Rachel's War
by Barbara Colley
Published by Harlequin Books
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Reviewed by Marcella Courneya
This is an epic novel following three generations of women through their similar experiences with love, war, and family. Colley spends over forty years, and four hundred pages, proving that deep-rooted actions and emotions, such as love, stupidity, pride, and heartache are not bound by generational gaps.
In 1984 Rachel is standing beside her comatose husband in the hospital. Through gracefully weaving back and forth between the "present" and the past, the story of Rachel, her daughter, Liz, and her granddaughter, Crystal, unfolds. Each story was told in that particular persons' point of view, immediately connecting me to the character and the situation. Colley's women were compelling and emotionally driven toward specific turning points.
Most women could relate to the general plot, with its undertones of worldly matters, generational distinctions, and feminine strength. In each of the women's tales, Colley points out how she holds her personal life at higher importance than that of the world as a whole. The women all deal with the side effects of war--death, mental illness, fatigue--and soon realize their tiny life was just one part of a larger structure. Each also has long periods of loneliness and dwells on her choices, poor or not. Colley seemed to simply stating that many hardships never change, and I agree with her. We often feel detached from our older counterparts, and Colley show that this thought is not necessarily true. Last, the feminine strength portrayed throughout gives hope and empowerment, even if it may be a little "fantastical."
At times I found myself judging the author for simply re-telling the same story three times, changing the scene, time frame, and male counterparts as necessary. Certain situations and outcomes were simply too convenient to be possible. Would I feel differently if had it been told in present tense only. Often the moments I glimpse into Rachel's present frame of mind pulled me further into the book.
Colley extracts her thoughts and present them in a compelling tale of love and war. This special combination of character-driven story telling, suggestive notions of the impact of time and place on our lives, and compelling thoughts on life in general make this book stand out.
Armchair Interviews says: Rachel's War truly is a beautiful novel.
For more information on Barbara Colley, visit http://www.breakthroughpromotions.com