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There are currently 33 member reviews
for Gifts of War
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Barb W. (Mechanicsburg, PA)
A good read
I enjoy reading first-time authors, and this book was no exception. The plot, the characters and the time period made me want to keep reading to find out how everything worked out. I will definitely look for more books by this author!
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Linda M. (Three Oaks, MI)
Gifts of War
Gifts of War is a touching love story set against the brutal backdrop of the first world war. It’s the story of a man whose depth of love for a forbidden woman is clothed in a dark secret and portrays the lengths we will go for those we love. The story line navigates between the scarred landscape of war torn Europe and the relatively peaceful English countryside and depicts with exacting detail the difficulties of trying to live everyday life during war time. Ford cleverly employs the use of a series of letters between Hal and his sister, a nurse stationed at the front, to depict the horrors associated with the trench warfare. As for Hal and Sam’s relationship, I was never sure where it would go with each turn of the page, but it certainly was a worthwhile journey seeing it progress.
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Cynthia B. (Puyallup, Washington)
Gifts of War - Mackenzie Ford
I thought this was a very intriguing book and that it offered many depths. Aside from the enjoyment of reading about England during WWI - or rather ANYTHING on The Great War - as it is not as popular in literature as other wars & battles - the detail is rich with imagery and easy for the reader to immerse into the story.
Having said that, the only nick I have - is that there were many moments when the narrative ran dry - the structure lost its lyrical rhythm and was, well, choppy at times.
Nonetheless, an enjoyable read and should be a very discussable one for groups regarding the ironies of war - while it takes away so much, it also offers opportunity and bounty to those who are willing to grab for it. However - the main discussion point is as it well should be - the value of one's word or a promise. For without your word, what have you then?
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Doris (Angora, MN)
Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford
This is a good read. It starts out a bit slowly but I would encourage the reader not to give up.
The author tells a fascinating story about how WWI affected the people living in London. By starting off with the famous Christmas Day truce he continues to tie in the feelings of the people from England and Germany.
Gifts of War would lead to interesting discussions in a book club. Readers who enjoy historical fiction should consider reading this book.
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Jeanne W. (Columbia, MD)
Great atmospherics, weak dialogue
This historian-turned-fiction-writer does a great job evoking the atmosphere of WWI-era London and his imagery leaps off the page. The characters are the weakest part of this very good book. The main character's decision to withhold information is the central point of the novel but this choice makes him a difficult character to like and that detracts from the enjoyment of the book somewhat. The insight into military intelligence analysis was fascinating. Overall, a very good book.
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Mary M. (St. Paul, MN)
Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford
This book is wonderful in capturing the tragedy, drama, and difficulties that people lived with during World War 1 in England. I enjoy reading stories of the times during the World Wars, and the author nicely wove the love story with historical facts. The descriptions of life during these years is very realistic, and I thought the author did a good job in telling about the changing role of women during this era.
This story is based on a love borne of deceit, omission and the tragedy of secrets.
A few times I thought the plot a bit contrived, but the ending had an unusual twist.
A good story and a good read.
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Mary Lou C. (Shenandoah Junction, WV)
Gifts of War
I thought this was a very good read. It kept my interest. I find the period during WWI fascinating, and the author wove in some interesting facts about the time period that were enlightening.
It is a romance, albeit a rather dark one.
