S. Block

I don't normally eat up novels of this length as fast as I ate this one. But I've been invested in these characters since Season One of the (sadly!) cancelled television show.

Of course, telling a story onscreen is much different than writing a story for the page. I still think Home Fires was considerably stronger as a television production, with a great cast and all, than the ongoing story in the form of novels. I can still tell that the art of novel writing isn't this author's specialty.

The show more characters aren't as compelling here as the actors originally made them onscreen. The narrator and sometimes the characters too often state the obvious in this book, the switches in point of view are sometimes jarring, and much of the exposition is strikingly redundant. It took quite a while until I felt like the plot as a whole began to move forward—into truly fresh territory.

I was never bored though, as again, I'm invested in what happens to these characters. (Granted, I've long lost all of my respect for Annie and didn't regain it here, but anyway.) The story itself is still interesting, and the read really picked up for me about halfway through.

Now, I see how some other readers feel that some of this story's developments are too easy. And I think toward the end especially, the author rushes to wrap so much of this up with a big, happy bow.

But the war isn't over, and there's room for more trials and joys in Great Paxford. If a following novel is coming, I plan on reading it. show less

Still rolling through Great Paxford...

One thing I most appreciate are Pat's thoughts about some of her fellow white villagers, how she's ashamed they could be at war with (and appalled by) fascist Germany but still discriminate against black and Chinese people right in their village.

(Nice point Frances makes too, about how someone can be so quick to think being black makes a person a dangerous "savage," while Hitler's having bombs dropped on civilians across Europe.)

One thing that concerns show more me most, though, is about Pat. She has a compelling breakthrough at the end of the television show. But in the novel so far, it's almost as if that breakthrough didn't happen--as if her character has been stunted or reversed to keep her stuck in the same dilemma. To me, that area of conflict, and the way Pat continues to take it, has gotten old.

Still, I'm enjoying the reading overall and could say more about different characters, but I'll just go on to Part Three... show less

Well, there is a difference between storytelling through television and storytelling through novels. Besides the engrossing story itself, of course, the core actresses especially carried the television series Home Fires and made it sharp, smart, human, and poignant. The ladies brought out the nuances of it all.

The novels continuing the story aren't as sharp or deft. There's very little in the way of subtlety, especially around the dialogue. Much in this novel is overtly spelled out, or drawn show more out through characters' redundant inward deliberations that don't always take the plot anywhere new.

There's also a good deal of head-hopping, the narration often bouncing between different characters' points of view within the same scenes and conversations without warning or smooth transitions. And nothing against Laura, but her character in the books has yet to interest me. Maybe she needs more time to shift from the screen to the page, as the main issue for her character in this novel feels like a forced idea from out of the blue simply to give her something to do—a sudden twist rather unrelated to much about her from earlier.

Still, there are some excellent turns of phrase that pop up in the writing, and I remain curious to see what will happen to most of the characters (even if there are a couple of them I wish I could shake some sense into already.) I still picture the cast as the actors from television, which helps, as does my overall love for historical and wartime fiction, and wow! What an ending!

I'm keeping my eyes open for the next book. show less

My first thoughts and impressions on my long-anticipated return to Great Paxford...

Yes, I'm picturing everyone in the story as the actors from the television show. (Why, oh, why did ITV cancel something so well done?) It's nice to be able to get a little more into the characters' heads, as novels allow. The author establishes the omniscient narrator early, so even though not all of the switches between the characters' perspectives are the smoothest, I'm not thrown by them.

On the other hand, show more I feel like the time in the characters' heads is a little overabundant, and redundant here and there. I'm also finding the use of italics to be pretty excessive. There are times when an author can trust readers to understand without a lot of explanation, and readers often have an instinct about where to place emphasis as they read, even without italics doing the work too frequently or actors saying the words aloud.

Nevertheless, I know I'm being nitpicky. Shifting from scriptwriting to novel writing isn't something all writers can do as well as this one has. Despite my raised eyebrow at a character or two I would've expected better from by now, they're all standing out nicely on the pages. And their ongoing story is worth turning the pages for. (Hoping to hear more about Steph and David soon!)

I'm not sure how I'd feel reading this if I hadn't already watched the show. But anyhow. On to Part Two... show less