Kate’s 2¢: “Wives At War” by Jessica Stirling

“Wives At War” by Jessica Stirling

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Terry Donnelly read the version of “Wives of War” that I listened to. Her Scotish accent was so thick at times, that it was hard for me to follow. It was amazing to hear her switch to Christy’s American accent.

   The author used fore-shadowing and back-flashes to develop the characters, weaving a rich tapestry that, while not always easy to follow, enriched the narrative arc of this historic novel.

   Placed in the backdrop of 1940 WWIIbombs, air raids, and war in Scotland, the three sisters are wives with very different husbands, dealing with wars on multiple levels of relationships within each woman, within their sisterhood, and within the war-torn homeland.

   Bernard comes across as the sage,  realist, conservative, flexible, and the insightful main-stay of the family when he observes “…to understand what Polly and her sisters were about; to look passed them to the generation of children they would raise and the values those children would inherit…”

From the Web:

Jessica Stirling A pseudonym used by Margaret M Coghlan. Hugh Crauford Rae was born on November 22, 1935, in Glasgow, Stirling is the author of many heartwarming novels, most of which have Scottish backgrounds. She has enjoyed a highly successful career since THE SPOILED EARTH was published in 1974.

   Note: Hugh C Rae (Hugh Crauford Rae) Scotland (b. 1935) aka James Albany, Robert Crawford, R B Houston, Stuart Stern, Jessica Stirling

Obituary: Hugh C Rae, author – The Scotsman

Oct 13, 2014 · Born: 22 November, 1935, in Glasgow. Died: 24 September, 2014, in Glasgow, aged 78 When Jessica Stirling finally decided to unmask herself as the alter ego of author Hugh Rae…

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Wives at war DB97397

Stirling, Jessica. Reading time: 17 hours, 47 minutes.

Read by Terry Donnelly.

Historical Fiction

War affects the Conway sisters in different ways. While working at the Ministry of Labour, Babs meets an American photographer who may be more than he purports. Rosie’s marriage is on the rocks. Polly becomes entangled in intrigues. Violence, strong language, and descriptions of sex. 2003.