In Love and War

by Alex Preston

Overview

Desperate to prove himself to his politician father, Esmond Lowndes is sent to Italy to forge ties between the British Union of Fascists and Mussolini's government. In Florence, he discovers art and passion amongst the eccentric expatriates and glamorous locals. But with the coming of war Esmond chooses to leave his past behind and joins the Florentine resistance. Finding himself closely bound to his comrades and unexpectedly in love, Esmond becomes involved in undercover operations and assassination plots, culminating in a final mission of extraordinary daring.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780571279463
Publisher:	Faber and Faber
Publication date:	06/14/2016
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Alex Preston was born in 1979 and lives with his family in London. His first novel, This Bleeding City, was an international bestseller, won the Spear's and Edinburgh first book awards and was selected as one of Waterstone's New Voices 2010. His second, The Revelations, was shortlisted for the Guardian's Not the Booker Prize. In Love and War is his third novel. Preston writes and reviews for GQ, the Observer and the New Statesman and appears regularly on BBC television and radio. He is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Kent.

Editorial Reviews

Alex Preston's words flow onto the pages as near to poetry as prose can run....his descriptive mystery of language is stunning. Bookreporter.com

I wholeheartedly recommend the book and I will be looking to read more by this author....It is a compelling read that highlights a different perspective from many other WWII historical fiction novels. The Reader's Room blog

Rich in historical detail and utterly compelling. Kate Saunders Sunday Times

Exhilarating ... Preston's flair for recreating atmosphere and contemporary speech is immaculate. Many layers enrich and deepen the story ... The combination of setting, Renaissance art and two mutually attracted foreigners may remind some of The English Patient. Preston asks the same question as Michael Ondaatje: what is left of civilisation after the inhumanity of war? Today, "David" still stands in Florence, an imperturbable rebuke to an epoch of torture and terror. Financial Times

[R]ich and evocative ... powerfully affecting, ambitious in its scope, precise in its attention to detail and infused with a love for Florence and its motley eccentrics - their courage and their suffering. Stephanie Merritt Observer

It's a title befitting an epic, and Preston emphatically delivers in this, his third novel but his first foray into historical fiction. That he's a natural at it is clear .... Vividly imagined and richly atmospheric, Preston's dramatic tale propels the reader towards a tense and tragic final showdown. Daily Mail

Moving ... Preston writes, in unaffected but affecting prose, of Lowndes' realisation of what the times demand of him. Nick Rennison The Times

Preston's prose is as eloquent, and as atmospheric, as always. The perfect read to pair with that first sundowner. GQ

In Love and War prompts the reflection that evil triumphs because good men have not so much done nothing as done the wrong thing with the best of intentions ... [a] fresh and captivating novel. Literary Review

Richly evocative. Independent

...a moving tour de force that will leave you exhilarated by human courage, yet numb with sadness. Country Life

A remarkably captivating book that starts as a slow-burner then sparks into an absolute firecracker of a read ... Prepare to sit on the edge of the precipice, prepare for the heartrending plummet of shock and upset, prepare for the impact that a powerful and compelling novel leaves behind. LoveReading

Sensitive, intelligent and thrilling . . . a breathless and beguiling take on the subtleties of war. Monocle

From the Publisher