Hope in the Valleys (Wartime in the Valleys #3) by Francesca Capaldi
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW1
Read: 15th January 2022
Published: 20th January 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Will Elizabeth choose love over duty?
It’s August 1917 and WW1 continues to take a toll. The villagers of Dorcalon, a mining village in the Rhymney Valley, try to keep hope alive; but every day brings fresh tragedy as more of their sons and fathers are killed on foreign battlefields.
Elizabeth Meredith, daughter of mine manager Herbert, enjoys a privileged position in the village, but she longs to break free of society’s expectations.
Falling in love with miner, Gwilym Owen, brings more joy to her life than she’s ever known… until she’s forced to choose between her love and her disapproving family. Seeking an escape, Elizabeth signs up as a VAD nurse and is swiftly sent to help the troops in France, even as her heart breaks at leaving Gwilym behind.
Separated by society and the Great War, can Elizabeth and Gwilym find their way back together again? Or will their love become another casualty of war?
MY REVIEW:
As soon as I read the dedication page to Rosemary Goodacre, author of the Derwent Chronicles who sadly passed away just days before her last book was published in October 2020, I knew this was going to be a good book. I loved the Derwent Chornicles and despite having never come across Francesca Capaldi before, I devoured HOPE IN THE VALLEYS within a day. I did not, however, realise it was part of a series and the more I read the more I felt like I had missed out on quite a bit that had gone on beforehand...but don't worry, the author does a brilliant job of keeping readers informed as to what has previously occurred so we don't feel as though we really missed out after all. Having said that, since I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I certainly intend on going back and reading the first two at some stage.
It's August 1917 and the Great War continues to rage across Europe claiming many British men despite the belief that it would be over by Christmas the first year...that being 1914. Three years later and it shows no signs of letting up as the small Welsh mining village or Dorcalon in the Rhymney Valley reels from the losses of their sons and fathers in the trenches. Although mining is a dangerous occupation, it is a reserved one and therefore keeping many sons and fathers of villagers from being conscripted into the Army. But mining is not without its dangers with a mine explosion and collapse some 18 months ago which claimed a couple of lives.
Elizabeth is the daughter of the mine manager Herbert Meredith, a fair man who believes in his workers even if the coal company doesn't. He believes that they too should be receiving the same wages as other coal mines as well as the bank holiday others enjoy. Unfortunately the decision is not his to make. Given his position, Elizabeth is able to enjoy a privileged lifestyle and status of the middle class...and yet it is not something of any importance to her. She longs to be free of the social expectations her mother has placed on her and at twenty-seven is expected to settle for whatever suitable husband her mother Margaret can find her. But Elizabeth will not be bullied into a marriage to a man of social standing that she doesn't love. But her mother is quick to claim what has love got to do with it?
Gwilyn Owen is a miner, working class and most unsuitable marriage material for Elizabeth in her mother's eyes. He is a quiet man but a proud one and though he knows nothing can come of his romance with Elizabeth, he loves her just the same...and she him. But as soon as her mother gets wind of the dalliance she is affronted both by the deception and Elizabeth's unsuitable choice. She forbids her to have anything more to do with him or she will see he is dismissed from his position in the mines and encourages her to find a more suitable match. Such as one of Lady Fitzgerald's sons Sidney, a Captain, or Horace, a Lieutenant - the fact that they are officers speaks volumes as to their social standing and suitability. But Elizabeth couldn't think of anything worse. So in an act of rebellion she packs her bags and flees to join the VAD (Voluntary Aid Dispatch) nurse and is sent to France to work in a casualty clearing hospital near the Front, leaving both her family and her love behind.
Not only divided by society, Elizabeth and Gwilym are now separated by war and a continent. In a letter she left for Gwilym, Elizabeth explained their unsuitability and that she was a fool to allow it to continue, leaving Gwilym brokenhearted. In an attempt to dismiss all thoughts of Elizabeth from his mind, he sets to work on the allotment he and Elizabeth had set as a cooperative initiative for villagers to grow their own produce in the wake of rationing and shortages.
Meanwhile, Gwen Austin had been working in a munitions factory some miles away but due to the nature of the job, became ill and was hospitalised with a toxic poisoning as a result of her job. She was advised complete rest for the coming months and not to return to her former employment. So when Margaret Meredith is told her maid is leaving to get married, she knows she must find a replacement quick and soon discovers Gwen is looking for work. The pair come to an understanding and Gwen begins her new job at MacKenzie House which is a far cry from that of the munitions factory.
Life takes a turn for both Elizabeth and Gwen as they fight to overcome social stigmas for their place in life and love. And as the end of the war seems to be drawing closer, another fight is on their hands...one that could prove far more dangerous than war.
HOPE IN THE VALLEYS is a wonderful story of love, loss, friends and family as the world changes in the wake of the Great War and the carnage that it leaves behind. It's a story of social divide between the classes as those that dare to cross it bring a sense of change. It's a story of war and of hope.
I quickly felt at home with the pages as I drew similarities to Rosemary Goodacres "The Derwent Chronicles", also centred around a village with social divides and WW1. I enjoyed my journey to the Welsh mining town even if some of the Welsh phrases and language were a little lost on me (even google didn't help with some of them) but it didn't detract my enjoyment of the story.
HOPE IN THE VALLEYS is a delightfully easy read in which the characters who had featured in the first two books are feature here, though the focus in this installment is mostly on Elizabeth and Gwen. Some of the characters you really love to hate - such as Elizabeth's mother Margaret who is so completely overbearing, for one, amongst others - while others are completely endearing.
I have no hesitation in recommending HOPE IN THE VALLEYS to fans of historical fiction sagas such as Rosemary Goodacre, Dilly Court and Catherine Cookson.
I would like to thank #FrancescaCapaldi, #Netgalley, #HeraBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #HopeInTheValleys in exchange for an honest review.
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Thank you very much for your review, Stina.
ReplyDeleteFrancesca