Audiobook version from Audible. Abandoned after 20 minutes. Not my kind of book - thought it was historical fiction with action/adventure.

A really good read, although I can't fathom it being classified as a holiday tale or Christmas story. ( )

Lady Douglas — start of WWI in France + England — a nurse (sister)
2 suitors — okay novel
suicide of amputee soldier
Pg 289 for some no hope of a good tomorrow

In 1914, while visiting her friend Madeleine, Lady Elspeth Douglas's life is thrown into chaos when war breaks out and the Germans quickly overrun Belgium, threatening France. Having just agreed to marry Alain, Madeleine's dashing brother, Lady Elspeth watches him leave to join his unit, and then she sets out for England, only to find herself trapped on the French coast.

2012, Harper Audio, Read by Fiona Hardingham

Publisher’s Summary: adapted from Audible.com
In 1914, while visiting her friend Madeleine, Lady Elspeth Douglas's life is thrown into chaos when war breaks out and the Germans quickly overrun Belgium, threatening France. Having just agreed to marry Alain, Madeleine's dashing brother, Lady Elspeth watches him leave to join his unit, and then she sets out for England, only to find herself trapped on the French coast. To her rescue comes Captain Peter Gilchrist, who pulls her away from the battle and leads her to safety. But before they can properly say good-bye, Elspeth and Peter are separated.
Haunted by the horrors she witnessed in France, Elspeth enrolls in a nursing course, where she meets a fellow nurse in training, Bess Crawford. It is a daring move, made without the consent of her guardian, her cousin Kenneth. Yet Elspeth Douglas is a woman with a mind of her own, which – as she herself says – is a blessing and a curse. She is determined to return to the battlefields of France to do her part, and to find the man she has no right to love, no matter how far Kenneth may go to stop her. But before she can set things right with Alain, he goes missing and then Peter is gravely wounded.

My Review:
Todd does a fine job of illustrating how restrictive the contemporary world of The Walnut Tree was for women. Privileged and sheltered Elspeth battles not only her gender, but also her social position and title, in her quest to contribute to the war effort. She longs for her life to have some meaning – longs for something to do which is more important than what dress to wear to the next party. Her guardian, Kenneth, aptly represents social thinking of the time – a high-handed man with rigid notions of class and femininity.
Todd’s motives in creating the love triangle between Elspeth, Alain, and Peter are not entirely clear to me, but the situation does create personal and moral tension, which of course needs to be resolved by Elspeth.

I thoroughly enjoy when characters cross into other novels, and loved that Elspeth encountered Bess Crawford in nurses’ training. Too, The Walnut Tree is holiday tale, and reading it at Christmas was well-timed. Fiona Hardingham does a fine job of narration. Recommended! ( )

This is the first book I've read by these authors and I liked it a lot. I was actually attracted to it by the cover and title growing up in a town with "Walnut" in its name. The story brought to mind Lady Sybil of Downton Abbey, though she didn't have to travel to France to nurse. I may try to read more books by these authors. ( )