Edith's War, a novel, tells one woman's heart-wrenching, yet ultimately heart-warming, story of hardship, love, passion, and motherhood during Liverpool's Blitz of World War II. In early summer of 1940 young Edith Maguire witnesses the internment of her Italian neighbours following Mussolini's declaration of war against Britain. Edith is swept up in the unthinkable event of her Italian friends' deportation to Canada on the Arandora Star and experiences first-hand the hardships and grief that ensue as a result of the ship's fateful voyage. Edith's story is interwoven with observations and recollections by her two adult sons during a day spent waiting in Venice for their mother, now in her 80 s, to join them for a brief holiday. The two men's ruminations and discussions of their childhood during and following WWII slowly but surely release hidden memories and reveal long-held secrets. Edith s War is a tale of injustice, survival, courage, forgiveness, and an intricate web of relationships spanning four generations.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
'Edith's War' won the 2011 Gold Independent Publisher Award for Fiction (Eastern Canada)
Smith deftly draws you into the dynamics of several families both past (1940) and present (2002). A gripping and tender look at a war (WWII) we thought we knew. CHIP BARKEL --Toronto Reader
Edith's War is a wonderful story beautifully written. The confident way you handle the structure, moving between time periods and places, is really impressive. A terrific accomplishment. - Author Jack Batten
Edith's War is an intricate study of war, love and survival. A must read. --Zoomer Magazine
This is a novel well worth reading. Beautifully written, focused and with a good story leading to an intriguing finale, Edith's War is definitely a "must read". Hurry and get yourself a copy. --Canadian Reviewer
Smith deftly draws you into the dynamics of several families both past (1940) and present (2002). A gripping and tender look at a war (WWII) we thought we knew. CHIP BARKEL --Toronto Reader
Edith's War is a wonderful story beautifully written. The confident way you handle the structure, moving between time periods and places, is really impressive. A terrific accomplishment. - Author Jack Batten
Edith's War is an intricate study of war, love and survival. A must read. --Zoomer Magazine
This is a novel well worth reading. Beautifully written, focused and with a good story leading to an intriguing finale, Edith's War is definitely a "must read". Hurry and get yourself a copy. --Canadian Reviewer
From the Back Cover
A fictional narrative based on historical fact that tells one woman's heart-wrenching, yet ultimately heart-warming, story of hardship, love, passion, and motherhood during World War II. When Edith Maguire is caught up in the trials and tribulations of her Italian neighbours following Britain's internment police of 1940, her life appears to be transformed.
Edith's story is interwoven with observations and recollections by her two adult sons, which slowly but surely release hidden memories and reveal long-held secrets. The intricacies of familial relations and the omnipresence of war are brilliantly illuminated by two generations -- mother and sons -- in this groundbreaking work of fiction.
Edith's story is interwoven with observations and recollections by her two adult sons, which slowly but surely release hidden memories and reveal long-held secrets. The intricacies of familial relations and the omnipresence of war are brilliantly illuminated by two generations -- mother and sons -- in this groundbreaking work of fiction.
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More About the Author
Andrew Smith was born in Liverpool, England. He moved to Toronto, Canada in 1974 since when he's worked in magazines and book publishing. Andrew Smith's writing has been included in the Journey Prize Anthology, has been shortlisted for the CBC Literary Awards, and has garnered a Western Magazine Award for Travel Writing. He has published two non-fiction books: Highlights, an illustrated history of cannabis (co-author) and Strangers in the Garden, the secret lives of our favorite flowers. He's enjoyed writing fiction since 1990, which, fortunately, is when he began. His latest novel, Edith's War, won a Gold Medal for Fiction at the Independent Publisher Book Awards in New York in May, 2011.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Made me cry, that last chapter,
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This review is from: Edith's War (Paperback)
If you like the fiction of William Trevor--sympathetic depiction of ordinary people, most especially women, caught in failed wedding nights, squashed hopes and depressing futures--and wish that, just once, one of these women would come into her own, this is a book for you. And in this book, simultaneously, there's also England coming into its own--against Hitler. There are two parallel narratives, set respectively in the Blitz at its grittiest, and in 2002 vacationers' Venice. The reader follows, respectively, a young British woman of 20 and her two sons near 60. The two timelines move day-by-day--so, much detail, very well done, of two theatres: the theatre of England at war; and the theatre of Venice, where everything is water and light and where reluctant emotions, long numb, wake up dazed, but wake up. Edith's War is literature, the real thing. It's not about war, it's about emotions, half-felt, then, wham, felt. The book starts slowly, this brushstroke, that brushstroke, then kicks in. The two time zones each get stronger, then at the very end, come together--the sons still 60 and Edith now 80, brilliantly handled. Made me cry, that last chapter. A good book can do that.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Heart Beaking Story During WWII,
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This review is from: Edith's War (Paperback)
"You know," said Anna. "We all think we're so clever. I know I used to be too proud. I had a good husband, three handsome boys who speak English and get along so good at school. Three fish and chip shops, a nice house - I thought I have it made. And the bang, suddenly it all disappeared. When a war happens, it shows you we don't know nothing. War or no war, we're all like leaves being blown around. No matter how much we think we're the boss, we're not."Edith's War takes place not far from Liverpool in a town called Shrimpley. The time is the beginning of World War II. Shortly after their marriage, Edith Maguire's husband Joe must leave to help fight the war. Edith, being pregnant with their first child, leaves Liverpool to stay with her mother-in-law and brother-in-law in Shrimpley. There she meets Anna and Gianni Baccanello, along with their 3 sons, Paolo, Domenico and Carlo. When Edith moved in with her in-laws she was a naive young lady. What she experienced during the 4 years that Joe was away, changed her completely. But more changes were in store for her when Joe comes home and her second son is born. Edith's War was created with fictional characters surviving real history. It's written in two periods of time. One time period takes you through the trials of surviving as a wife and mother in the 1940s during WWII while your husband is away fighting a war that no one understands. The second time period takes place over sixty years after WWII in the 2000s when Edith, her two sons Will and Shamus and Edith's secrets from the past all meet up in Italy. Edith's War is a love/hate book that tore me between characters. I could understand, yet not understand the events that took place. I could approve of, yet disapprove of the feelings felt by the characters. When you put together the story, the circumstances and the history revealed in Edith's War, you can't help but feel the feelings of each character as they struggle to survive. As I read this book I had another book come to mind. I know the stories are totally different but the style of Andrew Smith's writing reminded me of Nicholas Spark's writing "The Notebook." This is a very well written book and a very engrossing read. You can't help but love it.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Family dynamics and WWII,
This review is from: Edith's War (Paperback)
Typically I have had some issues with most historical fiction, mainly because many novels tend to take some facts and then proceed to play loose with the details. I like the facts, the setting, and the mood to all be as historically accurate as possible and reflect the period without putting a modern spin on it based on our current sensibilities. Edith's War manages to fulfill my requirements beautifully. Andrew Smith did his research and, much to my delight, kept a real sense of time and place throughout Edith's War. This was even more apparent because the chapters flip back and forth through time. The novel opens in 2002 with Edith's two adult sons, Will and Shamus (61 and 56), in Venice, spending a day together before the arrival of their 83 year old mother, Edith. Alternate chapter are set during WWII, starting in 1940, when Edith Maguire was a young war bride, pregnant and living with her mother-in-law by Liverpool. The chapters with Will and Shamus stand in sharp contrast to the chapters with Edith during the war. Will and Shamus relate to each other like real adult siblings do - they disagree, react to each other in a well defined way, and have long-held roles and resentments, while at the same time they are comfortable with each other and begin dredging up memories of the past. Between the brothers, we are privy to Shamus' inner thoughts and know his inner turmoil, especially coming to terms with the recent death of his long time life partner, Luke, while we have to wait to gain a greater understanding of Will. Edith's story is more straightforward. We immediately see her developing relationships with her mother-in-law, teenage brother-in-law, Liam, and members of the Baccanello family during WWII. We know about her immediate attraction to Carlos. It is from her friendship and love of the Baccanello family that we view the tragedy of the internment of British Italians and the devastating effect it has on the family and Edith. As we slowly learn about Edith's experiences during the war, we follow the brother's interaction and slowly learn the details of their memories. Although I think most readers are going to guess right away where the story is heading, it is a very satisfying book. If you like a serious, realistic look at internment during WWII, and appreciate an exploration of family dynamics, read Edith's War. Highly Recommended
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