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Florence was shocked by the extent of the damage when she arrives in Malta, records and documents have been lost, and it makes her task of finding her aunt extremely difficult! I thought it was brilliant the way the author raised an issue which is still very much prevalent today as you forget that things like this have existed for a very long time. In the earlier strand of the story, we follow Rosalie in the 1920s in Malta as she too uncovers some dark secrets. Dark secrets lie at every turn, hidden beneath layers of 1920s racism and the fearfulness of a crumbling colonial power, making for a thoroughly gripping tale.
If you haven't read my 5 star review of Book 1, and been already influenced to pick it up, then I will simply state - go get yourself a copy! In 1985, a family tragedy changed everything, and she now draws on the experience of loss in her writing, infusing love, loss and danger with the beauty of her locations. It is clear they have had some adventures overseas in the War and are now exhausted, dirty and injured. But with it comes with a knowledge of how the darker side of Malta operates and this causes Rosalie’s life to change, for the better, as she grows more worldly and caring. This book is mainly about Florence who escaped to England in 1942 leaving her two sisters in France.A tender, moving and at times heartbreaking story”― SINEAD MORIARTY --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. We meet his family, including the wife he is trying to divorce, whilst Florence makes contact with her mother who is living in the Cotswolds.
She has strong viewpoints and I admired how she always stuck to her principals especially when she discovers some shady and underhand things going on in Malta which is where she ventures to when her parents turn their back on her. La giovane Rosalie è invece fuggita a Malta dalla Francia a causa di un grave scandalo familiare e ora, sotto la falsa identità di Riva Janvier, lavora come ballerina in un locale di dubbia moralità. This book has it all - rebellion, secrets, generational rifts, passion, praise for the character and all in front of the island of Malta (mainly). However I loved catching up with favourite characters Florence Baudin and Jack, having been wondering where their story would take them both after escaping from war torn France. Fast-forward to the final months of the Second World War, Florence is sent on a mission to find out what happened to Rosalie.Florence has not seen her Mother Claudette for years but their reunion does not go down well and her mother asks her to find her missing sister Rosalie. Furthermore, the fact that Rosalie and Florence’s stories were not too many decades apart from each other added a level of suspense whether the two would ever be reunited. Everything seemed to fit into place really easily for both Florence and Rosalie and there was only a little evidence of the hardships caused by Europe being at war. Ma la ragazza ha un compito importante affidatole dalla madre Claudette da portare a termine: andare a Malta in cerca della zia Rosalie (alias Riva Janvier) della quale nessuno ha più notizie. The characters and relationships were believable and I look forward to the third book in the series.
The novel focusses on two women in two different times but both closely linked to wartime and its aftermath. I did find some of the descriptions to be a bit long, especially of the gardens, the weather and the area around them. For me Rosalie’s story was stronger than Florence’s although things for Florence did take several turns towards the end of the book.Although I prefer the stories Dinah Jefferies has set in the East, I found the events in Malta very interesting and I admired the courage of both young women. Things developed for Florence in England and she grows in strength as a person but yet guilt does eat away at her too. Now living in Gloucestershire, Dinah once lived in Tuscany working as an au pair for an Italian countess; she has also lived in a ‘hippy’ rock’n roll commune based in an Elizabethan manor house, but started writing when she was living in a small 16th Century village in Spain. The story is told in a dual timeline as we get Florence’s life in Devon and her travels as she eventually sets out to hunt for her aunt and then we get Rosalie’s story beginning in 1925 when she arrives in Malta. This is the second book in Dinah Jefferies' Daughters of War trilogy, with this one focusing on youngest daughter Florence and her aunt Rosalie.
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