Book Synopsis:
In the tumultuous aftermath of the First World War the Wilson brothers head in opposite directions: Richard, interned in Austria throughout the conflict, returns to England; Edward, a junior officer, is dispatched from Italy to Vienna as part of the British Army’s relief mission.
For Edward, it will be a return to the city and to love. But it will not be the same city: Vienna is no longer the administrative heart of an Empire, merely a provincial capital ravaged by starvation, and paralysed by the winter snows. Will it be the same love?
In London, Richard is employed in the ministerial heart of government, and soon dazzled by the Under Secretary’s vision for a new, federal Europe. But for the new to exist the old must be replaced; and the Habsburg Emperor, on his estate near the Czech border, revolution all around, refuses to go. One man is sent to make sure that he does.
With the brothers estranged by distance and time, their lives become unknowingly entwined in a shadowy plot – and it seems the end of the war is only the beginning of their struggle.
The Passing Tribute is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only £1.19. You can purchase copy of both using the unaffiliated link below.
My Review:
I haven’t read many books set in the period between the two world wars so I was very intrigued to read this book and perhaps find more about it. Although it is a slightly quiet period historically, it was obviously a time of quite big turmoil for people as they struggled to cope with what we know now as PTSD but which was diagnosed for the most part at the time. It must have been very difficult for people to have to deal with all the horrific memories and how much the war had changed their loved ones.
The story follows brothers Edward and Richard as they travel to peace missions in the aftermath of world war one . The author has obviously done a lot of research into this period and I found it fascinating to find out more about it. The descriptions of the countries are wonderfully described and allowed me to really imagine the settings in my mind. It was quite poignant to realise how much the world and the two brothers had changed.
My favourite character was Millie who is a very fun, confident nurse who helps Edward on his mission. She helped to bring a bit of light relief to a quite serious story and I found that I enjoyed reading about her.
The writing style is very clever but does take a bit of getting used to. It is very descriptive which isn’t meant as a criticism as the descriptions help add to the story but might not be to every readers taste. The author has used old fashioned language and some quite hard words which made it difficult at times to get a reading flow going as I had to keep looking up a few words. I think this is probably just my experience though and a more classic reader would really enjoy this book.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Unbound for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.
About The Author:
Simon studied modern history at UCL and received an MA in Imperial and Commonwealth History from King’s College London. His research has led to an enduring fascination with the politics of empire and the causes of both world wars, which has informed his novels to date.
Born and raised in London, he has lived and worked in France for much of the past decade as a Real Tennis Professional. He is thinking of becoming Anglo-Saxon again.
The Passing Tribute is his second novel. It is the sequel to The Long Drawn Aisle.
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Thanks Jo x
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