Romantical Problems During War

[Lucy]

Hi, Fug Nation! I just finished Love by the Morning Star, by Laura L. Sullivan, and thought it would appeal to many of us, seeing as it’s about Romantical Problems During War AND ALSO set on a country estate. And it seemed appropriate to have a thread on this topic! Add to it if you wish, and hope everyone is staying safe! 💜 Lucy (Honeychurch)

[Leah]

Well, yay for romantical problems during wartime: a thread. Love by the Morning Star sounds fun. I'm just now getting my reading groove back after being too distractible for the first month or so of coronavirus. To that end, in case you're like me, here are some of my other favorites in this genre (not necessarily fun, but quite stirring):
-The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason (WWI)
-Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave is one of the better iterations of this genre I've come across
-Kate Atkinson's Transcription and Life After Life are almost/not quite but definitely plucky, winning female protagonist faces long odds during wartime, which I think is related our theme.
-The Translation of Love by Lynne Kutsukake, like Atkinson, isn't exactly a perfect fit for this genre, but close enough in ways Fug Nation will appreciate.
-The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson (WWI)
-Nowhere Else on Earth by Josephine Humphreys (Civil War)
-The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard
-Ian McEwan's Atonement

[Siobhan]

I do love books in this genre but I had issues reading them in early March as I found them a little depressing with current events so I have been enjoy Regency romances.

Here's some recent ones that I have enjoyed:
The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher (the story of JFK's sister in London)
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams (set in the Bahamas with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor)
The Great War series by Jennifer Robson (though I feel each book can be read on it's own).

[Lucy]

Oh, these are good points - I guess my penchant, both now and always, is more toward the “shenanigans and mishaps” variety of romantical problems!

[Laural]

I loved The Golden Hour. And anything by Ruta Septys. Salt to the Sea destroyed me. Her latest has to do with Franco-era Spain, and was another big eye-opener for me: The Fountains of Silence.

One of my dearest friends was born in Madrid to one of Franco's lieutenants and his American-born wife, and her mother took her girls and escaped the regime in the middle of the night. Their lives were all luxury and housemaids and castles until it . . . wasn't.
Her mother is this amazing woman - an octogenarian who's walking the Camino de Santiago, bit by bit. She's already written one memoir, but her second book will be out in October and would make a really good companion piece to The Fountains of Silence. Here's the link in case anyone wants to add it to their to-read list:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...