The
novel opens with an intriguing prologue in which a tin box and its contents are
described; immediately the reader is keen to discover the provenance of these
objects. It is 1914, and eighteen-year-old George Farrell is a postman who has
befriended, and secretly fallen for, Violet Walter, a young woman whose grand
home he delivers to on his rounds in the villages around the fells in the Northern
Lake District. One day, he delivers a letter to Violet, preparing to declare
his true emotions to her, however, when she reveals the contents of the letter
- she is in love with another man - he knows he cannot. Desperately
disappointed, he flees, makes some new friends, drowns his sorrows, and against
his peace-loving family’s wishes, and indeed his own prior pacifist beliefs, he
enlists to fight in the war. Those he leaves behind, his family and his
colleagues at the post office, including the owner’s daughter, George’s dear best
friend Kitty, await anxiously for news.
The Moon Field is a moving story of the innocence, joy and pain of young love and of a changing
society in a world altered forever, told through understated yet powerful
prose. Judith Allnatt writes beautifully, with honesty and compassion, about
1914-15, the bravery of George in going to fight, the tragedy and futility he sees,
his loved ones at home always fearing the worst but hoping for the best.
I
loved the strong evocation of time and place, the feeling of an ordinary,
decent young man’s innocence being lost forever so that he no longer recognises
in himself the man he was before, and the idea of whether it is possible to
rediscover joy in life after witnessing such senseless loss and experiencing desperate
sadness.
The Moon Field is a very good read, and a timely and fitting novel with 2014 seeing the centenary of the start of World War One – it reminds us of what must have been the terrible reality of those times; ordinary young men like George heroically offering themselves up in the patriotic defence of their country, only to discover the cruel realities and horror of the war.
The Moon Field is a very good read, and a timely and fitting novel with 2014 seeing the centenary of the start of World War One – it reminds us of what must have been the terrible reality of those times; ordinary young men like George heroically offering themselves up in the patriotic defence of their country, only to discover the cruel realities and horror of the war.
Source - We Love This Book - thanks to them for a review copy of this novel
Publisher - HarperCollins - 16th January 2014
