For All the Bright Promise

Rating:
Summary: Compelling ....
Review: If your after a war-time romance with twists and turns, and are a fan of war - time literature, you will love this book by Elizabeth Lord. I just finished reading it myself and have to say i was addicted. Slow to start, yet once it got you in its web of intrigue, it refused to let you out. There are a few books which have this effect on the reader and this has to be one of them. You will most likely identify with at least one of the characters in this book as it has issues that have affected all of us at some point.
As a young teenager, Margaret Ross, bore an infatuation with her witty, charming neighbour Matthew Ward, however, he only saw her through a best friend's eyes. She knew she wasnt "His type" - dark and dainty-like - in fact she was the opposite with flaming red hair and a tall figure.
War time. During this time, Matthew was sent all over the country and with thoughts of " Maggie " (Margaret) on his mind, and the never-fulfilled promises of letters to her, he falls for a petite young beauty by the name of Susan. A poor girl from Burmingham, quite not the match for a well-to-do young man, he defeats all odds and leads a life he only ever dreamt of . With his girl on his arm, he introduces his family to his new "Wife".
Margaret, however, now a nurse and at last free from her mothers grip, takes this informaion in her stride and tries to carry on with her life and faltering romances. To no avail.
What happens from this point on is not only shocking, but gripping, drawing the reader in as if the need to feed one's curiosity is the only thing to do.
If your not reading the book, you will be thinking about it and what is in store for all of the characters.
Lord has a distinctive way of writing , which captures the emotions and raw feeling from each character, narrated by the characters themselves when the need arises, as to not leave the reader dumbfounded.
There are books that are very one-sided and scream out " Fiction" but Lord's book " For all the bright promise" sounds like a true story from a most gifted and talented author which deserves more recognition for her fabulous work.
Read it if you want to drift back in time and experience a romantic war-time saga through the eyes of all the chracters involved.... you wont be dissapointed.