Published: June 15, 2011
Words: 82928 (approximate)
Language: English

Ebook short description

A military execution in France is a key event in this story of the conflicting demands of duty, loyalty and love. In England Dolly Weston falls in love with an army officer but a deserter’s arrival opens unhealed wounds from the past. And ten-year-old Joshua, his home life falling apart, is drawn into the world of three people whom he loves but who are destined to be torn apart.

Extended description

A military execution in France … a key event in this story of the conflicting demands of duty, loyalty and love. The war, with its horrifying, endless slaughter on the western front, is the backdrop.

But it is in a drab, impoverished seaport town in north-east England where the major action takes place. Dolly Weston, her husband reported missing, falls in love with an army officer recuperating from his injuries. When a deserter, previously decorated for bravery, comes on the scene, unhealed wounds from a bitter past are reopened.

And it is all observed by ten-year-old Joshua Slater, captive to the empty jingoism of his schoolteacher’s tales of heroism. Through small town bigotry and prejudice, Joshua is led into the world of three people whom he comes to love and admire but who are destined to be torn cruelly apart.

Seventy-five per cent of the profits from this book will be donated to BLESMA (British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association).

Adult-content rating:

This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages. For more information, see the Support FAQ.

Tags

romance, military, bigotry, servant, chapel, first world war, firing squad, trenches, desertion, workhouse

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Reviews

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Review by: David Gee on Jan. 08, 2012 :
A poignant portrait of the lives of the gallant young lads (many of them far too young) who went to fight - and die - in the trenches of the Somme. Makepeace vividly evokes the English towns and villages they came from and the families they tore themselves away from. We are reminded that this was a world where the rich got richer and the poor always knew their place - and the battlefield shredded all of them. A fine addition to the literature of World War One.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Mike George on July 17, 2011 :
And Such Great Names As These – justifiably selected as best novel by the National Association of Writers’ Groups – gives us a tale of disparate have- and have-not families, in which the have-nots must – and do – eventually prevail. Evocative of the incomparable Howard Spring and Catherine Cookson, Allen Makepeace’s story is told principally through the eyes of a ten-year-old orphan, Joshua, and his young adoptive mother, Dolly. Despite the exquisitely recalled fog-shrouded grey tiles and wet cobbles of the northern English seaport and the appalling events on the Western Front – the novel soars into realms of moral ascendency, triumph, hope, redemption and fulfilment. A cracking good read from am impressive writer. Highly recommended.
(reviewed the day of purchase)

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