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There are currently 27 member reviews
for Two Storm Wood
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John A. (Austin, TX)
Great Historical Fiction
Not only is this great historical fiction, it is also a fascinating mystery/detective story. One gets a real feel for the carnage of WWI. The incredible number of dead left in the battlefields after the war ended was vividly illustrated as were the lives of the trench raiders (equivalent to the German Storm Troopers who started this feature of the war). The bravery and dogged persistence of the Englishwoman trying to find her fiance near where he was reported missing led to the steady unwinding of the mystery of his ultimate fate. There were lots of twists and surprises along the way that enhanced the enjoyment of this very entertaining and educational novel.
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Martha G. (Columbia, MO)
Two Storm Wood
Confusion at the beginning almost stopped me from continuing to read. However, once I established that the author was filling in the back story with changing time periods, I became engrossed in the plot. The writing is very period-authentic. I wished for my e-reader to be able to tap the word and have it explained, as well as the French phrases. Not having read much about WW I, I was fascinated with the use of the trenches. The graphic descriptions of the violence and atrocities of war may deter some readers. But the mystery, visual imagery, and character
development were highly effective. Thank you for a superb read!
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Mary F. (Lewes, DE)
Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
I loved this book which is touted as an historical fiction thriller, and it delivers! Philip Gray's research enables the realistic portrayal of the difficulties of uncovering and respecting the human debris of the war torn battlefields of Northern France in 1919. His writing style and descriptions are powerful, and sometimes graphic,so you can almost feel the goosebumps and sodden discomfort of the cold downpour of rain, or the frightening echoes of those that were lost in the brutal trench warfare. The characters are all well developed , smart and complicated. Amy, the protagonist, stands out as an independent, willful woman who travels to the area to search for her missing fiancé who she believes has perished in battle.While she is motivated by both love and guilt, she is determined to find answers to the rumors of Captain Haslan's disappearance.
The plot toggles back and forth in time to reveal the history of the main characters, and to describe missions and battles which reinforce the author's philosophy that "War is a contest of violence, not virtue".
The many themes were well developed and enhanced the story's suspense, as well as the reader's interest. My one criticism would be that I felt the ending seemed contrived in some aspects, but it did not detract from the novel.
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Janet S. (Terrace Park, OH)
Great Historical Fiction
Two Storm Wood is powerful historical fiction. It focuses on the horrors of World War I, Yet, it also tells the story of a determined young woman in finding her missing husband and knowing the truth. I was blown away. The story is unforgettable.
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M K. (Minneapolis, MN)
Two Storm Wood
From the very first pages, I loved every word. It's one of those moments when style and cadence competes with content, or it could be the other way around because the content grabbed me right away and then I noticed how the style complimented my immersion in the story. This was true all the way through this gorgeous story of an English Regiment in World War 1, fighting in France, and Amy Vanneck's search for her fiancee who is described as "missing in action," and what really happened to him.
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Margaret S. (Palo Alto, CA)
How should a War End?
From the seriously fine opening to the tense unraveling and binding up, TWO STORM WOOD by Philip Gray is a thriller, a love story, and a history.
World War One is over. The parades have been run. But they turn the corner and the marching soldiers disappear. And that is why Amy, a girl in love, needs to go to the place in France where her soldier lover fell. Amiens was the beginning of the end of the War for Britain but for Amy it is the beginning of a quest. Like Antigone she goes into the trenches, discovering more about war than she ever wanted to know. It is ugly and what is left behind is putrid and smelly. The terrain is. minutely described as well as what it contains. This is a book of many layers. What lies beneath is outlined by streams and sunlight, much like the map that Amy uses to get to the truth.
She meets up with volunteers who are finding bodies and identifying graves. This is set in 1919 but the truth of the matter is in the graves, excavated, dug and yet to be dug. "Grave Identifiers" still exist today in 2021. Bodies still need rest. (Rudyard Kipling's son fell in 1915 and was identified in 1992-see My Boy Jack.)
I thought I knew quite a lot about the Western Front but I was grateful for the computer because there were many times when I stopped to look up places, battalions and oh my goodness things I did not know and about which I intend to find out more. (The CLC needs to be unburied.)
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Virginia M. (San Antonio, TX)
It was good but.....
I debated with myself for a long time about how I was going to describe how this book impressed me.
First, I will tell you that my very favorite kind of book is historical fiction and I enjoy those books which make history come alive for me. So, when I saw that the genre of this book was listed as historical fiction – I was certain that I would enjoy it. The fact that it was about WWI made me even more sure that t I would find it very interesting. I have read lots about the Civil War and WWII but not so many historical fiction books about WWI.
I read the publisher's description saying it was about an upper class British woman who decided to visit the battlefields in France and find out what really happened to her fiancé (who had been listed as missing in action.) In my mind I envisioned her traipsing through cemeteries and battlefields and trying to find individuals who were familiar with the events of the war, and I was not deterred by the references to her coming across barbed wire and rat infested tunnels. After all, I knew that stories set against the background of armed conflict are not necessarily pretty stories.
I was further warned by one review which said: "…she had read the book to read and learn more about WWI, but she had found the book to actually to be more of a thriller than a book for fans of historical fiction."
Now with that background, I have decided to give the author a rating of 5 stars for his skill in making the events in the book come to life. He displayed an amazing talent in conceiving the dark and gruesome plot. I usually feel disappointed if the historical fiction books I read fail to teach me something new about the period of history covered by the book. In this regard, one thing that piqued my interest was the fact that Edward became addicted to cocaine and opium during his military life. After finishing the book, I searched online to see how often this was ignored by those in charge. This led me to discover that use of mind-altering substances was often widely sanctioned and encouraged by our military in both World Wars to increase alertness and suppress appetite. I have been very naïve about this, but it came as a surprise. This and other aspects of the book will prompt many discussion areas for book clubs.
That said, I have also made a firm decision to give the book a rating of 1.5 stars as far as indicating whether I enjoyed reading the book. There are tons of interesting books available. Therefore, I prefer to avoid those that seem go overboard in including gratuitous raw and sickening descriptions. I understand, as General Sherman once said: War is hell. But I do not want to feel that I have been thrown into hell as I read a book. No thanks.
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