Maggie Brookes is an ex-journalist and BBC TV historical documentary producer, turned novelist and poet. She relishes uncovering stories about the strength of women and the power of friendship and love in the most terrible of circumstances. Acts of Love and War is about love and courage in the brutal Spanish civil war. The Prisoner''s Wife - based on an extraordinary true story of WW2 - was published around the world in 2020. Maggie taught Creative Writing at Middlesex University for thirty years and has had six poetry collections published under the name Maggie Butt.>

Zusammenfassung

A NATION TORN APART BY WAR. ONE WOMAN STEPS INTO THE CROSSFIRE.
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'This amazing book has everything in it: love, war, history and relevance to today. Gripping.' Russell Kane
'**I insist you read this intelligent empathetic novel. You won't regret it.' Frost Magazine
'Extraordinary events sensitively told.' Lucy Jago, A Net For Small Fishes
'I couldn't put it down.' Gill Paul, The Collector's Daughter
'A heartrending tale of love, courage and sacrifice.' Nikki Marmery, On Wilder Seas
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1936. Civil war in Spain. *A world on the brink of chaos ...***

Twenty-one-year-old Lucy is frustrated with her constrained life in Hertfordshire, teaching and keeping house for her domineering father. But she is happy to be living next door to Tom and Jamie, two brothers she has known since childhood, and whom she loves equally.

But her life is turned upside down when Tom decides he must travel to Spain to fight in the bloody Spanish Civil War. He is quickly followed by Jamie who, much to Lucy's despair, is supporting General Franco.

To the dismay of her irascible father, Lucy decides that the only way to bring her boys back safely is to travel to Spain herself to persuade them to come home.

Yet when she sees the horrific effects of the war, she quickly becomes immersed in the lifesaving work the Quakers are doing to help the civilian population, many of whom are refugees.

As the war progresses and the situation becomes increasingly perilous, Lucy realises that the challenge going forward is not so much which brother she will end up with, but whether any of them will survive the carnage long enough to decide ...
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More praise for Acts of Love and War ...

'Be prepared to lose your heart in the simmering heat of war-torn Spain.' Miranda Malins, The Puritan Princess
'This is a marvellous book on any level, I thoroughly enjoyed it and could hardly put it down.' Deborahjs
'Wide in scope and told with honesty, insight and tenderness, a moving and unputdownable story' Judith Allnatt, The Poet's Wife
'Accomplished and expansive' Anne Morgan, Reading The World
'Insightful and moving' Katherine Clements, The Crimson Ribbon
'One of historical fiction's most lyrical and intelligent voices' Rachel McMillan, The London Restoration
'Emotionally captivating and authentic ... an unforgettable story' Susan Meissner, The Nature of Fragile Things
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Readers can't get enough of Acts of Love and War ...

* 'A tale of passion and passionate caring, and how that can manifest in very different ways.'
* 'A masterpiece.'
* 'Highly recommended if you enjoy historical fiction.'
* 'An amazing and compelling read.'
* 'An immersive and powerful story.'