Out of the Ashes

was enjoying it at the beginning then I started to become bored and irritated with the protagonist.......more

I wish that I could give Out of the Ashes more than five stars, because I absolutely would if I could! Firstly, I love the authors writing style. Samantha Grosser is so descriptive and makes it incredibly easy to visualize the characters, the settings, the rooms and the landscapes. Her writing style......more

There are numerous novels written about the women who were left behind in the UK while their husbands were at war (WWII), and often the women find themselves falling for some other man (specially a US soldier!) in her husband's absence, (or if he is killed or 'goes missing'). But there are far fewer......more

This thoughtful book reminded me remarkably of Ann Perry's work, with its close observation of human behavior and motivations. A difficult subject is handled with grace and skill, although I tend to be somewhat skeptical of "love at first lust" story lines. After I finished it, I found myself thinki......more

An extraordinary story of WWII from a different perspective - German prisoners in Britain. A war widow, Clare, accidentally crosses paths with German prisoner. Any form of slight contact with prisoners of war is highly punishable, however Clare is drawn to this polite German. She is living with her......more