Review: The Poppy Wife by Caroline Scott

Edie's husband Francis was missing in action, presumed dead, in France in 2017. Five years later, however, an envelope containing a picture of Francis arrives in the mail. Believing that this may be the proof that her husband is alive, Edie travels to France and becomes determined to find him. Meanwhile, her brother-in-law Harry, has also returned to France and his hoping to find his brother. What the two discover is something that will change both of their lives.

This book discusses something that not many authors dare to--the after effects of the Great War. The impact that such a raw and brutal war had on those who fought in it, their loved ones who were left behind, and for the ones who returned home and were just expected to get on with things. The sense of loss is all too real, and the story is a compelling one. However, parts of the story are let down by a slightly confusing narrative that jumps around from place to place and storytelling that feels slightly robotic in places. Still, readers looking for a story of everyday people who are trying to rebuild their lives after such a terrible war, will no doubt be intrigued by this one.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia for my reading copy.

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