A shy talented pianist, Hazel, falls in love with James, a gentle man who aspires to be an architect. But this is London and WWI is raging. James is unexpectedly called up and shipped out to France to fight in Lovely War Viking , by acclaimed author Julie Berry.
There, she meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian singer, who has lost her entire family to the Germans. Colette and Hazel become fast friends. They befriend the African American Aubrey and are both smitten with his piano playingβHazel as a fellow pianist, Colette as a chanteuse. All three are breaking rules by meeting around the piano late at night. Need I say, the book is about war, love, and racial divide.
The story is narrated by Olympian goddess of love, Aphroditeβa story she tells her husband Hephaestus who has just caught his wife cheating with Ares, god of war. Rather than living on Mt. We fall deeper in love with Hazel, James, Colette, and Aubrey.
When white racist American soldiers witness black Aubrey with white Colette together, Aubrey is whisked away to play jazz throughout Europe lest he be murdered by racist white American soldiers at the base. Colette and Hazel are accused of being wanton women by the proprietor of the boarding house and cast out. In the meantime, James turns out to be a skilled sharpshooter, requiring him to be placed in intensely dangerous battle situations.
War brings tragedy, of course. And war promotes intense love. Berry is a master of weaving historical details into well-crafted beautifully-written fiction. Highly recommended. The Children's Writer's Guild sections search about posts features reviews. Editor's Corner The Editor's Corner professional edits of manuscripts. The Gallery The Illustration Gallery contributor illustrations.
