At the Edge of Summer by Jessica Brockmole

I seem to be reading so many books on WW both of them, but they make for fascinating reading as each individual story is so different and though the Wars are the background and the reason for the story, it is eventually stories of human lives changed, utterly transformed by the war. It is also strange that mostly it was because of the Wars that these stories actually came about.

Clare is from Scotland and utterly bereft from the death of her father. Her grandfather is away in Ceylon, not contactable, her mother abandoned the family years before and has not been heard of since and so Clare is despatched to France to her mother's best friend who welcomes her with warmth and open arms. Here she meets Luc a young son of the house in University in Paris but who visits the house frequently and a very close relationship develops between the two.

Just as Clare arrived at the Crepets household, she goes away again with her grandfather on his travels from Morocca to Algiers to the Far East. The outbreak of WWI sees Clare back in France as an artist helping to make facial prostheses for wounded men trying to remake their world amongst people who may not accept or see them for who they are. Luc is one of those who make their way to Clare and how she is to tame this embittered man to the boy who was warm and kind hearted and whom Clare loved is this story.

Emotional, warm and descriptively told this is a beautiful story of survival and love, of family and of course the ugliness that is war.

Sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review courtesy of Ballantine Books.