On reflection, I think perhaps the slow pace was necessary given that there will be three books in the series and if too much was revealed too soon there would be nowhere to go with the story. I thought at times some of the detail and information presented was surplus to requirements but having read the blurb for the next book, I now understand that Dinah had everything so carefully planned and she was actually dropping little hints as to what plots could arise in the future books. What’s brilliant about this book is the descriptions, I felt as if I was living alongside the sisters as they struggled through the war and longed for a return to normal life. They live down a quiet laneway not far from the village of Sainte Cecile but it was almost as if they existed in another world in their farmhouse. I felt it almost had a magical feel about it almost as if it was a world away from the horrors of war yet war was very much on their doorstep. The beauty of the location and the use of land and nature throughout the book was just pure perfection and clearly a lot of research had been undertaken to know every little detail and to make the location just as important as all the events that befall the family.Their farmhouse was a haven and a refuge for each of them but all three women are very different from each other and their distinct voices firmly established themselves the more the book progressed. Hélène, Elise and Florence are three sisters living together with the uncertainty and terror of occupation, and being the eldest, Hélène sees it as her job to keep her sisters safe. However, that becomes increasingly difficult as the Allies come seeking their help. This is my first book by Dinah Jefferies but will definitely not be my last, as I’ll be reading the rest of the trilogy. I need to find out what happens to the sisters! Highly recommended if you enjoy historical fiction, especially set in Europe during World War Two. It’s now 1944 with the war at its height. The sisters moved from England seven years ago following the death of their father. Their French mother Claudette decided to remain in England and they have not seen her since the outbreak of the war with communication being more or less impossible. For someone not actually physically present in the book we learn an awful lot about Claudette particularly through what Helene says about her. The relationship she has with her mother is fractured in places and she feels like she has had to take on the mother role when perhaps she mightn’t have wanted to. There was clearly a story surrounding Claudette and we get the briefest hints as to what had happened. I had some ideas as to what had occurred but as to specific details I couldn’t pinpoint anything exactly and I would have loved to hear from her point of view. I felt she needed to have her voice heard instead of the reader interpreting everything from what her daughters thought of her. Perhaps we will hear from her in future books and my opinion of her might change because at the moment from what I have learned she is a complex person who is quite cold and hard.

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A warm and engrossing tale of passion and courage. I loved it' Rachel Hore, bestselling author of A Beautiful Spy The plot is quite fast paced and races along with the dramas of ordinary daily life under German occupation, and as the war continues and France’s liberation seems unlikely, family secrets are exposed (no spoilers here, but they are !!!) and the bonds between the sisters are severely tested. The descriptions of the French countryside are beautiful, and the detailed insights into the characters feelings and uncertainty draws you in as you experience what everyday life would have been like during such an uncertain time. The author has quite the gift for understanding and translating human nature into the written word. There are no one-dimensional characters here, they are all completely fleshed-out and realistic. Hélène, Elise and Florence, three sisters with both French and English genes, lived in the old stone cottage that belonged to their parents. Their home in Sainte-Cecile, in the river valley of the Dordogne, was where the sisters had lived alone, once their mother Claudette, had returned to England. It was 1944 and the German occupation of France had been going for a long time - they all wished it was over. They'd been relatively safe where they lived, but there was still danger. Elise was in the Resistance and Hélène nursed for the local doctor, while Florence, the youngest, did the cooking and gardening around the place. But would their feeling of content last? a b c "Türkiye'nin Oscar adayı belli oldu". Hürriyet Daily News. 24 August 2017 . Retrieved 24 August 2017. Helene's caring, she helps everyone and works for the local doctor Hugo Marchant, Elise owns a small cafe in town, and Florence looks after the cottage garden, she's a wonderful cook and homemaker. All three of the sisters become involved in the fight to free France, they all face hardship, danger, loss and the challenges of living in an occupied country. Daughter of War story is full of wonderful descriptions about the beautiful French countryside, the forest near the Baudin sister’s house, and life in the village of Sainte-Cecile and how the locals all support, help each other during the terrible war years and German reprisals.Florence was the sister who lived in a world of her own. She was whimsical and carefree and so in tune with nature and the land. She was the one who provided sustenance for the family and it was her way of contributing when she wasn’t as strong as the others in terms of engaging in resistance work or the simple day to day war effort in terms of surviving and keeping safe. She is fragile and sensitive and much preferred tending the garden growing food for the house and she puts her heart and soul into this. She was ingenious in what she could create from so little and she felt she was adding to the family in some small way providing so much when everything was rationed and people were struggling to get by. Her storyline took several surprising turns. One of which I had my suspicions about and was then proved wrong about but it allowed for the setting up of a good potential storyline for the future. The other was life altering for her and very detailed for the reader but I thought it was essential to have this event described in that detail because it showed how Florence changed and wasn’t perhaps as airy fairy as she was on first introduction. I’ve read many stories set in France during the war but never one that is so touching and moving. This was a special story with three sisters in such a rural and stunning part of France. I felt the contrast of the stunning landscape and the ugliness of war particularly well done. Dinah really got under the skin of her characters and the country at war and she painted quite the picture of war and the human emotions behind it. I have to say that there are certain scenes that are particularly heartbreaking and the ones involving rape and killing will make you cry. This is the true face of war sadly but to read it in this context really brings it home to you. a b '응팔' 진주 김설, 한국-터키 합작영화 ‘아일라’ 주연 발탁[Kim Seol, who played Jin-ju in 'Reply 1988', chosen for role in South Korea–Turkey joint production 'Ayla']. Newsen. 23 November 2016 . Retrieved 27 August 2017. The sisters face the horrors of war but the events read like Emotions for Dummies. When sensible Helene does something daring, the author spends far too much time pointing out that this is something Helene wouldn’t normally do. I get it, she’s branching out.

Daughters of War set in Dordogne By Dinah Jefferies Daughters of War set in Dordogne By Dinah Jefferies

She still loved the feeling of stillness once the sun was going down … the space between the days was her only chance of peace. She would sit in the darkness of the garden after her sisters were in bed and she would take a long slow breath and ground herself in her life.’ I loved everything about it, the setting, the characters, the plot. I’ve been on holiday to the Dordogne a couple of times, so I could imagine the landscape quite easily, especially when I recognised place names in the story. I’ve read quite a few books set in World War Two, but had to stop because I found them too upsetting, especially books connected to the Holocaust. I was a bit cautious about reading this one, but I needn’t have worried as although there were some very tense moments there was only a couple of distressing scenes which were sensitively handled by the author. At times this book reminded me of Citadel by Kate Mosse, but in a good way as I love that audiobook and have listened to it twice. A rich tapestry of courage, passion and family secrets beneath the dark shadows of war' Hazel Gaynor, bestselling author of The Bird in the Bamboo Cage With terrific characters, and a wonderful storyline, I don’t really want to say too much about this one, other than, it is without question, one my favourite reads of 2021, and worth every one of those 5 stars! Just beautiful.Content Considerations: war atrocities, suicide, rape, sexual assault, gun violence, loss, and heartbreak Wow this was so good! This book hooked me right from the beginning and didn’t let go. It was one of those books that I couldn’t stop thinking about, and wondering what was going to happen next. I had such high hopes for this book and it certainly had a lot of potential. The three sisters, Helene, Elise and Florence are living in occupied France in 1944, inhabiting a small farm house on the outskirts of a small village in Dordogne. It is Hugo, the local doctor, and his wife Marie, who initially experience the realities of life under the Nazis. However, everything also changes for the sisters following a brutal encounter (the nature of which may be triggering for some) which is quite different in tone from that of the book so far. In fact, this event signals a change to a much more dramatic storyline during which the author explores in minute detail how each of the sisters respond emotionally to the often traumatic experiences they witness. The revelation concerning their mother towards the end of the book, although resolving a mystery signalled early on, may not come as that much of a surprise to the observant reader but does bring unexpected complications.

The Daughters of War (3 book series) Kindle edition

Dinah Jefferies has done it again, the book is well written and I'm so excited that it’s part of a series, and I can’t wait until the next book is published and discover what else happens to Helene, Elise and Florence and especially after France has been liberated by the American's. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, in exchange for an honest review, if you like WW II Historical Fiction and I highly recommend Daughters of War and five stars from me.Love, grief, abandonment, betrayal and secrets ... I adored it' Liz Nugent, bestselling author of Our Little Cruelties With equal parts suspense, romance, family mystery and, history, there is something for every reader in this book. The atrocities of war are not glossed over here, and in fact, are described in such detail as to make the reader feel the impact of one human’s cruelty on another human being. As the story progresses, the sisters are faced with a series of important decisions. Should they give shelter to a deserter from the German army? Should they trust a British SOE soldier who arrives at the cottage one night injured and asking for assistance? Following their instincts and trying to find the balance between keeping themselves and each other, safe. Each of the sisters struggles with her own set of challenges to overcome. In 1985, the death of her fourteen year old son changed everything and she now draws on the experience of loss in her writing. She sets her books abroad and aims to infuse the love and loss with the extremely seductive beauty of the East.