Excerpt from The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Germany forged ahead with its military deployment and offered to pay costs to move its men through neutral Belgium en route to its invasion of France. Germany was convinced that its army would be granted passage, but the Belgians were outraged by Germany's violation of the treaty. Meanwhile, Britain—anxious about the imbalance of power in Europe should Germany conquer France—issued an ultimatum the following day, demanding that Germany withdraw its troops from Belgium. When no response was forthcoming, Britain declared war.

That evening, thousands of people crammed onto the Mall leading to Buckingham Palace. They waved flags and sang the national anthem. The Daily Mirror reported that King George V and his family were "hailed with wild, enthusiastic cheers when they appeared at about eight o'clock last night on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, before which a record crowd had assembled." The mood was jubilant. No one could imagine the reality of the war that was about to unfold. The next day, torrential rain swept the country—a portent of what Britain would face over the next four years.

Excerpted from The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris. Copyright © 2022 by Lindsey Fitzharris. Excerpted by permission of Farrar, Straus & Giroux. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.