Anna Hope has written an inspiring read about three women
adjusting to life after heartbreak and war. Ada, Evelyn, and
Hettie are three very different women, who live three very
different lifestyles, yet their lives become intertwined
because of one similarity; all three had loved ones in WWI.
Hope seamlessly intertwines their lives together, creating a
tender story.
Hettie is a vivacious dancer who longs for more in life, and
is resentful of her older brother who has returned home from
the war, but can no longer work. She follows the rules, but
only to a point, and will go above and beyond to find
adventure.
Evelyn is a young woman from a wealthy family, who has
become bitter over her own loss, and now works at a pensions
office helping young men get benefits from wounds and
emotional distress suffered during the war. She tries to
cover her bitterness with aloofness, and independence, and
has a hard time seeing the positive even when it's right in
front of her.
Ada is a lonely housewife, who longs to know what happened
to her son during the war. Her once loving husband is now
distant and withdrawn, and she's just trying to keep her
world from falling apart.
Hope makes all three women relateable in their troubles and
triumphs. WAKE is filled with emotion, and has a tender and
vibrant storyline. Readers will find themselves moved by the
colorful settings of the 1920s dance halls, the lonely line
of soldiers at the pension office, and the simple, old -
fashioned life in the English country side. WAKE is a
powerful read, with well - rounded, likable characters, and
a hopeful ending.
Anna Hope’s brilliant debut unfolds over the course of five days, as three women must deal with the aftershocks of World War I and its impact on the men in their lives. Wake: 1) Emerge or cause to emerge from sleep. 2) Ritual for the dead. 3) Consequence or aftermath. London, 1920. The city prepares to observe the two-year anniversary of Armistice Day with the burial of the unknown soldier. Many are still haunted by the war: Hettie, a dance instructress, lives at home with her mother and her brother, who is mute after his return from combat. One night Hettie meets a wealthy, educated man and finds herself smitten with him. But there is something distracted about him, something she cannot reach. . . . Evelyn works at the Pensions Exchange, through which thousands of men have claimed benefits from wounds or debilitating distress. Embittered by her own loss, she looks for solace in her adored brother, who has not been the same since he returned from the front. . . . Ada is beset by visions of her son on every street, convinced he is still alive. Helpless, her loving husband has withdrawn from her. Then one day a young man appears at her door, seemingly with notions to peddle, like hundreds of out-of-work veterans. But when he utters the name of her son, Ada is jolted to the core. The lives of these three women are braided together, their stories gathering tremendous power as the ties that bind them become clear, and the body of the unknown soldier moves closer and closer to its final resting place.
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