After the War Is Over

November 3, 2014
Robson's second WWI novel (after Somewhere in France) weaves historical detail into a tale of a former military nurse and the man she loves. Charlotte Brown is living and working in Liverpool after the end of the Great War, but believes that she is making little difference in the lives of Britain's poorest citizens. When she returns to the estate where she was once a governess, to celebrate the wedding of her former charge, Lilly, Charlotte realizes that she has never stopped loving Lilly's brother, Edward, Lord Cumberland. When Edward's war injuries threaten to destroy his future, Charlotte agrees to help nurse him back to health, even if it means that her heart might be wounded in the process. Charlotte is an admirable protagonist: a strong woman with compassion and a forthright nature, which is evenly matched with her desire to find love and happiness. Robson will lure readers into this emotionally charged novel from the first page.

November 15, 2014
Determined to do something meaningful with her Oxford education, Charlotte Brown is disappointed that the only position she can find is as governess in the household of the Earl of Cumberland. After a few years, she is able to move on to a more satisfying job in Liverpool, but not before falling in love with Edward, the Cumberland heir. When WWI breaks out, Charlotte goes to London to be a nurse in a neurological hospital, an experience that serves her well when Edward returns from the war suffering from shell shock. The two of them retreat to a cottage on one of his estates so she can help him recover. Edward is in love with her, too, but feels duty-bound to marry an heiress in order to restore the family fortunes. Although it's no surprise that Charlotte and Edward end up together, what might have been a standard romance is elevated by details of Charlotte's life at work and in the Liverpool boardinghouse she shares with other working girls. Echoes of some aspects of Downton Abbey add to the novel's appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)