This is such a great read. The author really draws you into the world of the book and the characters are so vivid and real I actually missed them and kept thinking about them after I'd finished. Not many novels manage to combine family drama, boarding school hi-jinks, a passionate love story, early 20th-century feminism, gory battle scenes and the reality of the frontline of World War One all in one book - the fact that the story contains all that and doesn't feel at all overloaded but instead flows along nicely is, in my opinion, an amazing achievement. This is an intelligent, beautifully written novel that is also a rollicking great story. Hope it gets the chance to be adapted for film or TV, it'd be perfect for it. Definitely recommended! ( )

This is a great book!
Set in the early 1900's and encompassing the First World War, it is the story of Eva Downey and her love for Christopher Shandlin, her teacher, whom she meets while at finishing school.
Amid the destructive and corrosive family dynamics between Eva, her stepmother and her step sister, Eva is emotionally blackmailed into publicly giving Christopher a white feather when he refuses to enlist. The ramifications of this act of betrayal are set to be shocking and far reaching - and Eva has little idea how much this act will alter the course of their lives forever.
The story deftly covers the sensitive and highly charged issues of that era - conscientious objection, sexuality, infidelity, shell shock, votes for women and the marital role of women.
My only negative comment about this book would have to be about the ending which I thought disappointing. The book seemed to end somewhat abruptly and all of a sudden when I felt the plot had lots more to deliver. Having said that, this in no way detracted any enjoyment from this brilliant debut novel. At times hard hitting and brutally traumatic but always vibrant and riveting, its characters credible and three dimensional.
Great story, brilliant plot and an excellent read! Highly recommended. ( )

Eva lives an unhappy life with her father, sister Imelda and step-mother and sister who both despise her. When she is offered a place at finishing school she jumps at the chance to leave her miserable life behind. At school she meets Mr Shandlin, who acknowledges her intellect and encourages her to write and express herself. Eva and Mr Shandlin form a very strong bond and fall in love but when news that her sister Imelda's health has taken a turn to the worse she must return home. Mr Shandlin pursues Eva and the relationship angers her step-sister, who in the eve of World War I is fanatical about men going to war to defend their country.

Eva must make the toughest choice: to save her love for Mr Shandlin, who refuses to go to war, or to give him a white feather of cowardice in order to secure the funds to save her sister from a life threatening illness. Eva's decision will have terrible consequences for both herself and Mr Shandlin and will haunt her for the rest of her life.

White Feathers is a very believable novel with realistic characters which draw you into the story and take you on an emotional journey through World War I. It is an absolute page-turner which deals with hard issues like family, honour, valour, war, class, race, sexual orientation and women's issues like the right to vote and their role in marriage. I was immersed in Eva's life and could not put the book down until the journey was over.

The middle of the book reminded me of the wonderful BBC drama The Crimson Field and it made Eva even more believable and human. Susan Lanigan expertly brings war to life and gives us a detailed account of the raw emotions felt by both the nurses in the field and the soldiers fighting in it. This story touches very raw emotions and realities of war and how it changes people's lives.

This is a superb debut novel which promises many great things from Susan Lanigan. ( )

I loved this book This is a real atmospheric book about a young girl the 1st world war love & loss such a great storyline. A great book I highly recommend it. ( )

White Feathers Susan Lanigan
For me this was almost the perfect novel. I could hardly believe it was the writer’s debut. Firstly how topical given the current wave of First World War centenary events, research projects and commemorative ceremonies. Secondly it had a good, solid story of love and betrayal and points to make about war and maybe class and sexuality. Neither facet overshadowed the other; rather the two strands ran alongside each other in full complement. An historical novel, this author did not fall into that first novel trap of shoving every piece of research at you whether it was integral to the plot or not.
Thirdly it was a beautifully crafted book, it was economic without being sparse, and the characters were complete people. I’m going to say this, although I know many may ridicule me for doing so but I have to be honest.I was reminded of Pride and Prejudice! Mainly at the beginning of the book. Eva reminded of Elizabeth Bennett. She had sisters and friends who became like sisters, military interventions and scandals. Catherine and Roy Downey, however, are NOT Jane Austen’s Mr. And Mrs Bennett!!
And I said almost perfect for I didn’t find that perfection sustained right through to the end of the book. It was as if the writer suddenly thought, ‘Gosh, I better get this story finished!’ and I had the sense of everything being thrown in at the end. You could argue it was climactic and good plot tactics but given the control and flow of the rest of the novel it seemed to lose some cohesion. That is not to say that I didn’t continue to enjoy this book immensely and it is one of my favourite books of this year so far and I thank you, Real Readers, for giving me the opportunity. ( )