I’m thrilled to be one of today’s stops on the blog tour for ‘In the Shadow of War.’
One war may be over, but their fight for survival continues…
For sisters Etta, Jessie and Celie Fry, the Great War and the hardships of the years that followed have taken a heavy toll.
Determined to leave her painful past behind her, Etta heads to the bright lights of Hollywood whilst Jessie, determined to train as a doctor and use her skills to help others, is hampered by the men who dominate her profession. On the vast, empty plains of the Canadian prairies, Celie and her small family stand on the brink of losing everything.
As whispers of a new war make their way to each sister, each must face the possibility of the unthinkable happening again…
Purchase Links
https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/in-the-shadow-of-war-the-three-fry-sisters-book-3
https://books.apple.com/ca/book/in-the-shadow-of-war/id6476353957
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-shadow-of-war-adrienne-chinn/1144610234
Author Bio –
Adrienne Chinn was born in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, grew up in Quebec, and eventually made her way to London, England after a career as a journalist. In England she worked as a TV and film researcher before embarking on a career as an interior designer, lecturer, and writer. When not up a ladder or at the computer writing, she often can be found rummaging through flea markets or haggling in the Marrakech souk. Her second novel, The English Wife — a timeslip story set in World War II England and contemporary Newfoundland — was published in June 2020 and has become an international bestseller. Her debut novel, The Lost Letter, was published by Avon Books UK in 2019. Love in a Time of War, the first in a series of four books in The Three Fry Sisters series, was published in February 2022. The second in the series, The Paris Sister, was published in February 2023, and the third book in the series, In the Shadow of War, was published in March 2024.
Social Media Links –
https://www.facebook.com/adriennechinnauthor/
https://www.instagram.com/adriennechinn/
https://twitter.com/adriennechinn
Review-
This is the third book in The Three Fry Sisters series, and while there is enough recap included about the previous two for it to be read as standalone, I would equally recommend reading from beginning to really understand each sister well.
It is easy to imagine this being turned into a tv dramatisation , such is the vivacity of characters and storyline.
The chapters focus on individual characters and their locations across the world and it can take a while to keep up with even if you’ve read earlier books but you soon find yourself able to tell one sister and their personalities from another.
This book is rich in history, from the political situation in Egypt, the inclusion of small details, such as references to Lord Carnarvon and Tutankhamen’s tomb excavation, to the Great Depression in Canada and the Spanish Civil War.
Inclusion of relevant real-life characters, such as members of the Hollywood elite from the era like Groucho Marx or reference to F Scott Fitzgerald injects a sense of realism and adds another dimension to the narrative.
We learn more in this story about the next generation too, with more focus on the characters Shani and Lulu and their life experiences as a result of the actions of their respective mothers. I found Shani’s letters to her mum after arriving in England particularly poignant, especially in light of Jessie’s subsequent decision not to return home as originally planned.
I loved Hettie’s character. Her exchanges with Christina provide humour and realism and her use of dialect is a wonderful contrast with the very formal language used by her employer.
Deceit and deception prevail in all three books in the series and you’re always left wondering just how many more lies can be told or when things will begin to unravel.
The three sisters are markedly different in personality in many ways, although there are some distinct similarities between them.
I found Etta on the whole to be thoroughly dislikable; her selfishness seems to know no bounds. Celie, on the other hand was probably the sister I warmed to the most, empathising completely with the situation in which she finds herself and yet admiring how resilient she remained and determined to see through what she had started. Jessie was something of a mixed bag. I initially loved the way she stands up to her mother in law and felt for her when tragedy struck but as the storyline progressed, I became increasingly disgruntled with her decision making.
While Christina is undeniably the most devious character, I could understand motives to some extent and did enjoy how cleverly she plays Monsieur DuRose at his own game.
This is another stunning read from Adrienne Chinn and I’m already eagerly anticipating the final book of the series.
With thanks to the author, Rachel at Random Resources and One More Chapter for the opportunity to participate in the tour.
Further stops can be found here:
Pickled Thoughts and Pinot 