What do readers think of Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford? Write your own review.

When I first started this book, it grabbed me from the start. It is a historical novel taking place during WWI with many actual facts, but not so much to be tedious.

The majority of this book is not from the soldiers point of view, but from the people left behind at home. How life goes on for those who serve behind the lines and for those who have loved ones at the front lines.

A promise is made during the 'Christmas Truce' of 1914 between two enemy soldiers. This promise brought two families together that probably never would have met. The normal stresses that come from love, family, friends and work were heightened by the war. I felt the stresses of family especially were very believable.

The reason that I gave this book a '4-Good' rating is because the end of the story was fairly predictable, although it still threw a little twist that I did not expect. I felt it was a good read.

After a slow start, I could not put this book down. Science history, espionage, romance, family issues, Gifts of War has a little bit of everything. Set during WWI in England, it is the story of Hal and Sam which begins at the Christmas Truce. After many ups and downs the end of the story is a complete surprise.

I have always been intrigued with the world wars and in particular the first one. On a personal note, my grandfather was German and came to America just after the first war. I remember talks around the dinner table of his brothers that died during that time.

I was anticipating a fast moving novel after the captivating first few chapters. Instead, I was continually wanting the story to move along and stick to the main subject at hand. There were many plots within the novel, all of which could become a book in itself.

I so admire Mackenzie Fords historical knowledge and loved that aspect of the novel. Gifts of War was tied together well at the end. In my opinion, it just took too many different paths and story lines to get there.

Readers who like books set in the time of The War to End All Wars will find this novel replete with social, as well as political, history. To me, the characters sometimes seem too modern in their conversation, broad knowledge, and general candor, than what one might expect from people living in that time period with the restrictions society then imposed upon individuals.

But their story is always interesting to both men and women, and compelling, and the characters are well delineated.

I enjoy reading first-time authors, and this book was no exception. The plot, the characters and the time period made me want to keep reading to find out how everything worked out. I will definitely look for more books by this author!

I thought it was a good book but it was difficult to fathom the stretch of morals which were described. I think it would be a good book for a book club as it will generate discussion. In order to understand the book one must have lived through some challenges and have the insight to see the various perspectives.

Gifts of War is a touching love story set against the brutal backdrop of the first world war. It’s the story of a man whose depth of love for a forbidden woman is clothed in a dark secret and portrays the lengths we will go for those we love. The story line navigates between the scarred landscape of war torn Europe and the relatively peaceful English countryside and depicts with exacting detail the difficulties of trying to live everyday life during war time. Ford cleverly employs the use of a series of letters between Hal and his sister, a nurse stationed at the front, to depict the horrors associated with the trench warfare. As for Hal and Sam’s relationship, I was never sure where it would go with each turn of the page, but it certainly was a worthwhile journey seeing it progress.

I thought this was a very intriguing book and that it offered many depths. Aside from the enjoyment of reading about England during WWI - or rather ANYTHING on The Great War - as it is not as popular in literature as other wars & battles - the detail is rich with imagery and easy for the reader to immerse into the story.

Having said that, the only nick I have - is that there were many moments when the narrative ran dry - the structure lost its lyrical rhythm and was, well, choppy at times.
Nonetheless, an enjoyable read and should be a very discussable one for groups regarding the ironies of war - while it takes away so much, it also offers opportunity and bounty to those who are willing to grab for it. However - the main discussion point is as it well should be - the value of one's word or a promise. For without your word, what have you then?