The Storms of War

July 1, 2015

Popular British historian Williams's second novel (after The Pleasures of Men) joins the flood of titles marking the centenary of World War I and tells the story of the wealthy de Witt family, especially youngest daughter Celia, during the war years. In love with the family's groom, Celia grows up quickly after following him and her brother to France to join the war effort and finding herself torn between loyalties. Meanwhile, the family's manor becomes a hospital for wounded soldiers, Celia's sister, Emmeline, marries a pacifist, and her father is imprisoned as a suspected spy. This first volume of a historical trilogy features several gripping scenes, particularly Celia's harrowing first trip as an ambulance driver and her brother's disastrous visit to an abandoned German trench. However, Williams focuses too much on standard plot elements that will be familiar to readers of World War I fiction. She also fails to take full advantage of the tensions created by the de Witt family's German ties. VERDICT Instead of delivering their expected payout, several high-stakes situations fizzle out in the novel's second half, resulting in a disappointing ending unlikely to satisfy readers or to leave them hungry for the planned sequel.--Mara Bandy, Champaign P.L., IL

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