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We That Are Left
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A privileged young wife on a large Cornwall estate gains responsibility and confidence when her husband leaves to fight overseas. This English home front saga then becomes something more when she leaves for France herself to rescue a friend from danger.
Paperback, 420 pages
Published
February 2014
by Honno Welsh Women's Press
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One of my favourite things about reading historical fiction is that feeling of immersion; that I am right there with the characters in any given and realistically evoked time period. We That Are Left is one of the most immersive reading experiences which I feel I have had in a long while; I could barely tear myself away from Juliet Greenwood's beautiful and harrowing story which unfolds at the outbreak of World War One.
Greenwood's novel centres around protagonist Elin Helstone, a young, married ...more
Greenwood's novel centres around protagonist Elin Helstone, a young, married ...more

Right from the opening pages I was transported into life at Hiram Hall, the home where Elin has lived all her life, and continues to live now with her husband Hugo and cousin Alice.
I had been waiting for Juliet Greenwood's next book after really enjoying Eden's Garden and We That Are Left was so worth the wait, it is a moving contribution to WWI fiction and an enlightening exposé on how perceptions and the role of women experienced a complete and irreversible paradigm shift.
A war vet from the Bo ...more
I had been waiting for Juliet Greenwood's next book after really enjoying Eden's Garden and We That Are Left was so worth the wait, it is a moving contribution to WWI fiction and an enlightening exposé on how perceptions and the role of women experienced a complete and irreversible paradigm shift.
A war vet from the Bo ...more

This was a good story, it romped along at a fast pace, and it was nicely written and obviously well-researched. I really liked the fact that it covered the entire period of the war, allowing the reader to see how the main protagonist was changed by it - and I don't mean just by the fact of war, but as a middle-class woman, by the huge social changes. There were also some clever parallels drawn between two generations of soldiers in the Boer War and WWI.
So why didn't I rate it higher? My problem ...more
So why didn't I rate it higher? My problem ...more

If you only have time to read one book this year, make it "We That Are Left". But, be warned once you start reading you will not want to stop. Whilst going about normal everyday life, you will find your mind drifting into Elin's world, especially whilst gardening!
As a previous review has stated - empowerment, courage, survival and love. It is such a thought provoking and inspirational book, words fail me, I only wish I had the author's talent. I could go on and on, but instead of reading this re ...more
As a previous review has stated - empowerment, courage, survival and love. It is such a thought provoking and inspirational book, words fail me, I only wish I had the author's talent. I could go on and on, but instead of reading this re ...more

I received this book in a giveaway from GoodReads First Reads.
This being 100 years since the start of WW1, there's rather a lot of books about this topic around right now. I found this one to be refreshingly different due to the female perspective and the freedom women gained during wartime.
I really enjoyed this book and the characters were well developed. I also loved the Welsh & the descriptions of the areas of my childhood. I'll certainly read more by this author.
Also loving the fact the publ ...more
This being 100 years since the start of WW1, there's rather a lot of books about this topic around right now. I found this one to be refreshingly different due to the female perspective and the freedom women gained during wartime.
I really enjoyed this book and the characters were well developed. I also loved the Welsh & the descriptions of the areas of my childhood. I'll certainly read more by this author.
Also loving the fact the publ ...more

Feb 17, 2014
Carly Coleman tyson
added it
A very much enjoyed novel

This is a great story of a young English woman who must learn to take care of her family ancestral home during WWI and who learns just how brave she can be in dire situations. I loved the story and the characters. It was amazing how insulated young women at that level of society were in those days and how their contributions during the war helped give them a small start to greater independence.

I loved the book and was gripped by the story. I couldn't stop reading until it was finished.
...more

We That are Left is Juliet Greenwood's second novel set during the tumultuous years of the Great War, in a small village in Cornwall. Elin, the principle protagonist, is married to Hugo, a major in the British Army who suffered deep psychological wounds after serving during the Boer War. Though he may once have loved Elin, she can no longer find any vestiges of his love in her lonely life. But then, on a beautiful sunny day in August, a biplane piloted by an adventure-seeking young woman, parado
...more

Review first posted on my blog: http://spoonfulofhappyendings.blogspo...
It’s 1914 and Elin is married to Hugo, with whom she lives a comfortable but lonesome life at Hiram Hall. Hugo fought in the Boer War, something he doesn’t talk about but has influenced his life for the long run. Elin has a feeling her marriage isn’t going anywhere, but she doesn’t dare to do anything about it. Then World War I suddenly takes over everyone’s lives and Hugo leaves Elin behind to run the estate. While Elin’s c ...more
It’s 1914 and Elin is married to Hugo, with whom she lives a comfortable but lonesome life at Hiram Hall. Hugo fought in the Boer War, something he doesn’t talk about but has influenced his life for the long run. Elin has a feeling her marriage isn’t going anywhere, but she doesn’t dare to do anything about it. Then World War I suddenly takes over everyone’s lives and Hugo leaves Elin behind to run the estate. While Elin’s c ...more

Elin lives a secluded and luxurious life at Hiram Hall. Her home is in a beautiful village by the sea and she never has to worry about money. She should be happy, but she isn't. Her husband Hugo loves her, but he doesn't really care about her. He returned from the Boer War, but hasn't been himself ever since. It's 1914 and the country is at the verge of war again. Just before Mouse literally flies into Elin's world. She's testing her plane and lands at the wrong place. The two women instantly co
...more

We that Are Left is set around World War 1. It is the story of Elin, wife of Major Hugo Helstone, their home, Hiram Hall in Cornwall and the story of Elin's friends and family.
It begins in August 1914 a time of great anticipation and anxiety as rumours of war spread. Previously Hugo fought in the Boar war, far away but still with it's own nightmares which he has never shared with Elin. The war in Europe is much closer and everyone begins to consider the impact it may have on their lives.
When a ...more
It begins in August 1914 a time of great anticipation and anxiety as rumours of war spread. Previously Hugo fought in the Boar war, far away but still with it's own nightmares which he has never shared with Elin. The war in Europe is much closer and everyone begins to consider the impact it may have on their lives.
When a ...more

I loved this book from its very first pages - as Elin returns to her vividly described former home in Port Helen - to its thoroughly satisfying conclusion. The narrator, Elin, is a wonderfully drawn and fascinating focus for the story - treated like a child in her loveless marriage to the cold and troubled Hugo, her life is changed both by the onset of the First World War and by the arrival of Mouse (Lady Margaret Northcote), who crashes in her biplane in a nearby field. Her introduction to the
...more

In last nine months I have only given two books five stars. We That Are Left by Juliet Greenwood and Motherlove by Thorne Moore. I have a new favourite publisher Honno Press.
We That Are Left is a wee gem of historical fiction. It is set mainly during the Great War in a small Cornish village. Elin Helstone is left running the estate following her husbands departure to yet another war. Major Hugo Helstone is still haunted by the horrors of the Boer War. Elin's life changes with the responsibilitie ...more
We That Are Left is a wee gem of historical fiction. It is set mainly during the Great War in a small Cornish village. Elin Helstone is left running the estate following her husbands departure to yet another war. Major Hugo Helstone is still haunted by the horrors of the Boer War. Elin's life changes with the responsibilitie ...more

"We That Are Left"by Juliet Greenwood is a character driven historical novel that explores life at home during WW1 and also the sexual politics of those days. The book makes many interesting points and has some fascinating characters and plotlines. I didn't warm to the heroine and her narrative as much as I would have liked and wished her to develop more and deeper. There is however also some profound writing in this novel.
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Juliet Greenwood writes sweeping historical family sagas for Orion, based around determined young women fighting to make their own futures against the odds.
Juliet has always been a bookworm and a storyteller, writing her first novel (a sweeping historical epic) at the age of ten. She is fascinated both by her Celtic heritage and the history of the women in her family. Her great-grandmother was a ...more
Juliet has always been a bookworm and a storyteller, writing her first novel (a sweeping historical epic) at the age of ten. She is fascinated both by her Celtic heritage and the history of the women in her family. Her great-grandmother was a ...more
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