This is a superb historical novel with tragic themes. Phillipa Gregory demonstrates the she can craft such a great story that takes place in the past century. (This book was initially released in 1993. Due to Gregory's popularity, it has been reissued.)

The story focuses on the dysfunctional marriage of Lily Valance and Captain Stephen Winters. Stephen was traumatized by his service during World War I. He is clearly suffering from PTSD and other issues. Yet he refuses treatment of any kind and is plagued by nightmares. Lily marries him and she is unaware of his condition until their honeymoon.

Before she met Stephen, Lily was an up and coming singer and chorus girl. Due to personal tragedy, Lily ends up marrying Stephen to survive. As she is from the working class and the Winters family is upper class, conflicts naturally occur. Compounded with Stephen's psychological problems and misogynist attitudes and Lily's inexperience, the marriage is immediately plagued by problems. There are continual themes of marital rape. While Gregory is not graphic in her depictions, it is still distressing material.

Gregory excels at describing Stephen's remembrances of the war. She also gets into the head of all her characters. The reader understands what makes each character tick. Overall, this book is an indictment of the attitudes of the upper class. When Stephen is observing his wife while she changes their son's diaper, the present day reader understand how warped his sensibilities have become.

"Stephen gazed at the two of them in a sort of horror: at his son's innocent babyish maleness, and at Lily's confident handle of him. As if she were some kind of red-handed nurse, as if she were not a lady at all. Stephen was appalled that Lily should lower herself to be so intimate with the child. It was worse than servitude, what she chose to do. It was disgraceful that she should do it and feel no shame at being watched."

As Lily continues to assert herself, Stephen's mental health and behavior declines. It is inevitable that this marriage will end in tragedy. Gregory keeps us guessing as to who will be harmed the most. The last few chapters kept the tension building beautifully. I highly recommend this book to historical fiction and Phillipa Gregory fans even though it is very dark material. ( )

Good read like all Philippa Gregory's books.
Lily is our heroine. The book deals with her adjustment from life in middle class England at the end of WW1 to the upper classes. The book goes on to describe her life in the chorus line in the dance halls of England to her life as a wife and mother in upper class society.
The reader also views the horrors of Stephen, her husband who is suffering from post traumatic shock, as well as various members of the household.
As the plot and characters unfold, you will be glued to the book. ( )

I was a bit disappointed by this book. Phillipa Gregory's books normally draw me right in and I can't put them down. This one was a bit flat - it is a pity because it is a good story. I think Stephen irritated me because he was so selfish & no one seemed to notice it or do anything about it. But also maybe that was how things were at that time with that sort of class. Also I never understood why the mother wanted the father to remain sick. I just found it hard to identify with the characters. Not a great book from Phillipa Gregory. ( )

In post-World War I England seventeen-year old Lily Pears is just on the verge of breaking out of the chorus line into a career as a solo singer when she meets the older distinguished war hero Captain Stephen Winters.

Wracked by nightmares of the war Stephen sees Lily as his saving grace with her angelic face and voice. He desperately pursues her yet she can only see him as a friend and nothing more. While away on tour Lily suffers from a tragic loss and with no one else to turn to she marries Stephen and is whisked away to the family mansion where the sole occupants are Steven’s dour mother and invalid father.

As time passes Lily begins to bloom and breathe life into the previously glum household but Stephen finds that his nightmares haven’t stopped. If anything they are worse and the shocking truth behind his heroic acts is close to being revealed.

The book started off really slow and with just over 500 pages I almost threw in the towel with this one but I stuck with it and it actually picked up pretty quickly after Lily’s tragedy. Through the rest of the book I was almost too anxious expecting something more sinister to be just around the corner so I was a little disappointed when nothing horrible happened but still thought it was a moving story. (See how jaded we've become LOL)

Gregory writes historical fiction with such amazing detail that you can picture the settings and background with stunning clarity. I’m new to historical fiction so I don’t have a lot to compare it to but I thought this was a great book. ( )

I have a deep interest in World War I and I was intrigued by how that war overshadows the characters in this novel set in post WWI England. The absolute horror of the war is depicted in a series of flashbacks that become increasingly disturbing. Gregory keeps the suspense growing steadily. For me, the conclusion worked well and felt -- at the same time -- inevitable and surprising. ( )