Description
Book Synopsis From the slums of London to the riches of an Edwardian country house; from the hot, dark seams of a Yorkshire coalmine to the exposed terrors of the trenches, Adam Raine’s journey from boy to man is set against the backdrop of a society violently entering the modern world.
Trade Review‘Vivid set pieces, notably a wonderful section down a mine, while Adam is an intriguing central character: clever, sincere and, amid the turbulence of early 20th-century England, a determined survivor.’ DAILY MAIL
‘His most ambitious work yet… Adam makes an attractive hero and his story has more than enough colour and energy to keep us reading.’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘In this emotionally charged novel, Tolkien brings to the fore the social injustice, poverty and attrition of war in early 20th-century England. The scenes underground in the mines of Scarsdale are every bit as shocking as the harrowing descriptions of trench warfare when Adam and his comrades are repeatedly sent over the top.’ SUNDAY EXPRESS
‘I read it with steadily increasing attention and appreciation… I’ve had a comparable visceral response only once before, when reading All Quiet on the Western Front.’ Verlyn Flieger
‘The author’s visceral account of the Battle of the Somme underscores the individual suffering and courage involved – an unforgettable paean and a gripping war story, with a sensitive perspective on the home front.’ BOOKLIST
‘A blend of a Dickensian epic and Downton Abbey, Tolkien draws from the World War I-era experiences of his famous grandfather J.R.R. Tolkien to spin a saga worthy of Masterpiece Theater.’ KIRKUS REVIEW
