From the award-winning author of Easter Island comes a powerful, “unputdownable” (Vogue) novel of love, loss, and redemption amid the ruins of war-torn Italy.
1943: When seventeen-year-old Juliet Dufresne receives a cryptic letter from her enlisted brother and then discovers that he’s been reported missing in action, she lies about her age and travels to the front lines as an army nurse, determined to find him. Shy and awkward, Juliet is thrust into the bloody chaos of a field hospital, a sprawling encampment north of Rome where she forges new friendships and is increasingly consumed by the plight of her patients. One in particular, Christopher Barnaby, a deserter awaiting court martial, may hold the answer to her brother’s whereabouts—but the trauma of war has left him catatonic. Racing against the clock, Juliet works with an enigmatic young psychiatrist, Dr. Henry Willard, to break Barnaby’s silence before the authorities take him away. Plunged into the horrifying depths of one man’s memories of combat, Juliet and Willard together plumb the moral nuances of a so-called “just war” and face the dangers of their own deepening emotional connection.
In vibrant, arresting prose, Vanderbes tells the story of one girl’s fierce determination to find her brother as she comes of age in a time of unrelenting violence. An unforgettable war saga that captures the experiences of soldiers long after the battles have ended, The Secret of Raven Point is heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting: “The only disappointing thing about this book is that it has to end” (Library Journal, starred review).
When I began The Secret of Raven Point my first impression was that this is a novel of devotion. How far would you go for someone you love? It sounds a little sappy, like a Nicholas Sparks novel, the difference is that Juliet has grit. That trait is what carries The Secret of Raven Point. While I knew Juliet's mission of finding her brother Tuck was a fool's errand her determination and courage is what persevered
Even though it was fiction The Secret of Raven Point showed an interesting view-finder that can go overlooked, that of an army nurse. Jennifer Vanderbes, drew an elaborate picture of an army hospital. There were moments when I wish she hadn't painted such a vivid image as it was an unimaginable sight. Although, one cannot simply turn their head aside and wait for it to pass, I tackled it head on riveted by each character's role.
One patient Christopher Barnaby, may hold the answers to Juliet's burning question which is slowly revealed through the rise and fall of his battle fatigue. As this held a key point of the novel one could longingly anticipate the return to this story but there was so much swirling around that I didn't feel the need to speed through to Barnaby's next confession, instead it became the cream inside a Hostess cupcake.
On two separate occasions Jennifer Vanderbes incorporates a chance at romance. Thank goodness these were short lived, I thought that if advances were included it could be likened to an action film with the directors adding a little romance to draw female viewers. They did add a softening to a hard edged book, but I'm glad they puttered out.
The recovery of her brother Tuck soon became a novelty idea, a lost cause that was clung to. Despite no good deed going unpunished, this misguided hope is what held the novel together. My one complaint was the ending, while concluding on a cliffhanger I almost felt that the author didn't know how to end it and just stopped mid sentence. The epilogue ties everything together but if not for that I would have been left with something missing, an incomplete story. Overall, The Secret of Raven Point is worth the read and a different look at WWII.
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
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6 February, 2014:
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6 February, 2014:
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