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?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

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.

Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff

The Blurb On The Back:

Mila has a gift.

She can read a room, a person, a situation – and tell if you’re happy, or pregnant, or having an affair.

When her father’s best friend, Matthew, goes missing, Mila joins in the search. She sees clues no one else notices, facts everyone else overlooks.

But the answers refuse to line up and Matthew refuses to be found.

Is there something Mila has missed? Something closer to home than she ever imagined?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Meg Rosoff’s YA novel is a finely observed story that’s part coming-of-age piece about a 12 year old girl starting her journey to adulthood and part road-trip about a father and daughter getting to know each other better. Mila is a unique character – in some ways older than her years but still young enough to worry about the on-again/off-again friendship he has with the unhappy Cat who’s ditched her for some cooler older kids. I completely believed in Mila’s growing appreciation of the reasons for Cat’s behaviour and I found their text exchanges to be touching. I equally enjoyed the relationship between Mila and her father, the absent-minded translator Gil, through whom she learns about his friendship with Matthew and how this prejudices her against the sharp-tongued Suzanne who’s hiding secrets of her own. Given the age of the protagonist and the focus on grown-up’s secrets, I do question to what extent this fits within the YA category but it’s such a gripping read that I think teenage readers will be as hooked as I was. Ultimately this is another clever, unique and well-written book from the constantly excellent Rosoff and I very much look forward to seeing what she produces next.