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Proud of You
A heartfelt historical saga from Mary Wood, Proud of You is a page-turning novel with a compelling mystery at its heart.Alice, an upper-class Londoner, is recruited into the Special Operations Executive and sent to Paris where she meets Gertrude, an ex-prostitute working for the Resistance Movement. Together they discover that they have a connection to the same man, Ralph D'Olivier, and vow to unravel the mystery of his death.After narrowly escaping capture by the Germans, Alice is lifted out of France and taken to a hospital for wounded officers where she meets Lil, a working-class northern girl, working as a nurse. Though worlds apart, Alice and Lil form a friendship, and Alice discovers Lil is also linked to Ralph D'Olivier.Soon, the war irrevocably changes each of these women and they are thrust into a world of heartache and strife beyond anything they have had to endure before. Can they clear Ralph's name and find a lasting love and happiness for themselves?
435 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2014
21 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 23, 2016
The only reason this book has such a high rating on Goodreads is because hardly anyone has read and possibly for good reason.
Don't get me wrong, the actual storyline of this book is good. The connection between the girls and their bouncing back from hardship is strong and inspiring but oh my god, the writing! The writing was so terrible. More so, the way conversations were structured. They lacked any surrounding detail and the reader is just suppose to know what everything looks, for example the sudden exclamation in the middle of a conversation between Elsbeth and Alice when she saw Ralph's photo. There was no description of the room, and the sudden shock of seeing her father's face peering at her. No, it went straight to, "Oh my gawd, that's my dad. Whhhaaaa?"
The way people spoke during the book was also very unrealistic and everything was very drawn out or written in accents (which I hate!). The book was slightly painful to read at times because of this.
Also, the actual plot of the book is described as Alice's quest to clear her dad's name....no! The book is all about the women and different things they did in the war and then every now and again, something about Ralph is thrown in by Alice, normally her telling someone he was innocent of the crime he was killed for.
And the obsession with rape? Rape is hard to read about once, but the amount of times it was brought up this book was unreal and it almost started to have no meaning cause it was almost like the word was being thrown about. It's certainly not the way to write it. It began to lose its sensitivity and its not an issue that should just be thrown into a plot to spice things up.
Don't get me wrong, the actual storyline of this book is good. The connection between the girls and their bouncing back from hardship is strong and inspiring but oh my god, the writing! The writing was so terrible. More so, the way conversations were structured. They lacked any surrounding detail and the reader is just suppose to know what everything looks, for example the sudden exclamation in the middle of a conversation between Elsbeth and Alice when she saw Ralph's photo. There was no description of the room, and the sudden shock of seeing her father's face peering at her. No, it went straight to, "Oh my gawd, that's my dad. Whhhaaaa?"
The way people spoke during the book was also very unrealistic and everything was very drawn out or written in accents (which I hate!). The book was slightly painful to read at times because of this.
Also, the actual plot of the book is described as Alice's quest to clear her dad's name....no! The book is all about the women and different things they did in the war and then every now and again, something about Ralph is thrown in by Alice, normally her telling someone he was innocent of the crime he was killed for.
And the obsession with rape? Rape is hard to read about once, but the amount of times it was brought up this book was unreal and it almost started to have no meaning cause it was almost like the word was being thrown about. It's certainly not the way to write it. It began to lose its sensitivity and its not an issue that should just be thrown into a plot to spice things up.
October 2, 2014
loved this story had me in tears and had to put it down at times loved the characters and mary wood does have a way of bringing them all to life loved the cockney slang that was added into the story and very good extracts of the terrible war i like the way the chapters were put out into each woman in the story and how they bonded and also the twists in the story to amazing read one of my best of this year
November 18, 2014
Alice, Lil and Gertrude all have a difficult past. Alice has grown up in luxury, but her childhood was filled with terror. Lil has married her childhood sweetheart who's changed into someone she doesn't recognize anymore. Gertrude was forced to leave her home when she was a teenager and she worked as a prostitute to keep herself alive. War has taken a lot from these women, but they've got one thing in common, they have strength. Alice and Gertrude meet in France and discover that they have a connection. They become friends while they are both working for the French resistance. Alice is a special agent and Gertrude works for a German family as an undercover language teacher. When Alice gets hurt she has to go back to the UK where she meets Lil. They become friends and discover that they also have a connection. Because of the war all of the women suffer and they have to endure things that are unbearable to think of. Are they going to survive and find the love they truly deserve or will the war ruin their lives and destroy everyone who's close to them?
Proud of You isn't a light read. Even before the war these three women had a tough life. Alice is the bravest heroine I've ever read about. Lil is a kind women who wants to make things all right for everyone. She has to live with a lot of guilt and she manages to turn it into something productive to help others. Gertrude's loyalty comes before love which in her case is an enormous achievement. It isn't easy to read about all the horrors that have happened in the Second World War, but it's good to be reminded. Mary Wood doesn't sugar coat things, she writes about the horrors in an honest way. She also writes about the good things, friendship and love in a beautiful way. Sometimes I had to swallow back tears and other times I was being kept on the edge of my seat for quite some time, because I had to know what would happen next in the lives of these three women. They've all become very dear to me. The same goes for this book, it's the best novel I've read this year.
Proud of You isn't a light read. Even before the war these three women had a tough life. Alice is the bravest heroine I've ever read about. Lil is a kind women who wants to make things all right for everyone. She has to live with a lot of guilt and she manages to turn it into something productive to help others. Gertrude's loyalty comes before love which in her case is an enormous achievement. It isn't easy to read about all the horrors that have happened in the Second World War, but it's good to be reminded. Mary Wood doesn't sugar coat things, she writes about the horrors in an honest way. She also writes about the good things, friendship and love in a beautiful way. Sometimes I had to swallow back tears and other times I was being kept on the edge of my seat for quite some time, because I had to know what would happen next in the lives of these three women. They've all become very dear to me. The same goes for this book, it's the best novel I've read this year.
October 8, 2014
I absolutely loved Mary's latest novel, in fact it is my favourite so far. The story is about 3 women set during World War 2, each of them have different struggles. I particularly felt for Alice who didn't have a very happy childhood, and then was sent to Paris to work for the resistance movement, and was introduced to Gertrude a prostitute that has a connection with Alice's father. Alice manages to escape from the germans, and ends up in hospital where she forms a bond and friendship with Lil who she finds she is also connected by her father. Loved the ending!
I can't wait for Mary's next novel, her writing goes from strength to strength. We are all proud of you!!
I can't wait for Mary's next novel, her writing goes from strength to strength. We are all proud of you!!
May 19, 2017
Book
Just read this for the second time and again it still gets to me Mary makes her characters come to life its a must read for people who love sagas with a difference brings ww2 and the resistance to life well done once again Mary
Just read this for the second time and again it still gets to me Mary makes her characters come to life its a must read for people who love sagas with a difference brings ww2 and the resistance to life well done once again Mary
June 21, 2017
The story is good, the plot is good, the characters of the three women are good, but the writing style made it difficult for me to connect with the book. I think the dialogue is a bit clunky. Most of the other characters were under developed.
January 2, 2021
This book is a bit like marmite you will either really love it or hate it I am somewhere in the middle felt it was the most long drawn out book I’ve read in a while the women’s stories had the potential to be something really great but definitely didn’t feel they were done justice with this book
October 7, 2014
I love books set in the war years. Three great heroines. French resistance and good plots. Will look out for further books from this author.
November 19, 2023
This was such a frustrating read, because it alternated between moments of greatness and (far too many) moments of, “Really? You just glossed over that?” For example - and I’m really not giving away much here - one of the characters loses her significant other, whom she’s just really come to care for, meets another man in the next scene, six weeks go by (in a subtitle), they spend a steamy night together, and suddenly they’re madly, deeply, in love. Who cares about the childhood bf we spent so much time learning to love?
The dialogue was stilted, the characters were one-dimensional, yet the story itself had potential. SO incredibly frustrating!
I would have considered three stars, but this book is madly overrated here!
The dialogue was stilted, the characters were one-dimensional, yet the story itself had potential. SO incredibly frustrating!
I would have considered three stars, but this book is madly overrated here!
February 24, 2018
A well written war time story with links to the characters that one does not necessarily expect. The eventual twist is a surprising one but a very enjoyable story.
April 28, 2021
A very good book
June 12, 2023
Interesting slant on SOE operatives during WW2.
Tale follows 3 very different girls whose stories intertwine . An entertaining read .
Tale follows 3 very different girls whose stories intertwine . An entertaining read .
August 13, 2023
why was this book written in accents😭 crying as an eastern european
October 20, 2023
Another great book by Mary Wood.
March 2, 2017
Very moving
Very believable and moving story. Written in a way to make you feel that you are part of the story as you become fond of the characters. The story gave a chilling insight to the horrors of war and also the love and determination borne from the sadness and evil acts faced by the characters.
Very believable and moving story. Written in a way to make you feel that you are part of the story as you become fond of the characters. The story gave a chilling insight to the horrors of war and also the love and determination borne from the sadness and evil acts faced by the characters.
June 20, 2016
This is the first time that I have read any of Mary Wood's books and it won't be the last. I loved it. The author creates a worn torn Britain where constant air raids show no discrimination between rich and poor, creating friendships that would have been unthinkable in the not too distant past. Three such women come together Alice, Lil and Gertrude. This is their stories, their friendships, relationships and roles in the war.
What a brilliant book. I loved how the author put each of the women into very different relationships with their men, which brought out all of my emotions from anger to elation and sadness. It isn't just about romance though. It is a story of courage that all three of them have and a continual thread of injustice throughout the story. Brilliant!
What a brilliant book. I loved how the author put each of the women into very different relationships with their men, which brought out all of my emotions from anger to elation and sadness. It isn't just about romance though. It is a story of courage that all three of them have and a continual thread of injustice throughout the story. Brilliant!
November 22, 2015
I really like the way the three central characters are developed by the author. The novel is a well written and pacey story of life on the Home Front, the Resistance Movement and nursing in wartime.
The author brings the story and characters to life by using colloquial language. The concept of humour brought out by the Cockney rhyming slang provides something light-hearted in what is a very sad story.
The juxtaposition between the Second World War and the wrong done to Alice's father in the First War is what makes this a successful novel.
On the strength of this I will look out for other past and future books by Mary Wood.
The author brings the story and characters to life by using colloquial language. The concept of humour brought out by the Cockney rhyming slang provides something light-hearted in what is a very sad story.
The juxtaposition between the Second World War and the wrong done to Alice's father in the First War is what makes this a successful novel.
On the strength of this I will look out for other past and future books by Mary Wood.
May 23, 2016
Great book, loved it
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews