The Photographer of the Lost

by Caroline Scott, Chris Harper (Narrator), Lucy Paterson (Narrator)

In the aftermath of war, everyone is searching for answers...
An epic novel of forbidden love, loss, and the shattered hearts left behind in the wake of World War I

1921. Families are desperately trying to piece together the fragments of their broken lives. While many survivors of the Great War have been reunited with their loved ones, Edie’s husband Francis has not come home. He is considered ‘missing in action’, but when Edie receives a mysterious photograph taken by Francis in the post, hope flares. And so she begins to search.

Harry, Francis’s brother, fought alongside him. He too longs for Francis to be alive, so they can forgive each other for the last things they ever said. Both brothers shared a love of photography and it is that which brings Harry back to the Western Front. Hired by grieving families to photograph gravesites, as he travels through battle-scarred France gathering news for British wives and mothers, Harry also searches for evidence of his brother.

And as Harry and Edie’s paths converge, they get closer to a startling truth.

An incredibly moving account of an often-forgotten moment in history, The Photographer of the Lost tells the story of the thousands of soldiers who were lost amid the chaos and ruins, and the even greater number of men and women desperate to find them again.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, World War I, War, Romance, Book Club

Audible Audio

First published October 31, 2019

About the author

After completing a PhD in History, at the University of Durham, Caroline Scott worked as a researcher in Belgium and France. She has a particular interest in the experience of women during the First World War, in the challenges faced by the returning soldier, and in the development of tourism and pilgrimage in the former conflict zones. Caroline lives in southwest France and is now writing historical fiction for Simon & Schuster UK and William Morrow.

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why I chose to read this book:
1. I was drawn to the title. The original title was The Photographer of the Lost;
2. the premise sounded intriguing; and,
3. November 2023 is my self-declared "Wars of the 20th-Century Historical Fiction".

Praises:
1. through the stories of MC Edie and Harry, author Caroline Scott writes a unique perspective from the wives and families left behind after the end of the Great War, searching for missing soldiers, and the photographers who assisted them by finding the answers they were looking for so that they could hopefully move forward;
2. the dual timeline did not disappoint! Whether trailing soldiers through the horrors of war in 1917 France, or following family members in 1921 as they desperately searched for their missing loved ones, Scott's use of vivid details felt like watching a movie;
3. Scott's in-depth characterization made these people so believable! Likable one minute, questionable the next, I really cared what happened to them all;
4. I savored how this story slowly unwound without plodding along; and,
5. the sections at the end of the book, About the Book and Reading Group Guide are must-reads!

Tiny Niggle:
Haymaking in October? I know it's doable, but not likely. Farmers would know that hay cut late in the fall has no nutritional value.

Overall Thoughts:
This is not your typical war historical fiction with a focus from the female perspective, nor is it a historical romance. It is; however, a story of memory and remembrance that both female and male readers would appreciate. It has given me a deeper understanding of the Great War and its aftermath, and a greater respect for the measures people used to find their missing loved ones.
Recommend!

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1921. The Great War may have ended, but so many desperate families are still trying to find out what happened to their missing husbands, sons and brothers?
Edie’s beloved husband Francis is still listed as missing, Francis is presumed to have been killed in action in France and Edie still believes that he could possibly still be alive?
Harry, Francis’s brother, was with him the day Francis went missing during the battle for Ypres, like Edie, he’s hopeful Francis is still alive and living somewhere in France?

Harry returns to France and he's trying to help grieving families find some closure. Harry takes photograph's of soldiers graves and sends the pictures back to their families in England. As he travels through war damaged France gathering news for British wives and mothers, he searches for any evidence that his own brother is still alive.
For Harry going back to France is very hard, he still suffers terribly from his own experiences during the war, he has horrible nightmares and flashbacks!
He also suffers from survivors guilt and why was he one of the lucky ones to survive the war? His younger brother Will died and older brother Francis has left behind a wife who's still not sure if she's a widow?

When Edie receives a mysterious photograph, she believes it might have been taken recently by Francis, and she's now certain that he's still alive? Edie embarks on her own journey in the hope of finding some trace of her missing husband. Is he truly gone, buried in a unmarked grave in France or could he be living in France?

But why hasn't he come home, has he lost his memory or has he been badly wounded and thinks she wouldn't love him anymore due to his injuries?
Harry and Edie’s paths cross, together they try to solve the mystery of what happened to Francis and could he hiding somewhere in France?
Thousands of men are listed as missing in action and France was a total mess after the WW I finished. Towns are destroyed, buildings are gone, the landscape looks different and fields are full of old army trenches. The countryside is littered with discarded and broken weapons, empty shell casings, rusty barbed wire, bits of uniforms and bones.

While reading: The Poppy Wife, you can almost see the sides of the road littered with soldiers discarded belongings as they march towards the front and feel how nervous they are while waiting in the trenches for the whistle to blow and it's their turn to go over the top!
The Poppy Wife, is a intriguing, beautifully written and a very emotional book to read.

Opinions expressed in this review are my own, I gave The Poppy Wife five big stars and it's one of the best historical fiction WW I books I have read.
I have shared my review on Goodreads, NetGalley, Edelweiss, Australian Amazon, Kobo, Twitter and my blog.
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Poppy Wife is set during and after World War I, the Great War. Edie’s husband, Francis, is missing and presumed dead after the war, and his brother, Harry, is present the day Francis went missing.

Both Edie and Harry believe Francis is still out there, and each seeks to find him. Harry goes by his work, traveling to take pictures of soldiers’ graves, while Edie embarks on her own journey. Their paths are about to intersect, and will they find news of Francis?

The aftermath of a war and its impact on the loved ones of those who are lost are captured in such an authentic and powerful way. The storyline is pierced masterfully together, and that lent itself to some great underlying tension. I enjoyed the literal and figurative journeys this book was, both for the reader and for Harry and Edie.

Overall, The Poppy Wife is a beautifully-rendered, emotional story of the lessons we can learn from war and how to find hope and healing in even the darkest of times.

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com

[Berit☀️✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caroline Scott’s debut is beautifully written, powerful, and intense. The book takes place primarily in France 1921 with flashbacks to 1917. A story about the aftermath of war, the sorrow and the devastation. The guilt and heartbreak felt by those left behind. This is a piece of history I have not read much about it was sobering to acknowledge the impact of war on both the land and human spirit. It was lovely and heart wrenching to see the hope inspired by the rebuilding of France, all I could think was in a couple decades they would be in the midst of war again.

This story was told from the alternating perspectives of Harry and Edie. Harry is the only one of three brothers to survive the war. He is now back in France working as a photographer taking pictures of soldier’s graves for their families. Edie was married to one of Harry’s brothers Francis. After receiving a mysterious photo she is convinced that Francis is alive and heads to France to find him. Harry and Eadie’s haves cross in France it is bittersweet. There is so much confusion, guilt, and history between the two of them, will discovering the truth about Francis bring them healing and closure? I was completely drawn into this riveting story. I had to know the fate of Francis and what had happened between Edie and Harry in the past. Scott’s vivid writing completely immersed me in Post WWI France. This book will appeal to all fans of historical fiction. It was raw. Real. And beautiful.

This book in emojis 📷 🚃 🇫🇷

*** Big thanks to William Morro for my copy of this book ***

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, the story here is fascinating. There are many novels set in post WWI England, but this is the first I have read that focuses on families either grieving for their lost sons/brothers/spouses or those unable to grieve because they have had no closure. Good material. Women searching amidst the ruin of post-war France for their loved ones, going from town to town looking at belongings. Women requesting photographs of their loved ones' graves.

However, poor execution. I know that a lot of reviews say the writing is beautiful, but I didn't find it so. I really dislike the use of the present simple, third person, I find books written in it are annoying to read. I disliked the switching from person to person, time to time, it's just not fluid. And I found the lead characters unsatisfying, and preferred the minor characters--the English officer and his wife working to create cemeteries for the English war dead, Rachel, the widow Harry meets along the way. They were more likeable and somehow felt more real.

And one last quibble--this is set in France, yet no one on either side seems to have much of a language barrier. Are the main characters fluent in French, or is this steampunk and someone has invented a universal translator?

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as poppies took root and grew in the soil churned up by the fighting and shelling during WWI, Caroline Scott's novel The Poppy Wife grows up out of the fighting along the Western Front. Told through 2 timelines, the front in 1917 and the aftermath in 1921, Scott weaves back and forth throughout the novel, showing the influences of the war on the peoples and countryside.

This structure gives the novel a slow start. The chapters are short, many only 3 or 4 pages long; and at first I do not feel engaged. About a third of the way through the book I finally have enough context and knowledge to feel invested and am beginning to be involved in the story.

Scott tells the war story of 3 brothers--Will, Harry, and Francis-- who leave Lancashire together in 1915 and are sent to France. Francis is reported as missing, most likely killed, in the fall of 1917. In May of 1921, Edie, Francis' wife, receives a photograph of Francis in the mail which arouses the belief that he may be alive after all. This mystery propels the latter thread of the story while the earlier timeline is told through flashbacks from Harry's POV.

I learn that men traveled the former battlefields and graveyards taking photographs of the death sites and grave sites of fallen soldiers on their families' behalves. I learn of the women who searched for missing husbands, brothers, sons. I learn of the unfathomable number of bodies that were never identified. I also see the survivors and how they put their lives back together, or don't.

This period of history is a passion of Scott's. Her research is impeccable and her writing of the war is vivid. I can feel the mud sucking me down, hear the deafening roar of the artillery, see the burned out orchards and woods. These sections are the strongest part of the novel for me.

What doesn't work for me is the actual plot. Parts of the story felt repetitious. The search for Francis is supposed to drive this novel, yet the author doesn't let the protagonists do the actual finding; and I never see how Captain Rose finds out about the certainty of Francis' death. Furthermore, it makes no sense that he sends the photo of Francis with no letter of explanation or at least the photo of his grave. And why send this to Edie when he did not do so with the others? Another facet that didn't work for me is the characters. I was never really able to hear Edie's voice and Harry could have been more fully developed.

I can see that Scott's milieu is the history. I can see the possibilities in this debut novel. And once again, I ask "Where have all the good editors gone?" With some wise guidance, rather than a mediocre work this could have been a very good novel.

Publication 2019

[~Sofia~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent a copy of this book by the publisher for an honest review as part of an Instagram book tour.

I really hope I can do this book justice and put into words how great this novel really is. Scott does it so well, putting a devastating and tragic time into words. This is a remarkable piece of work.

Here is a story based around the characters Edie and three brothers Francis, Harry and Will. Theirs is a story of love, heartbreak and bravery. Set at the end of the World War One this book puts into words the aftermath of the First World War. We begin with a Timeline of events which proves useful, to then delve into these characters lives.

The emotion that is conveyed from the outset is staggering. How Scott manages to put the varied emotions of these characters onto the page is impressive. As a reader I was with them every step of the way. This is in no way a light and fluffy read, it is pure, raw and devastating. What a brilliant portrayal of the harrowing aftermath of war. Scott captures the real despair of all those who’s family members went missing. The story comes together piece by piece. It’s a masterpiece of words that doesn’t just pull you into the fiction but the sobering truth of war as it really was.

Reading this book was a journey and Scott reminds me of the motto surrounded by the Wars, “Lest we forget”as even though the characters in this novel are fiction, their circumstances are not. I felt once more reminded of the horrors. So during my time reading this book I purchased a dozen poppies and made sure everyone I knew wore one as we truly must never forget and Scott has done an excellent job of driving that message home.

This is an excellent read and befitting for this time of year. Just make sure you have a box of tissues on hand.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life)]

DNF @48%
2019; William Morrow Paperbacks/HarperCollins

I love the premise of this novel...the aftermath of the Great War. World War I was a war that scarred many soldiers, outside and inside. It was a war that affected more than the soldiers themselves. I found it interesting that Harry was able go to the front and photograph graves for the loved ones still surviving. Harry had been a soldier with his brothers, and was with Francis when he disappeared. Edie doesn't think that her husband, Francis is dead and then receives a photograph taken by him. While I enjoyed learning about the photographing aspect of the war, I just could not get into Scott's writing. I gave up after 48% when I just didn't feel any investment in the characters.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving, powerful, intense.

The legacy of war, in this case the First World War, is a theme vividly and movingly explored in The Photographer of the Lost. There are the traumatic memories of conflict and survivor’s guilt of those who came back, like Harry, the lingering absence of those who didn’t, and the unfinished business of those reported missing in action, like Harry’s brother, Francis. Francis’ wife, Edie, joins many thousands of others hoping desperately for some miracle or, at the very least, finding some resolution even if only a grave at which to mourn.

Edie’s search is cleverly connected with the art of photography through Harry’s current occupation, photographing the graves of young men lost in the war as keepsakes for their grieving families and for fiancées who will now never become the wives of their sweethearts. Photographs – what they can and can’t say, the capturing of a likeness or of a moment in time – play an important part in the book. Harry and Edie both attempt to piece together clues from the photographs taken by Francis in order to uncover his story, revealing along the way a tangled web of relationships.

However, alongside the grief of relatives and the wounds – physical and mental – suffered by those who survived, there are signs of hope. For example, as Harry returns to France in 1921 he sees evidence of the rebuilding of villages destroyed in the war and of their inhabitants slowly trying to return to something like normal life. I loved the way this is also reflected in the natural world. ‘There are lines of young, flimsy-looking trees planted around the edges of the cemetery. Beyond them are other trees, bent and blasted, with metal splinters embedded in some of their trunks. They are both ugly and beautiful, these stubborn trees; they are both candid witnesses and resurgent life. New growth breaks from scarred trunks.’

Harry also witnesses those attempting to respect the memories of the fallen through the careful tending of cemeteries or the maintenance of records that might reunite families or at least bring them closure. It’s a timely reminder as we approach Remembrance Day of the horror of war, its lasting impact on nations and individuals, and the efforts of many dedicated individuals to honour the fallen (continued to this day through the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.)

The Photographer of the Lost will immerse you in the stories of its characters as they search for answers, for the strength to carry on and for forgiveness. Tissues at the ready, people.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant, insightful, and profoundly moving!

The Poppy Wife is predominantly set in the French countryside during 1921, as well as 1917, and is told from two different perspectives. Edie, a young British wife who after receiving a picture of her missing husband journeys to France to find him, dead or alive, and discover his fate wherever he may be, and Harry, the youngest of three brothers who endeavours to help his sister-in-law and others find some form of closure even while his own experiences and memories of war still plague and haunt him day and night.

The prose is poetic, expressive, and stunningly vivid. The characters are damaged, determined, and courageous. And the plot is a heartrending, utterly absorbing tale about life, love, loneliness, familial relationships, heartbreak, war, loss, grief, guilt, hope, loyalty, and survival.

Overall, The Poppy Wife is a beautifully written, exceptionally atmospheric novel that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the personalities, feelings, and lives of the characters you can’t help but be affected. It is without a doubt one of my favourite novels of the year that reminds us of the horrific consequences of war and the thousands of nameless men who still remain scattered underneath a savage battlefield. It’s emotive, powerful and as Kipling so iconically stated, “lest we forget.”

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Elizabeth☮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but didn't love it. I found the story engaging. It's three brothers sent off to fight in WWI. Only one brother makes it back, Harry. Harry is a photographer for a company that takes requests from people that lost loved ones that are buried in the country where they perished. It's a grim job, but he feels it gives families closure.

His sister in law, Edie, is someone Harry has a tense relationship with. This is the crux of the story. We get the two POVs in the story. We get the back story for the brothers and Edie's relationship with Harry's eldest brother, Francis. Francis is considered missing and four years later, Edie still harbors hope that he will return.

The book is good, but I felt like I wanted to know more about Edie and Francis since this is a big part of the storyline. I did like that there are topics here about the war that I didn't know. For example, that Harry's job was commonplace for the time period. This makes sense since families want closure and maybe couldn't travel to the place their son was lost.

All in all, I'll give the author another chance. This is a debut novel, so I can overlook hiccups. Scott did extensive research and it shows she in the details given about the war and PTSD.

[Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com

The Poppy Wife is a moving story of guilt, pain, separation, unanswered questions, dedication and love. It is a prudent novel that easily engulfs the reader in a tale of mystery, belief and heartbreak.

The Poppy Wife follows the broken lives and loves of those left behind by the impact of World War I. Caroline Scott’s first novel crosses two different but close timelines, 1921 and 1917. In the year 1921, everyone is consumed by the aftermath of the war. The war has left a trail of fragmented lives. Many people do not have any conclusive answers as to the whereabouts of their husbands, lovers, fathers, sons and brothers. For the lead of The Poppy Wife, Edie is one woman amongst so many left with unanswered questions as to the final fate of her husband Francis. Edie holds a photograph of her beloved and all she knows is that he has been classified as ‘missing in action’. Edie still holds some glimmer of hope that she can find Francis. Connected to Edie’s story is that of Harry, who is Francis’ brother. Harry fought and survived the Western front. Harry now works as a photographer for the fallen. He is tasked with the job of finding the grave sites of the fallen soldiers for the families of these brave men. Harry encounters Edie while on a search for the truth and both come to a harsh realisation by the close of the book.

Inspired by her own studies and personal family history, author Caroline Scott has penned a novel of great historical weight. The Poppy Wife tackles the difficult undergrowth of the devastation of WWI. It considers the impact on the soldiers that survived the war, who then went to live a very changed life. Scott also looks closely at the loved ones left behind. The Poppy Wife is a novel told with significant historical knowledge, insight and personal heart. It reminds us of the pure devastation experienced by many families following the close of the war.

The Poppy Wife is a thoughtful book that provides the reader with an excellent and historically accurate glimpse into this complex time period in our history books. The unfolding narrative is told from two separate timelines, which relays the perspectives of a returned solider and a wife left behind. I found both these voices compelling and insightful. I appreciated the heartbreaking and life affirming journey the characters in this novel went through. This pathway was tinged with plenty of historical record and authenticity.

Forming the historical backbone of The Poppy Wife are the various family requests for photographs of gravesites of the fallen to Harry. Harry’s profession definitely added an extra layer to this emotional tale. Scott also includes a detailed map of Belgium and France, along with a comprehensive timeline of the key events of the First World War. Preceding The Poppy Wife is a newspaper clipping outlining a request for battlefield photography, which gives the reader an insight into the specialised work of Harry, the lead of this novel.

What urged me to continue to read The Poppy Wife with gusto was the central mystery involving the final fate of Francis, who is Edie’s husband and Harry’s brother. This is an upsetting story that truly strikes directly at the heart. By the close of the novel, Scott delivers some answers as to what these characters have been seeking.

Emotional and historically informative, The Poppy Wife provides an exceptional glimpse into the impact of the First World War, with particular reference to burial arrangements of the thousands of soldiers who fought in the war. The Poppy Wife is a requisite piece of historical fiction that works to enhance our understanding of the aftermath of one of our most devastating periods in world history.

[Stephanie Froebel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just started wrong and ended wrong. From the title to the final words, this book has been flawed.

Firstly, it took over 200 pages for anything from to materialize. The plot was unrecognizable and the shift between times often went unnoticed and left me very confused at times. The relationships between Harry and Edie were underdeveloped and character interactions and who’s who often were also unclear.
The use of French dialogue at times didn’t help either. I often found myself just skipping those lines altogether. Of course if I knew French, that may a nice touch. The English sentences that followed I could tell did not convey the French lines which made the French lines even more useless except for a bilingual audience.

Secondly, the title is just wrong. Terrible. This story is not primarily about a wife. The entire first 100 or so pages focus on Harry, a solider who lost his two brothers in the war. The only connection with Edie, the wife, was his profound love for her which apparently she reciprocates but understand no affair could take hold. Looking through the editions for this novel, the UK title seems more focused on the photographer (Harry) and I much agree. This book is simply NOT about a Poppy Wife, but the search of wife AND brother to find out the fate of their missing soldier.

Also some of the details just weren’t correct. There was so much he said she said which may be accurate to human interaction, but the purpose of including two separate people saying two separate things about how Francis (the lost soldier) was brought to dressing is useless and just adds more confusion than necessary.

Lastly, the ending did nothing. They found his grave. Kind of? Again, the clarity of this novel just does not exist. The final lines meant nothing. The words they put on Francis’s gravestone are so insignificant to his character. Yeah... what was Francis’s character at all if not simply a husband and brother who like to photograph but now his living brother Harry does that and ends up with his wife?

Yeah, needless to say I am not a big fan of this book. The cover may seem lovely, but the story inside is far from that. There lacks the literature of art and story. The only thing there is a nice use of French vocabulary (which I can not even verify as I do not speak French) and tugging at the vulnerabilities of people at war. There are much better books that do a much better job in the historical fiction realm. I recommend checking those out before even considering this one.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully-written and very sad tale that moves between 1916/1917 on the front line during the First World War and 1921, when Harry returns to France to photograph war graves and battle scenes for the mourning relatives at home. He's also on the hunt for his brother Francis, lost in 1917 and presumed dead but without a known grave. Francis's wife Edie is also in France searching for the truth. But it's the people they both meet on their quests that make this novel so special, many of whom have both physical and mental scars from the war, and all trying to remember (or forget) in their own way. It's desperately moving, so much so I did distance myself from it a little, but its beauty cannot be denied. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.

[Jasmine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

I have DNF'd this book twice, so the fact that I actually managed to finish it this third time is truly a major feat. This wasn't necessarily a bad book, I just don't think it was paced very well. There are at least 5 different timelines and every single one blends into the other. It's truly a confusing read. I did enjoy reading the relationships that each character built on their respective journeys (i.e. Harry with Rachel and Gabriel; Edie with Louisa). I didn't, however, enjoy the entire concept of Harry and Edie's flirtations being 'just banter between in-laws'.

I spent most of this book confused and struggling to connect with any of the characters due to what I perceived as a very surface level story with no sense of emotional depth. The only moments where I truly felt any emotion happened around 90% and on the very last line of the book. For a book that handles such an emotional topic, this didn't quite work. I will say that the book handles grief and PTSD quite well and that comes across amazingly in the characters' internal monologues.

I didn't particularly feel as though this book brought anything new to the table. You knew exactly what was going to happen right from the start and I think Caroline Scott tries to make this a sweeping, emotional story about love during war and it just doesn't come across as sweeping because it's predictable as hell with no possible chance of the ending ever being any different. You really did want to slap the characters up the head sometimes and knock some sense into them. Also, this book is marketed as a romance when it so clearly is not. There is absolutely no romance whatsoever.

Anyway... I did not love this book, but I'm glad I did give it a chance in the end.

Content warnings: graphic war descriptions, PTSD, grief, suicide.

Thank you to Netgalley, Caroline Scott and Simon & Schuster UK for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wartime, lasting heartache, and unconditional love.

I rate this book a 3/5

This was my first Caroline Scott novel and I was hooked from the very first page. The introduction was so strong and immediately made you feel as if you were apart of the story. Caroline Scott delivered a true anecdote of the harsh reality many faced during times of war. The storyline itself was very real and held lots of emotion. You felt the same pain the characters in the novel and individuals alike felt during this wartime era. The attention to real life events and places was outstanding and at times very informative. A true connection between writer and reader was formed through a passion of lifelong love.

However I found myself very distracted by overly done attention to detail. I often times found myself lost in the sentences due to their lengthy descriptions. Numerous times I had to backtrack in my reading to fully grasp and or remember the theme of the sentence, paragraph or chapter at hand. Sadly this made me lose interest in the book as I found myself lost way too often that it was hard to get back on track.

If you are a true lover of historical fiction and wartime this is a book for you sadly it was just not the book for me.

[Amy Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Caroline Scott has taken my heart and tore it into a million pieces! The Photographer of the Lost is poignant, haunting and memorable and one of my top reads of the year.

One day Edie receives a mysterious letter in the post. There's no note, no explanation, only a photograph of her husband Francis that she has never seen before. Francis has been missing for four years after going MIA in the Great War. The photo confuses her but also revives her hope that he may still be alive.

Francis' brother Harry served alongside him, as did their other brother, Will. When Edie tells Harry about the photo of Francis she received he agrees to help her look into the photo and try to find out what happened to him. Harry is an artist but has taken up photography (which happened to be Francis' passion), to help people find the place where their loved one perished or were buried. He's also dealing with demons of his own - with one brother dead and the other missing, and the survivor's guilt that comes with it.

Scott's writing is superb and at times prose-like. It's the kind of writing that you want to savor and even read aloud to fully appreciate it. I loved this passage...

"They moved up through the old frontline, which was all wattle and hurdle and rotting wood. Harry was struck with how makeshift it all looked, how amateur and improvised and vulnerable. It felt like walking through ancient history and the sweet-rotten smell of it - sandbags spilled and other people's rubbish striated the earth walls like archeology. Harry looked at the mud-streaked fragments of candle wax and glass, the crumbling rust and the folds of hessian, and wondered who these people had been. Something about the old derelict trenches made them whisper."

It's incredibly sad to think about all the young men that never made it home, who died in a foreign land away from the people that loved them, and for all of the families that never knew what happened to their sons, husbands, brothers, and for all of the lives irrevocably changed forever. I think The Photographer of the Lost is a very important read and I highly recommend it! I will definitely be checking out Caroline Scott's other books. She's got a new fan!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harry Blythe is a World War I veteran who is the only one of three brothers who returned to England after the war. Harry suffers from what we now refer to as PTSD. In an attempt to help other families who have lost sons or husbands, Harry returns to France to find information about, and take photos of the graves of soldiers who were killed or labeled as missing in action.

Even though Harry has witnessed the death of both of his brothers, his sister in law, Edie, holds out hope that her husband, Francis, survived the war and is living somewhere in France. Harry then begins to believe that this could be true. As Harry travels the Western Front to find information for other families, he also begins to search for more information about his own brother.

This is such a sad, heartbreaking story! It vividly portrays how the soldiers who are survivors of war as well as the families of the dead and missing are irrevocably changed in the aftermath. They are left to suffer long after the war ends.

Thank you to Bookreporter, Harper Collins Publishers, and author Caroline Scott for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of this historical novel.

[Marguerite Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant and moving story dealing with a very difficult time in history, and one often ignored. Northern France has been devastated, and is trying to rise from the ashes of destruction caused by the First World War. But not everyone can move on. This is a story about two people trying to reconcile themselves to loss and to the feelings they have for each other which are forcing them apart when it's obvious they are desperate to be together.

How do you mourn when you can't be sure that the person you have lost is really dead. When you convince yourself that he is merely 'lost?' There are any number of characters in this book caught in this limbo. They dedicate their lives to trying to document every ending or they try to locate every grave. There are characters who exploit the pain and grief of those, and characters who try to ameliorate it, like the photographer of the title.

The imagery in this book is utterly brilliant. There is France in bricks and rubble. There are bodies being dug up by ploughs. There are graves marked by wooden crosses being dug up and relocated. And there are the now iconic war cemeteries under construction. And there are war memories popping up in every village, town and city. There's ample evidence of the human spirit's capacity to survive. In some cases to exploit too. But there's also overwhelming evidence of the cost - of the lives half-lived, of the lives destroyed, of people who have become shells of their former selves.

This is a mystery and a homage and a romance too. So moving and so beautifully written. I really enjoyed it.

[Karen Mace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know where to begin with my thoughts on this book - other than that I adored every single blooming page!! I found it to be such a stunning read that really captured the atmosphere of the time, the grief shared by so many and the limbo that many families were left feeling after the First World War when their loved ones were missing in action. At a time when many were celebrating the War being over, many were left with so many unanswered questions with no word on the missing soldiers and they were left clutching to the faint hope that these men were in a French hospital, unable to get in contact with those back home.

It's a story of brotherhood and the bonds between loved ones with 3 brothers going off to fight in the Great War - Francis, Harry and Will - and the desperate search for Francis after the war by his brother Harry and Francis's wife Edie who was desperate to know what happened to him - even more so when she receives an envelope containing a photograph of him, 4 years after he'd gone missing. When was it taken? Where was it taken? Who was it from? Was he still alive?

Harry becomes a 'photographer of the lost' on his return, which means he goes back to France often to take photos of gravestones for those back home who want a picture of the final resting place for their loved ones and the surrounding areas - while there he devotes much of his time to trying to track down the likely places his brother may have gone, and also meets others doing similar searches for their family members.

The story changes effortlessly from the time in France after the War, to the past when the brothers were setting off to war together - their experiences on the front line, their fears, the banter they used to lighten the mood - they were just young boys and you just can't even begin to imagine the sights they were witness to.

Edie too sets off to France to try her best to get some answers for herself, and her storyline also looks back on how she and Francis met and how close they all were - she can't move on until she knows the truth about her husband.

This was often a very sombre and haunting read, but so beautifully descriptive and made you totally understand just how lost people were when they didn't know what had happened to those who didn't come back home - they felt restless until they knew and would cling on to the hope that they'd turn up on the doorstep one day. It brilliantly showed the human aspect of war - on those who went to fight and on those who were left behind waiting for letters and contact.

An outstanding and memorable book. Easily one of my favourite reads of 2019!

[Susan Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a powerful and heartbreaking story of the families back in Britain, after WW1 has ended, still living in hope that their missing loved ones may still be alive. The year is 1921, Edie has made a pilgrimage to France searching for her missing, presumed dead, husband Francis after receiving a photo of him in the post. His brother Harry had been the last one to see him alive. Badly wounded he had left him to be taken care of, although he said he was sure he would die. All trace had been lost of him then.
Harry and Edie run into each other in France, Harry is employed by families to take photographs of loved one's graves that have been killed in the war. Harry needs to find out too if his brother is alive to make amends with him about something in the past if he is.
The story drops back to both before the war and during it and the effect on families and loved ones. How it changed people and relationships. It is a beautifully written story but brutal in its honesty too. I felt a sadness so deep in certain chapters and all I could think was this is how it must have been for so many. It is a tremendous achievement for an author to make a reader feel such grief. My connection to the characters was just so intense.
If Francis is still alive what could the reason be that he hasn't gone home? As the chapters get closer to the end my heart pounded so much. A very touching story.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

[Holly in Bookland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will make you sad.....be prepared for that. The entire time I was reading this, I felt melancholy. The people trying to find answers and searching for their lost loved ones after The Great War just reminds us how much we don’t really know about the after effects of war. I felt the despair and desperation from these characters. Several times I had tears in my eyes. A very sad and haunting read.

[Linda Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of WW1 is just the beginning of the search for missing loved ones for so many families.

I’ve been sitting here some time wondering how to do justice to Caroline Scott’s wonderful, heartbreaking and unforgettable The Photographer of the Lost. I think I might find it impossible to convey what a beautifully written, moving and profound book it is. I had thought I might have had enough of reading about WW1, but The Photographer of the Lost transcends just about everything else I’ve read about the era because of its exquisite balance of focus on the war and the aftermath for those left behind.

Caroline Scott’s prose is stunning. At times poetic, at times stark, there isn’t an unnecessary syllable in this perfectly crafted narrative. That isn’t to say it feels unnaturally polished or contrived, but rather that Caroline Scott has given her very soul to her writing to ensure she conveys exactly what she needs so that the reader is completely mesmerised. I found reading The Photographer of the Lost such an intense experience I had to give myself short breaks to process the emotion, whilst simultaneously being unable to tear myself away from Harry and Edie’s story. The Photographer of the Lost was in my head the whole time, even when I was sleeping. There is little direct speech, but what is there thrums with emotion even when it is deceptively simple in appearance.

The story itself in The Photographer of the Lost is brilliantly wrought. The passages set during the war placed me so vividly there that I felt I was experiencing the same aspects as the men. The black humour and camaraderie between the soldiers ameliorates perfectly their situations and locations and their petty resentments and jibes illustrate exactly what life was like. The representations of France and Belgium both during the war and in 1921 are so evocative that there is a cimematic quality to Caroline Scott’s writing. Descriptions are fantastic, so that I could picture every setting perfectly. Indeed, if The Photographer of the Lost doesn’t become a feature film, there is no justice.

But for all that, it is the characterisation that is so fabulous and makes The Photographer of the Lost so emotive. Although he is ‘lost’ throughout the majority of the book, Francis has such presence that he represents every single one of those who were missing at the end of the war. The way in which fate and small items (which I can’t reveal because they would spoil the plot) alter his life and history, alongside the huge arena of war, is utterly heartbreaking. There’s a brittle quality to many of the characters, Edie especially, that creates an almost unbearable tension in the writing. My heart physically ached for these people. They were as real to me as anyone I know and Harry’s awful task of photographing graves and buildings for those back in England desperate for some kind of closure brought a new perspective to reading about WW1 that felt as terrible as any factual account ever has. I was touched, educated and saddened in equal measure.

The Photographer of the Lost is a beautiful, haunting and unforgettable story. At the end of the novel I wept for them all; for Francis, Edie, Harry, for the lost and the found, and all those whose lives were so affected by events during that terrible time. Caroline Scott has written a wonderful tribute in her absorbing, moving narrative. The Photographer of the Lost is a remarkable book and I adored every word..

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of love, loss, guilt, and hope, The Poppy Wife is a moving and poignant debut from Caroline Scott.

Three years after the end of the Great War, Edie receives a photograph of her husband in the mail. There is no note with the photo, in which Edie thinks Francis looks much older than when she saw him last just months before he was declared missing in action, and only a blurred French postmark provides any clues as to its origin. Unable to ignore the possibility her husband somehow survived the war, Edie travels to France in search of answers.

Harry has never doubted his older brother died that day in the mud of Ypres, he saw the bullets rip through his body on the battlefield. So, as Harry travels the French countryside photographing graves for mourning relatives in England, he searches for his brother’s resting place. Yet as long as Francis remains listed as MIA, neither officially dead or alive, perhaps he, and Edie, have cause to hope.

The Poppy Wife is a stunning story moving between two timelines. The first during the final years of WWI primarily explores Harry’s experience of war, fighting alongside his brothers along the Front. The second takes place in 1921, where the narrative shifts between the perspectives of Edie and Harry as they travel independently, and together, searching for any sign of Francis.

Scott highlights a devastating aspect of the WWI’s aftermath in The Poppy Wife. During the war hundreds of thousands of fallen soldiers were buried without proper records, and after its end, the final resting place of almost as many remained unidentified. This left some families in limbo, never absolutely certain about the fate of their loved one. For many years after the war, the loved ones of the ‘lost’ journeyed to countries such as France and Belgium in the hopes of either finding their father or son, brother or husband alive, or proof of their death.

It is an emotionally harrowing journey for both Edie and Harry, and Scott skilfully communicates their struggle with their warring feelings of hope, guilt, and despair. Harry also finds himself constantly confronted by memories of the trauma he experienced on the battlefield, and the loss of both his brothers, and friends.

Beautifully written, with description that evokes the horror of war, the battle scarred lands of France, and the fraught emotions of the characters, The Poppy Wife is a stirring and thoughtful story.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really glad I read this book. It is thoroughly haunting and so beautifully written. It spends a lot of time considering what life was like for those left behind at the end of war and it really made me think quite deeply about those left at the end of the war, what they went through and had to come to terms with in order to just exist.

The story looks at two characters in particular the first being Harry a soldier who survived that war and now makes his money going over the battle sites to photograph sites of special interest or graves for loved ones back home. He story is such a sad one because even though he survived the war he isn't really living and spends his time feeling guilty at having survived and surrounded by constant reminders of what he went through whilst he goes about his working literally visiting sites he fought at. There was something so real and sad about his story that really touched me because his story could be any of those men who signed up for WWI not really knowing what they let themselves in for.

The other main character was Edie, Harry's sister in law who is still searching for her husband several years after the end of 1918 having never had confirmation about what really happened to her husband. Her story was so incredibly sad as she leads this life in limbo unable to move forward without knowing the truth about what has happened and resigned to a life again wandering the sites in Flanders trying to find some answers. Once again her experience so easily could have been the experience of so many other women at the time.

This books also does really justice to the World War One Battlefield sites. The way in which is talks about the sites around Ypres helps the reader really start to get a sense of their vastness but more importantly the utter devastation the experience of war left behind for the people of Belgium and France and the impact this continued to have long after armistice day. This certainly isn't something we talk enough about in the UK because most of the fighting didn't happen on our doorstep.

All in all a brilliant book which I know will stay with me for a long time to come.

[Alex (ReadingBetweenTheNotes) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was immediately hooked by the prologue of this one (which you can read on my blog if you are interested!) The writing flows absolutely beautifully and I was completely swept away in the story. The setting was conjured so effortlessly; I could picture every desolate French field and every detail in Edie’s Lancashire home.

The author made me feel for every single character in this book, even those we only meet in passing. I totally felt like I was on this journey with them. And wow, was it an emotional one. This book will seriously make you feel things.

The book moves seamlessly between past and present, and between Harry and Edie’s perspectives. I loved the chapters detailing the brothers’ time at war; these chapters felt so raw and visceral, and I couldn’t get enough! I definitely recommend this one for fans of historical fiction!

Read the prologue on my blog - The Paperback Piano

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished this book only because I have weird sickness where I have to finish a book once started. Slow start. Slow middle. And just when I thought all hope was lost and only a great twist could save this story, the ending was completely anticlimactic. If you open your mouth have something to say. This book has 300+ pages of nothing to say.

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

alltså wow. Jag tog verkligen min tid med den här boken. Dels för att jag har velat läsa den så länge, dels för att jag ganska snabbt insåg att den skulle vara helt otrolig. Allt från karaktärerna till språket var precis vad jag ville ha. Uppenbarligen berörde den mig verkligen på djupet för mitt hjärta känns nu både helt tomt och tyngre än någonsin. Starka 4,5 ⭐️

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Photographer of the Lost is a soulful, poignant, haunting and immersive debut novel. It is a story of sorrow and hope that highlights a part of history rarely remembered; the thousands who simply vanished.

Brothers Francis, Will and Harry all fought together in France during World War I, but Harry was the only one to return home. He carries the guilt of this every day and has never felt able to settle there again. Instead, he travels taking photographs of graves for the families of those killed in action, offering a small crumb of comfort in their time of grief.

Back in England, Francis’s wife, Edie, has accepted her husband is ‘missing presumed dead’. But when she receives an envelope containing a photograph taken by Francis four years after he was last seen, she has a surge of hope and she decides to go to France to search for answers.

Also in France, Harry adds Francis’s name to his list, determined to find his brother’s final resting place. But after hearing about the photograph he starts to wonder if Francis could really be alive, and begins an urgent search for the truth. We follow Edie and Harry as they search for Francis, meeting others also touched by the horrors of war along the way. But, as they begin to unravel the truth, it looks like they will be torn further apart. Can they find answers while also repairing the only link to family they both have left?

This novel was truly breathtaking. The author’s portrayal of the harrowing reality of war, of life in the trenches, how villages and towns were reduced to rubble and left in ruin, and the anguish felt by those who survived, was powerful and profound. But this emotional journey wasn’t just somber, this was also a story about survival, endurance, love and hope. Her writing was full of vivid imagery that made me feel like everything on the page was playing on a movie reel in my mind. The characters each showed optimism and resilience despite all they’ve gone through and illustrated the sheer magnitude of the devastation left behind by war, how everyone you meet will have been touched by some kind of loss. The author wrote with such potency that I felt like I was feeling every trauma they endured and they and their stories will stay with me long after reading.

The Photographer of the Lost is a magnificent and beautifully written piece of historical fiction by an author that is one to watch. A deeply affecting story of love, death, heartbreak and hope, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica Gilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I think about the period between the wars, I tend to think of Bright Young Things, cocktails and jazz, Bertie Wooster, Jarrow and depression, The Remains of the Day, people moving on in every way from the WW1, in hemlines and music and food and social mores. Golden Age crime and glamorous rail travel, cucumber sandwiches and red lipstick. I don't think about what it must have been like picking up the pieces after four years of devastation. At least, I hadn't until I read The Photographer of the Lost, sent to me as an ARC by the publishers.
There is nothing glamorous in this world of broken men and searching widows. It's a world of iron filled battlefields, graves and debris, of villages and towns turned to rubble, shanty towns sprouting in the midst as villagers try and rebuild, dusty boarding houses with paper thin walls and peeling paint, filled with the first of the battle ground tourists, some already consumed by curiosity, others just consumed.
Harry joined up in 2016 along with his two brothers. The sole survivor he now travels northern France and Belgium, taking photographs of graves and battle sights to send to bereaved families, enabling them to have closure in a time before mass travel made the pilgrimage possible to all. Part pilgrim, part chronicler, he still has nightmares of his own time in the trenches he travels. Meanwhile his sister in law, Edie, has become convinced her missing husband Francis is still alive and charges Harry to find either his grave or find him, impatiently journeying to Ypres herself on a quest to find out what happened to the golden haired boy she loved and how he turned into the dead eyed man she lost.
The Photographer of the Lost is an extraordinary odyssey through broken lands and broken lives as memorials are erected in bereaved villages and photographs displayed in bereaved houses. Set in both 1921 and during 1916/1917 we experience the truth of Harry's war and the truth of his atonement as he struggles to come to terms with his brothers' deaths and his own survival. Taut, elegant and evocative, it's a haunting look at grief and the very human need for closure. Highly recommended.