Tides of War explores London
society and the English forces during the time of the Peninsular War.
James and Harriet are recently married, but he has to rejoin his
regiment in Spain. Will that impact their marriage? The Duke of
Wellington and his wife Kitty are leading separate lives with more or
less enjoyment. We see these characters and many more responding to
the conditions of society during the Peninsular War when men were
absent and women had more freedom.
The book does a good job of telling the
story of the Peninsular War from the standpoint of the troops. We see
the battle for Badajoz from the standpoint of one of the soldiers.
Very interesting portrayal of how battle affects reasonable men.
During the same period, we see how women begin to feel their power
and exercise their options both in business and love when their
husbands are away.
The major problem with the novel is
that we follow too many characters. Sometimes it's hard to remember
who they are. The author cuts back and forth between characters in a
chapter which can be disconcerting. The historical detail is
excellent, but the characters don't come to life. The problem with
the characters may be that there are too many of them, so we don't
become an advocate for anyone.
I recommend this book for the
historical context, but it's not a novel for light reading.
I reviewed this book for the Amazon
Vine Program.
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