Reviewed by Emma Crowley
France, 1944.
Deep in the river valley of the Dordogne, in an old stone cottage on the edge of a beautiful village, three sisters long for the end of the war.
Hélène, the eldest, is trying her hardest to steer her family to safety, even as the Nazi occupation becomes more threatening.
Elise, the rebel, is determined to help the Resistance, whatever the cost.
And Florence, the dreamer, just yearns for a world where France is free.
Then, one dark night, the Allies come knocking for help. And Hélène knows that she cannot sit on the sidelines any longer. But secrets from their own mysterious past threaten to unravel everything they hold most dear…
Daughters of War is the first in a trilogy by Dinah Jefferies who is one of my favourite authors. It was published last year but for one reason or another I hadn’t gotten around to reading it but decided to rectify this as I know book two is due to be published in September. This is a broad story following three sisters living in the Dordogne region of France. It follows Helene, Elise and Florence as they try to make the best of the impossible circumstances that befall them during World War Two. This is an epic, sweeping drama in terms of its length and well over 500 pages and also in terms of the setting and the plot. It’s a multi-layered story which reveals itself slowly piece by piece. At times I felt the story was overly long in places and I found that in the beginning and perhaps for a good quarter of the book that it was slow going with not much happening. But once I got past this point I thought the story found a steady rhythm and pace and you become caught up in everything and you really are whisked away to France and become deeply invested in the lives of the three women.
On reflection, I think perhaps the slow pace was necessary given that there will be three books in the series and if too much was revealed too soon there would be nowhere to go with the story. I thought at times some of the detail and information presented was surplus to requirements but having read the blurb for the next book, I now understand that Dinah had everything so carefully planned and she was actually dropping little hints as to what plots could arise in the future books. What’s brilliant about this book is the descriptions, I felt as if I was living alongside the sisters as they struggled through the war and longed for a return to normal life. They live down a quiet laneway not far from the village of Sainte Cecile but it was almost as if they existed in another world in their farmhouse. I felt it almost had a magical feel about it almost as if it was a world away from the horrors of war yet war was very much on their doorstep. The beauty of the location and the use of land and nature throughout the book was just pure perfection and clearly a lot of research had been undertaken to know every little detail and to make the location just as important as all the events that befall the family.Their farmhouse was a haven and a refuge for each of them but all three women are very different from each other and their distinct voices firmly established themselves the more the book progressed.
It’s now 1944 with the war at its height. The sisters moved from England seven years ago following the death of their father. Their French mother Claudette decided to remain in England and they have not seen her since the outbreak of the war with communication being more or less impossible. For someone not actually physically present in the book we learn an awful lot about Claudette particularly through what Helene says about her. The relationship she has with her mother is fractured in places and she feels like she has had to take on the mother role when perhaps she mightn’t have wanted to. There was clearly a story surrounding Claudette and we get the briefest hints as to what had happened. I had some ideas as to what had occurred but as to specific details I couldn’t pinpoint anything exactly and I would have loved to hear from her point of view. I felt she needed to have her voice heard instead of the reader interpreting everything from what her daughters thought of her. Perhaps we will hear from her in future books and my opinion of her might change because at the moment from what I have learned she is a complex person who is quite cold and hard.
Helene is like the leader of the small family unit and she has many responsibilities and she had hoped to create a world where war would not encroach too much on their lives but that is not possible. I felt Helene was in a constant state of worry and anxiety and definitely not as free spirited as Florence or as strong willed as Elise. She carries many burdens on her shoulders especially as she works as a nurse alongside the village doctor, Hugo. She is at the centre of a lot of the mini plots that develop throughout the book and although reluctant at first to put herself in any unnecessary danger when an awful event occurs ( which was so brutally described but essential in helping the reader understand the subsequent motivations of the character) she finally got the courage to do her bit for the war effort because she knows whatever she does it will help in some small way to bring her family one step closer to safety. She always thinks of her sisters ahead of herself and she holds the reins together as tightly as she can but I enjoyed how some romance came to be a part of her life. Although unrequited for the most part and it came about due to a very difficult situation I hoped she would find some happiness amidst the upheaval and destruction of war. Helene is definitely a character who highlighted the bravery of ordinary people and as she works alongside the community of Saint Cecile I felt she grew and matured against her will at first but then she knew what she was doing was right no matter how difficult the path she was walking was.
Elise was a brilliant character full of energy, bravery and courage. She is so resilient no matter the hardships and difficulties that befall her. You’re heart will break for her for what she endures and I wished it hadn’t have had to occur but it added drama to the book and allowed other strands of the story to step up and take centre stage. She puts her life on the line on a daily basis due to her work with the Resistance and although Helene is constantly worrying for her I think deep down she admired deep down what Elise was doing and really wanted to be just like her. Elise is fiery and full of spirit and cunning and she was a woman ahead of her time. Very few women in the village had the audacity to engage in what she did but she wants to rally against all the changes in terms of the rules, how people are affected and how their daily lives have altered so drastically. She was someone who proved that love was stronger than fear, stronger than hate and stronger than division. She really got stuck into things ad although she lived with a never ending sense of fear because of the work she engaged in I think she thrived off this and it certainly helped her when trauma befalls her and she has to pick up the pieces and carry on again.
Florence was the sister who lived in a world of her own. She was whimsical and carefree and so in tune with nature and the land. She was the one who provided sustenance for the family and it was her way of contributing when she wasn’t as strong as the others in terms of engaging in resistance work or the simple day to day war effort in terms of surviving and keeping safe. She is fragile and sensitive and much preferred tending the garden growing food for the house and she puts her heart and soul into this. She was ingenious in what she could create from so little and she felt she was adding to the family in some small way providing so much when everything was rationed and people were struggling to get by. Her storyline took several surprising turns. One of which I had my suspicions about and was then proved wrong about but it allowed for the setting up of a good potential storyline for the future. The other was life altering for her and very detailed for the reader but I thought it was essential to have this event described in that detail because it showed how Florence changed and wasn’t perhaps as airy fairy as she was on first introduction.
The latter half of the book had a lot more going on and a strong thread became established. I loved getting to know the different characters in the village and some extra people that added some action to the story. Things take a very dramatic turn and I should have guessed what was happening with a certain character but I had no idea. The realities of war are brought home in a shocking manner but alongside this the community spirit and unity is highlighted as well as some very touching natural and emotional moments too. As the book draws to its conclusion there are lots of questions remaining and the answers may not even be given until book three. But still there was some satisfaction and resolution to be found with regard to some aspects of the story but as for others not so much and therefore we are set up perfectly for what is to come in the next book.
Daughters of War, once I got into it, was great read capturing perfectly a moment in time of one family during the war and how it affected those who had no choice but to try and make it through each day whilst clinging to hope. I can’t wait to see what’s next in store for the sisters and thankfully a copy of The Hidden Palace is waiting for me to get stuck into.
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