What do readers think of Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford? Write your own review.

Gifts of War was a surprise read for me. I thought I could tell where the story was going to go based on the book cover description. But the book is much more than the relationship between Hal and Sam. It is an examination of the meanings of love and of family. I enjoyed getting a taste of what it was like to live in England during World War I, and to see the changing roles for women in that time I didn’t find either of the main characters especially likable, but as the story unfolded I found myself drawn to their situation and the dilemma the future would bring. The ending is very powerful and will stay in my mind for a long time.

I really loved the descriptive passages in this book. The historical passages and informative context of World War 1, although a painless way to learn history, were not what kept me reading. It was the word pictures of the sights, smells, and sounds so beautifully written and transporting. A really pleasant surprise!

"Gifts of War" did not draw me in in the way that I had hoped. As a person in the military, I was interested in this book as a work of historical fiction. In that sense, Mackenzie Ford delivers. Her story is set within the chaotic backdrop of England during WWI. She writes so that the reader has a sense of the fear and recklessness that the British lived with during that period. Unfortunately, the story drags a bit and seems a bit contrived at key junctures so that it is all too neatly tied up in the end. This was not a page turner for me.

Set against the ferment of World War I, Gifts of War is a finely woven tapestry that deals with one man’s choices, consequences and redemption. This vivid tale of romance and intrigue is a salient narrative that explores the uncertainties of the human heart by creating a story that resonates with the reader long after having finished the last page. I thoroughly enjoyed Mackenzie Ford’s book filled with superb period details of wartime England. It captured the era and the fates of men and women caught in this period of history. With its uncertainty, this touching love story has a shocker of a surprise ending that kept me wanting to know how Montgomery would resolve the war within him. Just between you and me it would make a terrific movie!

This novel about the Great War - specifically about a soldier and his life after service - isn't wonderful, but it isn't terrible either. Ford's description of the Christmas Eve Truce 1914 at one particular line is lovely, and it's nice to read a "non-prettified" version of what happened in several locations on that night.

Hal, the protagonist, is given a task to complete in England by his German counterpart, and the rest of the book is taken up by how he decides to handle that task. I loved the descriptions of lower-middle-class life during and after the War - most novels are concerned with the truly lower classes or with the aristos - and, although I didn't find the ending satisfactory, I've read too much Danielle Steel in my day, it was nevertheless fairly well done.

After a rather slow start, I found myself finding this book harder to put down as the story progressed! I think this would be a great book club pick - I think I'll suggest it for my own.

P.S. I do think this would best be read in one sitting or a couple of large "chunks". Enjoy!

From its striking opening scene during the Christmas Truce of 1914, Gifts of War follows the fortunes of 23-year-old Henry Montgomery. Wounded and sent home, Hal contacts the fiancee of the German officer he met, but falls in love with her himself. How that relationship progresses and Hal's career in Intelligence present the main narrative lines. There is good pacing of action, and suspense is maintained by questions about a developing relationship based in part on deceit. A different perspective of the war is shown through the working of the Intelligence Department. The characters are well realized, and the ending unpredictable. Involves the reader both intellectually and emotionally.

While I found this novel had a wonderful premise, I was never convinced this was set in the WWI time frame. The events were there and the action but there was a certain mood lacking.

I found the narrator's first person use took away from the narrative especially when he would break out and say something like "you have to remember that in 1914 in the British army we had no helmets." Interesting fact but I didn't see how he addresses the reader. This happened often enough and it's just something I don't particularly care for as it takes me away from the story.