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20th out of 26 books
—
93 voters
Fallen Skies
by
Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)
Can a family's mannered traditions and cool emotions erase the horrors of war from a young couple's past?
Now back in print from New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory, Fallen Skies takes readers to post-World War I England in a suspenseful story about the marriage of a wealthy war hero and an aspiring singer he barely knows.
Lily Valance is determined to forget
...moreMass Market Paperback, 640 pages
Published
August 15th 1995
by HarperCollins Publishers
(first published 1993)
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Mar 19, 2009
mary
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
between-the-wars,
brit-fic
FOREWORDS
Post-WWI, shell shocked gentleman, working class music-hall dancer/singer.
Love the period. I had thought all the P. Gregorys were Tudor-era.
**************************************
IN MEDIAS RES
The more of this I read, the more I like it!
**************************************
AFTERWORDS
This book reminds me of the sort I used to read on the subway headed downtown for work many years ago: thick enough for the long rides, engrossing enough to make me miss my stop, and addictive enough to have...more
2 likes · like · see review
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i did enjoy this . it is rather the equivalent of a sunday evening BBC costume drama in being well written , having a firm story line , clearly defined characters and being a bit of a page turner into the bargain . it is reassuringly safe and engrossing
set after WW1 it is a family drama involving a bullying ,cold , rich solicitor dehumanised by the war and his inferiority complex as the not so good son , his failed marriage to a younger , poorer and in his snobbish eyes not quite the right clas...more
set after WW1 it is a family drama involving a bullying ,cold , rich solicitor dehumanised by the war and his inferiority complex as the not so good son , his failed marriage to a younger , poorer and in his snobbish eyes not quite the right clas...more
So far my least favorite of this author. I have read most of her others, that take place during the time ,of King Henry VIII, a period I love.
This book takes place after WWI, and although I wanted to find out how it ended, I did not enjoy is as much as The Boleyn Inheritance, The Other Boleyn Girl (which far surpasses the movie), and The Queens Fool. I have read a total of nine of her books so far. And on my to read list is her latest The Other Queen.
This book takes place after WWI, and although I wanted to find out how it ended, I did not enjoy is as much as The Boleyn Inheritance, The Other Boleyn Girl (which far surpasses the movie), and The Queens Fool. I have read a total of nine of her books so far. And on my to read list is her latest The Other Queen.
4 likes · like · see review
didn't finish, depressing, and I didn't care
1 like · like · see review
Philippa Gregory is a talented author with a knack for making characters come alive. But I have noticed a not-so-wonderful pattern to her novels: The beginnings are usually very strong, and then they peter off. Too many of her novels have weak endings. The most vivid example of this is THE WHITE QUEEN, which ended just before the tragedy of the murders of the two sons of the protagonist.
Unfortunately, this was another such novel. As with all of her novels, I loved the way it began. I loved the...more
Unfortunately, this was another such novel. As with all of her novels, I loved the way it began. I loved the...more
Very dragging in parts, and with some quite abrupt changes in POV that jar the flow of the narrative. Prose is bland, bordering on insipid. Gregory suffers from lack of adherence to the golden rule, "show, don't tell", and I'm sorry but I've read quite a lot of her books and the woman cannot write a positive strong female character to save her life. Lily, like all of Gregory's protagonists that I've encountered, is whiny, hysterical, helpless and impossible to sympathize with. Everyone else in t...more
Philippa Gregory doesn't write novels, she writes sagas. She writes deliciously delightful dramatic works that would never fit in a movie timespan or even a mini-series on cable. She writes without reserve. She writes without concern of foraging into realms too shocking. Her works remind me of good dramatic plays. Hedda Gabler perhaps. Reading her writing is what I imagine to be something like an ocean crossing. You're guaranteed intermittent times of smooth and very rough water, and you really...more
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1 like · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This was definitely not a story that I expected. If you expect to come away with sunshines and rainbows, this book is not for you. It is an excellent story that examines the affect of war on soldiers as well as the people left behind and is set a few years after the end of WWI. The story centers around a young woman who refuses to let the war interfere with or touch her life and how she is drawn into the world of two people who have been significantly touched by the war andthe story revolves aro...more
I hadn't expected to enjoy Fallen Skies as much as I did. I still maintain that "The Other Boleyn Girl" is her best book, but this is way up there near the top of my list.
The vivid descriptions of the vaudeville theater, and the delicious glimpses of 1920s Portsmouth and Southampton, were so much fun. My heart thudded and ached in syncopation with Lily's. I was most definitely drawn into this book from the first few pages, and sad when it ended because I wanted there to be more of it to read!
Th...more
The vivid descriptions of the vaudeville theater, and the delicious glimpses of 1920s Portsmouth and Southampton, were so much fun. My heart thudded and ached in syncopation with Lily's. I was most definitely drawn into this book from the first few pages, and sad when it ended because I wanted there to be more of it to read!
Th...more
The author is well-known for her historical novels about royal personages, but this book, first published in 1993 and re-issued in 2008, is among her best and is timely in this era of war. It is set in the immediate aftermath of World War I in England. A former officer from an upper-class family is haunted by dreams of the war. He falls in love with a pretty, very young music-hall performer, seeing in her naivete the pre-war innocence he misses. The impoverished girl reluctantly marries her rich...more
This was not an easy book to read! The subject matter (post WWI England) was dark, the characters were not particulary likeable, and the first half of the book was pretty slow. I almost put it down. But, I began to realize that Ms. Gregory had captured something realistic in the telling of this story. The prejudices of the characters were probably all too real in this time period (and possibly still exist in some quarters today). The post-traumatic stress of Stephan Winters and his friend Covent...more
Jan 30, 2010
Brittany
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People interested in the 1920s
Recommended to Brittany by:
Tegan
How I Came To Read This Book: My friend Tegan randomly bestowed books on each of us one day, and I ended up with this one.
The Plot: It's 1920 and Lily Valance is a burgeoning starlet who just wants everyone to forget about the war and have a good time. Her joie de vivre catches the attention of a WW1 hero and wealthy lawyer named Stephen Winters, who aggressively pursues Lily to become his wife. As Lily is drawn into Stephen's world she realizes how strongly silence can mask pain and deception,...more
The Plot: It's 1920 and Lily Valance is a burgeoning starlet who just wants everyone to forget about the war and have a good time. Her joie de vivre catches the attention of a WW1 hero and wealthy lawyer named Stephen Winters, who aggressively pursues Lily to become his wife. As Lily is drawn into Stephen's world she realizes how strongly silence can mask pain and deception,...more
I would definitely recommend this book, knowing that some will have a hard time dealing with the lack of likable characters and the dark subject matter. However, I personally feel strongly that these are stories that need to be told and we need to hear, even if it makes us uncomfortable or morose. Gregory does a fantastic job describing the difficulty returning shell-shocked WWI vets had reassimilating into a culture they felt they no longer understood and how for some it became impossible to ev...more
When I read the last page my initial reaction was, "WHAT?!" and I was mad, but later I was fine with the ending. I hated Stephen the entire book and found myself saying "run girl!" out loud to Lily, but obviously that is my opinion. This book makes me thankful that I grew up the way I did, with the mother I did, and so on. Written well and I think in a good era (WWI) which I don't know as much about as earlier or later time periods. At first I thought Lily was a bit light and fluffy, but I think...more
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...more
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...more
Philippa Gregory is a brilliant author who writes historical fiction. I was captivated with her book, The Other Boylen Girl, and am working my way through many of her other books. This book is about post World War I and how challenging it was for soldiers and families in Britain to try to lead a normal life after so much tragedy. Now that I have completed the book, all I can really say is "Wow." The novel became more and more difficult to read as the content became much more difficult to 'digest...more
Amazon says: "Attempting to leave the past behind them, singer Lily Valance and World War I Captain Stephen Winters join in the revelry of the 1920s, but their happiness is shattered by Lily's career ambitions and Stephen's post-war stress."
This book was a riveting read for me. I really had a hard time putting it down. Lily's spirit is something you just want to protect and you agonize when her husband Stephen tries so hard to crush it. To be honest, I thought of Stephen as someone who could be...more
This book was a riveting read for me. I really had a hard time putting it down. Lily's spirit is something you just want to protect and you agonize when her husband Stephen tries so hard to crush it. To be honest, I thought of Stephen as someone who could be...more
This was my first experience reading a Gregory novel. I have heard such amazing things about her writing, so I decided to read this book. Perhaps I should have started with the Tudor series. Overall, I was impressed with her knowledge of the time period and its customs. She is a great writer.
This novel deals with the characters coping with the aftermath of WWI. It deals especially with the horrible mental effects war can have on a solider. This was not an uplifting novel by any means. It was act...more
This novel deals with the characters coping with the aftermath of WWI. It deals especially with the horrible mental effects war can have on a solider. This was not an uplifting novel by any means. It was act...more
Can't wait to read this one. My first love is reading and writing. My second is military history. This book is based in the 1920's just after WWI and deals with the guilt a young wealthy soldier has over surviving Flanders battlefields.
So far so good! I think I like Phillipa Gregory more when she's not bound by the confines of history. This book is not like her books that are based on real people, it's complete fiction. So far it's really good.
OK I take back everything I said in the last post. I...more
So far so good! I think I like Phillipa Gregory more when she's not bound by the confines of history. This book is not like her books that are based on real people, it's complete fiction. So far it's really good.
OK I take back everything I said in the last post. I...more
This was a different book for Philippa Gregory. Its about England just after WWI-and a different take on that time period. English writers tend to romanticize the time between the World Wars but this book takes a much harder look at the time. One of the main characters is an attorney who is dealing with lots of clients trying to get divorces-couples who married in a hurry before the war and then regretted it afterward, couples who are trying to deal with the husband's shell-shock, as PTSD was kn...more
Jun 27, 2011
Christina Sesok
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
summer-reading-2011
I started this book several years ago, couldn't get into it and stopped. This time around, however, I found myself completely captivated by this book. There are very few times where I encounter characters that I hate so much I physically want to reach into the pages and bash their heads against a wall, but that is how I felt about Stephen and his mother, Muriel. I found them to be cold and heartless, but I feel like that was the point. On the other end of the spectrum, I found some of the other...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I was really enjoying this one, despite the somewhat unlikely situations (Charlie lost both testicles and half of his penis, but he was otherwise able to romp around in the ocean?) and characters that were a little wooden. Anyway, I was plugging along, finding the book to be enjoyable, even if it wasn't that well-written, until I got to the part where Stephen stabs a baby in the stomach. Totally unnecessary, and it ruined the entire book for me. My son is a baby boy with blue eyes, too, who kick...more
You really have to force yourself to get through the first few chapters of this book. It is a very subtle read with very few climaxes until the ending. It is basically about a young girl under her mothers care and guidance who at first is a strong influence to the main character but trails away near the end. It almost as if when she ends, the driver of her husband picks up as her role model. The ending was very surprising with a lot of fanatic and surprising emotions coming from the character, y...more
WWI is the backdrop for this saga, which is a change from Ms. Gregory's more common British royal tales. PG takes you into the depths of human emotions in this whirlwind novel. This one has it all. Love, hate, war, mystery, brutality all wrapped up in a story that is quite compelling. The 5 star rating was coming out, but the ending fell a bit short, for me. PG always creates the most interesting characters. You either love 'em or hate 'em.
The realm of the aristocracy never fails to intrigue, w...more
The realm of the aristocracy never fails to intrigue, w...more
The only reason I forced myself to finish this book was to see if something terrible would finally happen to Stephen or Lilly. I have never disliked characters as much as I did with this story. I tried to find some pity, compassion, or empathy for someone in the book but it just never happened. Logically I know part of this annoying attitude was due to the time period and the general disillusionment of the Lost Generation which Stephen, Coventry, Lilly and, to some degree, Charlie certainly refl...more
I have read many of Philippa Gregory's books, beginning with my favorites Earthly Joys and Virgin Earth, set in 17th century England with protagonists John Tradescant and his son, renowned gardeners to the wealthy/nobility, and discoverers of "new" plants in America. Probably Gregory's best known works are those dealing with the Tudor Court of Henry VIII, many of which I've also read, so this one was a departure for me. Set in post-WWI, it's the story of a young, lower middle class aspiring sing...more
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Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the novel The Other Boleyn Girl, which was made into a TV drama and a major film. Published in 2009, the bestselling The White Queen, the story of Elizabeth Woodville, ushered in a new series involving The Cousins’ War (now known as The War of the Roses) and a new era for the acc...more
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