Lovely War by Julie Berry
Genre: Historical Fiction
Blurb (on back of book):
It's 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She's a shy and talented pianist; he's a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it's immediate and deep--and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields. Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who's played Carnegie Hall, he's a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that's before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who's already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.
Thirty years after these four lovers' fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.
A sweeping, multi-layered romance with a divine twist, by the Printz Honor-winning author of The Passion of Dolssa, set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II.
MY OPINION: *****
It's my first review of the year and I forgot all about it! I loved starting the new year off with this gorgeously-written book and I'm glad it didn't fall below my expectations. I didn't really know too much about it before starting except the fact that it was a World War I/World War II historical told from the view of the Greek gods and goddesses! As soon as I heard that fabulous combinations of classics and history, I just knew I had to read it since those are my favorite subjects, with history being my (hopefully) future major!
It was beautifully written. The imagery was so illustrious and sensory and I could really see the characters as they fell in love, died, cried together, and sang. Each character was unique and had their own backstories, traumas, loves, and personalities. I loved each and every one of them, which is very rare when I read books because I usually at least despise the main character. However, James, Hazel, Aubrey, and Colette were all beautiful and damaged people who only truly found themselves when with each other. I loved the relationships between all of them, romantic or platonic, because all of them were so richly described and realistic.
Hazel is a shy, reticent, talented pianist who finds herself falling for a boy who is set to go off to war. I loved her character because she had real insecurities and problems that didn't just feel like they were added to her story just because they could be. It felt like those were actually her real experiences and I loved seeing her slowly starting to fall in love with James and how she changed from his influence. She starts to become more self-confident in herself and her talents with the help of James and I loved seeing that character development in Hazel.
James was such a sweet, shy, introverted boy who fell for Hazel wholeheartedly. I felt so heartbroken for him every time he was forced to kill someone in the war because it was obviously hurting him and his character. He is a kind boy at heart and even though the Germans were his enemies, he often reflects on their stories and their families and what he's taking away by ending their lives. It was a really interesting and introspective perspective to see how some may have felt about going to war, and how the soldiers weren't just one massive unit trained to kill and move forward. Instead, they had real stories and feelings and emotions and I loved seeing that side of the soldiers.
Aubrey was an African-American musician enlisted to help end the war. I loved his character because he added the spark and humor that the otherwise fairly somber book lacked. His sense of humor and flirtatious personality really helped to elevate his character above the others because despite his situation, he was able to keep a smile and fall in love. However, I did like seeing the change in his personality after what happens with his friend, because it also gave him another persona in which he was more serious and dealing with the harsh realities of war. That aspect added more to an otherwise potential two-dimensional character and gave him a real storyline and potential for character development.
Colette was a pretty Belgian singer who's experienced some of the scariest aspects of war, with virtually all of her friends and family falling victim to a bombing. I loved seeing how she coped with that and started to come out of her shell when around Aubrey because it was really beautifully written and realistic to someone who is experiencing grief and trying to move on.
I absolutely LOVED the implementation of Greek mythology and Aphrodite, Ares, Hephaestus, Apollo, and Hades, because it elevated this book to another dimension. For those who aren't familiar with Greek mythology, all of these gods and goddesses represent something, such as love, war, or death. The specific deities who were introduced in the book were remarkably relevant and important to the story and I loved reading the story from each of their perspectives than if it were from the main characters. I loved how it explored the theme of love, war, and death, and how everything is intertwined and conflicts with each other.
I loved the ending and how everything was resolved with the gods themselves!
The book is fairly long but it doesn't take too long to read if you have time. I unfortunately could only read on the weekends due to school but nevertheless, I read about a hundred pages of it a day and it went by fairly fast.
Judging by how many times I used the phrase "I loved" in this review, I would highly highly recommend adding this book to your TBR if you love historical fiction, classics, and a romantic war story.
Main Character: Aphrodite, James, Hazel, Aubrey, Colette, etc
Sidekick(s): Hades, Hephaestus, Apollo, Ares, etc
Villain(s): Death, war, etc
Historical Fiction: This book was set in the times of WWI and WWII.
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