Delicately nuanced and stylish, this work of historical fiction from prolific Londoner Read (The Templars,
etc.) elegantly captures the life and loves of strong-willed, free-spirited Alice Fry, a suffragette in early 20th-century Britain. As the novel begins, Alice falls in love with Edward Cobb, a stuffy, conservative young man with political aspirations. The pair's social and moral viewpoints clash and Edward's regal parents already have a better-suited companion picked out for him, but romantic love wins out and nuptials are planned. When word gets out that Alice's father, a small press impresario, has published an erotic manual, the embarrassed Edward deserts Alice and the baby she is carrying. World War I breaks out and Edward and Alice are driven even further apart as he goes off to fight in France and she accepts an offer to be a governess in Russia and is seduced by wealthy, married Baron Rettenberg, her employer. Edward proceeds to marry Elspeth, his parents' first choice, but their union is short-lived. The Russian Revolution erupts and Rettenberg is whisked away from his manor, leaving Alice to tend to war casualties and then flee for safety herself. Both men separately realize that Alice is their one true love. But whom will she choose? After the grim depictions of war and revolution, a somewhat pat ending smoothes everything over. Read has conducted impressive research in order to depict accurately the novel's settings and events, and his storytelling is lively and passionate. Sophisticated in tone yet unapologetically romantic, this is a thoroughly satisfying effort. (Nov.)
