The Long Shadow Loretta Proctor 9781783060542 Books
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The city lay in a beautiful bay. As the sun rose we began to see the sprawl of little Turkish houses clambering the steep slopes, painted in rosy pink, mauve, white, yellow, blue. The white domes of the Greek churches glistened in the fresh morning sunshine. The Long Shadow is compelling historical novel which tells the human story of the Eastern campaign in Salonika and will appeal to readers of The Island and The Thread. Fourteen-year-old Andrew discovers his mother's hidden diary at his grandmother's house during a Christmas holiday. His eyes are opened to a family secret when he reads about her time as a nurse on Salonika during the First World War, and the tragic love affair she had with his father, a Greek officer, who died in battle. Four years later Andrew is compelled to visit his father's country and trace his roots. What - and whom - he meets there will change his life forever. The Long Shadow is filled with descriptions of Greece and its people, dramatic images of battles and the terrible conditions endured by the allied armies fighting around Salonika. The Long Shadow illuminates a period of history not often featured in fiction and is highly topical as we approach the centenary of WW1 in 2014.
The Long Shadow Loretta Proctor 9781783060542 Books
Extremely well written in every respect and better than simply a written story but also bordering on poetic. I am not a romance fan but that said this book was that and much more. Had romance, adventure, deception, human emotions, exotic locations and superb character development, all people which I quickly "clicked" with.The Greek settings where extremely well done. As it happens I lived in Greece around the time of the post WW2 setting and everything written is pretty much how it was and brought back some fond memories of my own experiences back then.
I recommend this book to everyone who appreciates a well-rounded, well researched book with superb character development and an absolutely splendid story.
I will not go into a summary of the story itself since folks can get that from the cover.
You will not be able to put it down though and you'll feel so close to the character's you'll almost hate to see them leave when the book ends.
A sequel would be perfect for this story and these people. That said, it has a superbly well done ending by itself.
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Tags : The Long Shadow [Loretta Proctor] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The city lay in a beautiful bay. As the sun rose we began to see the sprawl of little Turkish houses clambering the steep slopes,Loretta Proctor,The Long Shadow,Troubador Publishing Ltd,1783060549,FICTION Historical General,Fiction - Historical,Fiction Historical,Historical - General,Historical fiction
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The Long Shadow Loretta Proctor 9781783060542 Books Reviews
The Long Shadow is an historical novel set in England and Greece. The storyline spans two generations, beginning just before the start of the World Wars. It's about family secrets, about those not-spoken-about things that lie just under the surface in an oft-failed attempt to spare heartache and embarrassment.
Andrew, the son of Dorothy and a mysterious "Greek officer and spy," makes a decision that will alter his life, and those closest to him. As a child, he glimpses a photo of a man he assumes is his father. His mother keeps the memento in a box in her childhood bedroom. While Andrew is visiting his grandmother over Christmas holiday, he decides to examine the contents more closely in an attempt to learn more about the man. He not only finds the photo, but his mother's diary as well. Knowing it is wrong, Andrew takes the diary to his room and reads it anyway.
The diary entries comprise the middle section of the novel and explains, in vivid detail, his mother's life in England just before the beginning of World War I and as a nurse stationed near the Greek village of Salonika. The narrative provides insight into life in a WWI medical camp under harsh conditions, and the horrors of war for soldiers as well as for the civilians living in the places they occupy.
The use of diary entries to advance a story is not a new one, and I wondered at the narrative-like quality of Dorothy's musings until I came across an explanation by the author. Here is what Proctor tells Lucy Walton during in an interview in the a blog post in Female First
***
4. How difficult was it to write in the format of a diary entry?
Not at all difficult. It came naturally, plus I had all those real diaries to base my ideas on. I tried not to let the language appear too stilted but needed to give the feel of the slightly formal way people expressed themselves in the early 1900's. Naturally, no one would write a diary that was quite as detailed as Dorothy's! It's simply a plot device to tell the story in the first person and give the atmosphere of the Greek hospital camp, plus to tell Dorothy's love story. I felt it was best to write the diary from the start to finish of her account rather than jump back and forth as many books tend to do. Basically I couldn't bear to tear myself away from Dorothy's story!
5. A lot of books are using diary entries as a means of telling a story now, so was this something you set out to use in the early stages of writing this book?
Yes, it was a necessary part of the story because Andrew discovers this diary and it opens his eyes to why his past is such a mystery and never spoken of by his mother or relations.
***
To be honest, I couldn't think of another way to relay Dorothy's story, and Proctor used this time-honored device effectively.
The last section of the book deals with the ramification of Andrew's reading the diary. As any young man would do, he sets off, with all the impetuousness and intensity of youth, to find out everything about the father he never knew. Along the way, he experiences life as he never would have back home and meets people who broaden his perspective of the world. Andrew makes mistakes but, more importantly, he learns how to forgive and be forgiven.
The Long Shadow is rich in detail, history, and insight into human nature. Above all, it is a love story--love of family, country, fellow man, and romantic love. I enjoyed it immensely.
Loretta Proctor's The Long Shadow is the work of a very skilled author, both language-wise and historically accurate-wise. Ms Proctor has an immense command of the English language, so rich and varied, a true delight to read her sentences and know you're in safe, solid hands.
The setting of the story - in the first half of the book Greece during WW1 - was totally unknown territory to me so I learned a great deal about the British involvement in this part of the world at that time, which is always a pleasure that the author is an expert on a specific period and wraps the story and the characters around her knowledge.
The characters are all well-thought out and realistic and all "likeable" in their own way. The love story is described with much care and authenticity.
The two parts of the book - from Dorothy's perspective and the second part from her son Andrew's perspective - are different in tone and give depth to their different outlooks on the situation.
I agree with E.Jasper that the book in parts is too detailed and that that obstructs the pace somewhat.
But that didn't stop me from delighting in Ms Proctor's story-telling capacity and thoroughly enjoying The Long Shadow, a book no doubt cherished by historians and relatives of British staff serving in Greece during WW1.
Andrew is an English lad of fourteen who doesn't fit. He doesn't fit at home with his mother, her husband who is not his father, and their two kids. It's not as though they don't love him and he them. His extended family includes an odd, puritanical grandmother, his aunt and her family, none of whom look like him. He doesn't fit with the silly boys at school.
A chance glimpse of his mother with a photo, and the flash of a memory of a key, opens a Pandora's box of his lineage.
When Andrew turns 18, he leaves England for Greece with an old address of his paternal grandmother. Along the way he meets people of all walks of life, many who challenge his English sensibilities and bring out his Greek volatility.
While young Andrew's struggle to reconcile his Greek and English heritage is the predominant theme in The Long Shadow it is, in equal parts, a passionately told love story as well.
Each of the characters in this novel, that covers two generations, is a real person. The people and their relationships with each other are extremely complex. And I thought Ms. Proctor's descriptions of scenes were absolutely inspired. The landscapes, weather, even the minutia and feel of equipment in the camp scenes made army life in 1916 come alive. Her descriptions of the old city of Salonika are not just good but exquisite.
The final chapters of this book, in particular, will not allow you to stop reading. I would definitely recommend The Long Shadow to anyone who loves a good story.
Extremely well written in every respect and better than simply a written story but also bordering on poetic. I am not a romance fan but that said this book was that and much more. Had romance, adventure, deception, human emotions, exotic locations and superb character development, all people which I quickly "clicked" with.
The Greek settings where extremely well done. As it happens I lived in Greece around the time of the post WW2 setting and everything written is pretty much how it was and brought back some fond memories of my own experiences back then.
I recommend this book to everyone who appreciates a well-rounded, well researched book with superb character development and an absolutely splendid story.
I will not go into a summary of the story itself since folks can get that from the cover.
You will not be able to put it down though and you'll feel so close to the character's you'll almost hate to see them leave when the book ends.
A sequel would be perfect for this story and these people. That said, it has a superbly well done ending by itself.
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