First sentence: It was one day before Christmas. And Joyce Fisher wondered whether she would live to see it. This winter-bleak thought wasn’t borne of fatigue from living through so many years of war. It wasn’t even the result of having lost so much along the way. No, Joyce knew, totally rationally, that today was one of those days that can change a life forever; a crossroads in which taking the wrong path could cost everything. She wished with all her heart that it wasn’t the case, that there was some rosy alternative, another path to take. But she couldn’t see any way out of it.
Premise/plot: Roland Moore's Christmas On the Home Front is not a stand-alone read; it's the third book in the series. I have not read the first two books in the Land Girls series. Joyce Fisher, our heroine, is a land girl. She's survived the war so far, despite hardships and stress. But will she survive to see the war end?! Will she live to see the year 1945 welcomed in?!
My thoughts: Christmas On the Home Front is not a cozy mystery, nor a cozy romance. It isn't set in a cozy little village starring dozens of super-eccentric characters that all come together to make the best of things always. If I had to describe this one it would be THRILLER. Thrillers aren't a genre I read all that often. Mysteries, yes. Cozies, often. But THRILLERS, not so much. But once I started reading Christmas on the Home Front I could hardly stop. I'm guessing you won't be able to either.
The good news is that it is fast-paced and intense.
The bad news is that the writing is a bit confusing. It will back track to show you the same exact scene from a different point of view. You might spend several pages--or even chapters--with one character and have time be moving forward. And then be thrown back a few hours, a day even, with the focus on different characters. Eventually the two will collide again--collide may be just the right word. But it has a sloppy feel to it. For the record, I am NOT talking about the prologue. It isn't all that unusual for a book to begin with a dramatic flash-FORWARD. And then have the novel lead you up to that climatic moment in time.
The less you know about the plot specifics, the better. Just allow yourself to be thrown in. Now, I am curious how this one fits in with the other books in the series. Are they equally thriller-esque?
© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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