Tides of War

In her first novel, historian Tillyard (Aristocrats) intertwines fictional newlyweds Harriet and James Raven with the historical duke and duchess of Wellington, along with other real and imaginary characters, to give a broad perspective on English society of the early 19th century. Captain Raven sets off to help Wellington drive elder Bonaparte Joseph from Spain, while his plucky bride heads for London in pursuit of science. Tillyard adds observations from Spanish artist Francisco Goya, investor/banker Nathan Rothschild, soldiers and scientists, and wives, widows, and mistresses to reveal the devastation of the Peninsula War and the evolution of London into a modern city where resourceful women can attain unprecedented freedom. Harriet explores science with Fredric Winsor, while the duchess invests shrewdly so that financial fortunes change with the fortunes of war. A better storyteller than inventor, Tillyard is at her best with historical figures and when depicting the era; readers share Harriet’s discovery of the waltz, Jane Austen, and ice cream, and witness cutting-edge battlefield surgeries under real-life Surgeon Gen. James McGrigor. Tillyard needs only characters as complex as her historical figures, and relationships as intriguing, to rank among the best of the historical fiction scribes re-imagining women of the past. (Nov.)