FICTION

After the War Is Over

by Jennifer Robson
Morrow. Jan. 2015. 384p. ISBN 9780062334633. pap. $14.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062334640. F
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In this sequel focusing on secondary characters from Robson's first novel, Somewhere in France, former governess Charlotte Brown has embraced a new role as an advocate for Liverpool's poor and oppressed citizens, throwing herself wholeheartedly into both her day job at a constituency office and the writing of fiery editorials in the local paper. Yet her activism is not enough to make her forget her memories of her former charge's handsome aristocratic brother, Edward, who has returned home from the Great War an emotionally shattered man. When it seems as if her wartime nursing experience at a neurological hospital might place her in a unique position to help Edward, Charlotte struggles to balance her desire to live a meaningful life in the present and her desire to revisit her past.
VERDICT Robson has clearly done her research about the details of daily life in postwar England, but this slow-paced novel is weighed down by a joyless, sanctimonious heroine and flashbacks that add little to the story. Recommended only for the most insatiable devotees of romance set in the post-World War I time period.
Reviewed by Mara Bandy, Champaign P.L., IL , Dec 12, 2014
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