Somewhere in France

October 21, 2013
Robson’s first novel examines the dynamic between love and duty in the midst of historical tragedy. As the story begins in 1914 England, Lady Elizabeth “Lilly” Neville-Ashford is under her domineering mother’s thumb. Countess Ashford is determined that Lilly marry another member of the aristocracy and has no qualms about interfering when Robert Fraser, a surgeon from a working-class background and the best friend of Lilly’s brother, Edward, shows the young woman kindness and interest. When WWI begins, Edward and Robert both sign up promptly to serve, and Lilly breaks with her family to do the same. She becomes an ambulance driver on the front lines in France, and when the chance comes to be assigned to Robert’s field hospital, she jumps at it. The love that grows between Lilly and Robert is colored by their proximity to war and death, as well as by the duty they both feel to their country. Robson’s skillful ability with detail and setting firmly relates the grotesqueries of war without gratuitous gore. Her deft touch as a storyteller keeps readers engaged in the story of the lovers, as well as illuminating the bigger picture of the war raging around them. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

November 1, 2013

When Lady Elizabeth "Lilly" Neville-Ashford breaks free of her wealthy parents' control and becomes an ambulance driver at the front, "somewhere in France," she discovers an unexpected perk in also being able to be close to her childhood crush, surgeon Robbie Fraser, whose lower-class origins made him an unworthy suitor in her parents' eyes. The war provides its own obstacles to the couple's relationship, however, and Robbie and Lilly struggle to overcome both the horrors around them and their own fears and anxieties about the future. VERDICT Although Robbie and Lilly's love story dominates the narrative, debut novelist Robson never creates enough tension to leave the reader in any doubt about the romance's probable outcome, and Robbie remains a somewhat bland and underdeveloped figure throughout. Lilly's determination and insistence on learning to be more independent, however, should appeal to readers who like tales of plucky heroines making the best of tough circumstances, and her unusual perspective as a female ambulance driver puts an interesting spin on the scenes of wartime carnage.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2013
Adding to the growing popularity of WWI-era romances, Robson's first novel evocatively captures the feeling of the time as it follows the adventures of independent Lady Elizabeth Lilly Neville-Ashford, who in 1914 is expected to adhere to the rigid roles for upper-class British ladies. Instead, Lilly defies her family's stifling expectations by moving to London, where eventually she joins the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and becomes an ambulance driver in a refreshing change of pace from the more usual female occupation of nursing. Strongly on Lilly's mind is Robert Fraser, a friend of her brother's and the one man who makes her heart flutter. Despite being a surgeon, Robbie is not from the right class and, therefore, spurned as an appropriate suitor by Lilly's snobby parents. Yet the two would-be lovers manage to find one another near the battlefields of France. The question remains whether their love will be realized during those tumultuous years. Robson intermingles the overarching themes of love, war, and societal strictures in this appealing read that should resonate with fans of Downton Abbey.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)