reading ground, and I enjoyed learning through Tillyard's research. Can historians write good fiction? I think so, but it takes some practice. And practice is what I think Tillyard needs to be a great writer of historical fiction. Tides of War had too many side stories and themes. Here are just a few:
Too much! To achieve all these themes, Tillyard invented a cast of dozens and devised t00 many subplots. I hope in her next book she can simplify her storytelling. Tides of War, overall, was an interesting read if you love historical fiction. Long listed for this year's Orange Prize, I tip my hat to Stella Tillyard, the historian, and hope she continues to refine her craft as a fictional writer. ![]() The writer's strength of craft is her keen sense of setting as she conveys the landscape of war and home life in this novel with attention to a reader's multi-sensory experience captured with luscious prose. A novel that follows the ravages of war and the edges of peace that are alive outside the war-zone...often quiet and still. Valuable addition to historical fiction novels of this period. © [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2012]. ei arvosteluja | lisää arvostelu
"Tides of War opens in England with the recently married, charmingly unconventional Harriet preparing to say goodbye to her husband, James, as he leaves to join the Duke of Wellington's troops in Spain. Harriet and James's interwoven stories of love and betrayal propel this sweeping and dramatic novel as it moves between Regency London on the cusp of modernity -- a city in love with science, the machine, money -- and the shocking violence of war in Spain. With dazzling skill Stella Tillyard explores not only the effects of war on the men at the front but also the freedoms it offers the women left behind. As Harriet befriends the older and protective Kitty, Lady Wellington, her life begins to change in unexpected ways. Meanwhile, James is seduced by the violence of battle, and then by love in Seville. As the novel moves between war and peace, Spain and London, its large cast of characters includes the serial adulterer and war hero the Duke of Wellington, and the e?migre?s Nathan Rothschild and Frederic Winsor who will usher in the future, creating a world brightly lit by gaslight where credit and financial speculation rule. Whether describing the daily lives and desires of strong female characters or the horror of battle, Tides of War is set to be the fiction debut of the year."--Publisher's description. Kirjastojen kuvailuja ei löytynyt. |
LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumStella Tillyard's book Tides Of War was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Current Discussions-Suosituimmat kansikuvat
![]() LajityypitMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English English fiction Modern Period 2000-Kongressin kirjaston luokitusArvio (tähdet)Keskiarvo:![]()
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