Homeland - Softcover

Clare Francis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330490486 ISBN 13: 9780330490481

Publisher: Pan, 2005

Synopsis

It is 1946, and the eve of the harshest winter for a hundred years. Servicemen are pouring home from the war to a land beset by stringent food and job shortages, and a desperate housing crisis. As anti-Polish refugee propaganda reaches its height, Wladyslaw Malinowski, a young veteran of Monte Cassino, now stranded in a resettlement camp on the Somerset Levels, attempts to start a new life on a withy farm in the middle of the wetlands. His taskmaster is Billy Greer, newly demobbed, and itching to escape to a job in London. Stella, the local schoolteacher, has been waiting for the return of Lyndon Hanley, a hero of the Burma Campaign. But Lyndon is troubled, elusive, and ultimately unresponsive. When he goes away again, she finds herself falling for the beguiling and irrepressible Wladyslaw. As the country is brought to its knees by blizzards and coal shortages, people start to go hungry and attitudes harden. Then a death occurs on the wetlands, and it seems Wladyslaw, the outsider, will be held responsible. Homeland is Clare Francis's finest achievement. Atmospheric, rich in description, it depicts with dramatic power the turbulence of a country beggared by war, and the uncertainties of the men returning to it.

About this title

About the Author:

Clare Francis is the author of eight international bestsellers, including Deceit, Betrayal, A Dark Devotion, Keep Me Close and A Death Divided. She has also written three non-fiction books about her voyages across the oceans of the world. She lives in London.

Review:

Another remarkable novel from the accomplished Francis. It is 1946, and the eve of the harshest winter for 100 years. Servicemen are pouring home from the war to a land beset by stringent food and job shortages and a desperate housing crisis. As anti-Polish refugee propaganda reaches its height, Wladyslaw Malinowski, a young veteran of Monte Cassino, attempts to start a new life on a withy farm in the middle of the wetlands. Stella, the local schoolteacher, has been waiting for the return of Lyndon Hanley, a hero of the Burma Campaign. But the inevitable happens. Homeland is Clare Francis's finest achievement. Atmospheric, rich in description, it depicts with dramatic power the turbulence of a country beggared by war, and the uncertainties of the men returning to it.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pan
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0330490486
• ISBN 13: 9780330490481
• Binding: Paperback