In Love and War - Tapa blanda

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

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.