The Storms of War, Kate Williams
The Storms of War, Kate Williams
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The Storms of War

Author: Kate Williams

Narrator: Fiona Hardingham

Unabridged: 18 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/15/2015

Synopsis

For fans of Atonement, Birdsong, and Downton Abbey, the first of three novels about a privileged British family enduring the trials of World War I, from New York Times bestselling author Kate WilliamsIn the idyllic early summer of 1914, life is good for the de Witt family. Rudolf and Verena are planning the wedding of their daughter Emmeline, while their eldest son, Arthur, is studying in Paris, and Michael is just back from his first term at Cambridge. Celia, the youngest of the de Witt children, is on the brink of adulthood and secretly dreams of escaping her carefully mapped-out future and exploring the world.But the onslaught of war changes everything, and soon the de Witts find themselves sidelined and in danger of losing everything they hold dear. As Celia struggles to make sense of the changing world around her, she lies about her age to join the war effort and finds herself embroiled in a complex plot that puts not only herself but those she loves in danger.With gripping detail and brilliant empathy, Kate Williams tells the story of Celia and her family as they are shunned by a society that previously embraced them, torn apart by sorrow, and buffeted and changed by the storms of war.

About Kate Williams

Kate Williams is an award-winning author. She studied for her BA at Oxford University and went on to earn an MA from the University of London and a DPhil in history from Oxford. A lecturer and TV consultant in addition to being CNN’s royal historian, she has hosted several documentaries on British television and appears regularly on both American and British networks. She is the author of three biographies—Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte, England’s Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton, and Becoming Queen Victoria: The Unexpected Rise of Britain’s Greatest Monarch—as well as a novel, The Pleasures of Men. Her articles and essays have been published in a wide range of books and journals.

About Fiona Hardingham

Fiona Hardingham is a British-born actress, singer, voice-over artist, and AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. On stage, she appeared at the Edinburgh Festival in her comedic one-woman show The Dark Show. She has also starred in the dark-comedy short film The Ballerino. She earned a BA honors degree in performing arts from Middlesex University, London, and also studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Roger on November 27, 2015

I can think of quite a few novels - many of them recently-published - that are set during World War I. In such a crowded field, it cannot be easy for a writer to come up with a fresh perspective on the events of 1914-18. And, to be honest, historian and novelist Kate Williams doesn't really manage t......more

Goodreads review by Patty on June 29, 2016

5+++ Stars!! If you read Historical Fiction then you MUST read The Storms of War!!! This book is written about a family (the De Witt family) in the Great War...the women facing disease and death daily, the people left behind at home, their possessions destroyed by bombs, and the waiting for news about......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on March 11, 2017

During the long, golden summer of 1914, members of a wealthy British family spend their days at leisure on their expansive Hampshire estate. While the eldest daughter, beautiful Emmeline, dreams of her wedding to Sir Hugh Bradshaw, her mother, Verena, directs the servants in planning their annual su......more

Goodreads review by Ruth on June 02, 2018

Closer to 3.5 but not close enough to rate it a 4. It has an interesting premise—the experiences of a German/English family during WWI. Two things kept me from loving it. Several of the main characters make very stupid decisions, and there is a streak of passivity running through two of them that ge......more

Goodreads review by Nada on February 06, 2017

Actually the first thing that caught my eyes when I saw the novel in a bookstore was its cover and how simple and expressive it is. I really liked it so much. it is about a family saga which is told from the perspective of the youngest daughter of the family " Celia " through the First World War. Of......more

Quotes

“A beautifully conjured family saga. Fans of Downton Abbey will love it.” Alison Weir, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“The new novel by the historian Kate Williams is an epic story about a young woman whose idyllic world is shattered by the First World War.” Sunday Telegraph (London)

“This terrific saga comes with a fascinating twist. Williams has a gift for showing how great movements in history affect the lives of people caught up in them.” Times (London)

“A big juicy drama set on the eve of the First World War. Kate Williams paints a spellbinding portrait of a family clinging on desperately to their privileged way of life.” Good Housekeeping (UK)

“Williams keeps her story moving and the result is a vivid portrait of a perennially fascinating period of history.” Observer (London)

“Kate Williams is a vivid writer, conjuring atmosphere through scents and tastes as well as period props.” Times Literary Suplement

“Quietly impressive…Hard to put down…A new perspective on an old war. Gripping, thoughtful, heartbreaking, and, above all, human.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Although the war drives the plot, the sympathetic and well-drawn characters—especially Michael and Celia—possess a depth beyond their circumstances…This detailed, descriptive novel brings an era to life.” Booklist

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