STILL damaged by the effects of The Great War, 1920s England is the backdrop for Spare Brides, the latest book by Teesside-born author Adele Parks. With its four female protagonists – Ava, Beatrice, Lydia and Sarah – the novel paints a picture of burgeoning feminism, of the warranted yet painful decline of the aristocracy, of emotions and ambitions unfulfilled, of love, friendship and passion conquering desperate situations.
Parks weaves a tale of glitter and coldness, of pearls and disdain, of poverty and magnitude, as she guides us into the lives of her characters. And with the addition of a dashing, yet damaged, hero in Sergeant Peter Trent, lover and saviour of Lydia, you are invited into a world that gives more than it takes.
It may have a modicum of a posh soap opera about it; a literary Downton Abbey, but Spare Brides ultimately offers a warm embrace of hope and satisfaction.
Denise Bailey
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