S. Block

I don't normally eat up novels of this length as fast as I ate this one. But I've been invested in these characters since Season One of the (sadly!) cancelled television show.

Of course, telling a story onscreen is much different than writing a story for the page. I still think Home Fires was considerably stronger as a television production, with a great cast and all, than the ongoing story in the form of novels. I can still tell that the art of novel writing isn't this author's specialty.

The characters aren't as compelling here as the actors originally made them onscreen. The narrator and sometimes the characters too often state the obvious in this book, the switches in point of view are sometimes jarring, and much of the exposition is strikingly redundant. It took quite a while until I felt like the plot as a whole began to move forward—into truly fresh territory.

I was never bored though, as again, I'm invested in what happens to these characters. (Granted, I've long lost all of my respect for Annie and didn't regain it here, but anyway.) The story itself is still interesting, and the read really picked up for me about halfway through.

Now, I see how some other readers feel that some of this story's developments are too easy. And I think toward the end especially, the author rushes to wrap so much of this up with a big, happy bow.

But the war isn't over, and there's room for more trials and joys in Great Paxford. If a following novel is coming, I plan on reading it.… (mehr)

Well, there is a difference between storytelling through television and storytelling through novels. Besides the engrossing story itself, of course, the core actresses especially carried the television series Home Fires and made it sharp, smart, human, and poignant. The ladies brought out the nuances of it all.

The novels continuing the story aren't as sharp or deft. There's very little in the way of subtlety, especially around the dialogue. Much in this novel is overtly spelled out, or drawn out through characters' redundant inward deliberations that don't always take the plot anywhere new.

There's also a good deal of head-hopping, the narration often bouncing between different characters' points of view within the same scenes and conversations without warning or smooth transitions. And nothing against Laura, but her character in the books has yet to interest me. Maybe she needs more time to shift from the screen to the page, as the main issue for her character in this novel feels like a forced idea from out of the blue simply to give her something to do—a sudden twist rather unrelated to much about her from earlier.

Still, there are some excellent turns of phrase that pop up in the writing, and I remain curious to see what will happen to most of the characters (even if there are a couple of them I wish I could shake some sense into already.) I still picture the cast as the actors from television, which helps, as does my overall love for historical and wartime fiction, and wow! What an ending!

I'm keeping my eyes open for the next book.… (mehr)

If you've not watched the two seasons (or series) of the excellent Home Fires television show, you should absolutely do that before reading this novel. That's the best way to get a clear and compelling sense of who these characters are and the significance of their stories.

Moreover, prior interest in the characters and all of the pressing, unfinished business from the show might help you forgive some of the weaknesses in the novel's style. The author's strength is in screenwriting, I'm sure, while in the novel, there's a good amount of stating the obvious and overexplaining. Redundancy. An excessive use of italics. Constant head-hopping: jarring switches in points of view between the characters.

Also, as the book was first released gradually, in four separate parts, it doesn't exactly flow like one, seamless novel. Each new part makes a point to refresh the reader's memory in some way about the part before--which isn't necessary when all the parts are together.

Nevertheless, because I'd come to care so much about the television show, I quite enjoyed finally getting the chance to find out more. Granted, I'm disappointed in some of the characters' choices here. And one character's reversal in growth is inconsistent with the breakthrough she has right as the television show ends. It's as if she's been unnaturally stunted and shoved right back into the same dilemma for yet another "season." That dilemma gets old.

However, the overall story does take some fresh turns, tackle some new, universal questions, and build up some intrigue for what's to follow. The book isn't a standalone, concludes with all loose ends, which is something I don't relish at all with novels. But it wasn't unexpected for me in this case, since, again, I was already used to the television show and its use of cliffhangers.

All things considered, I'm looking forward to the release of the next novel.… (mehr)