Somewhere in France: A Novel of the Great War
Adding to the growing popularity of WWI-era romances, Robson&#x2019;s first novel evocatively captures the feeling of the time as it follows the adventures of independent Lady Elizabeth &#x201C;Lilly&#x201D; Neville-Ashford, who in 1914 is expected to adhere to the rigid roles for upper-class British ladies. Instead, Lilly defies her family&#x2019;s stifling expectations by moving to London, where eventually she joins the Women&#x2019;s Army Auxiliary Corps and becomes an ambulance driver in a refreshing change of pace from the more usual female occupation of nursing. Strongly on Lilly&#x2019;s mind is Robert Fraser, a friend of her brother&#x2019;s and the one man who makes her heart flutter. Despite being a surgeon, Robbie is not from the right class and, therefore, spurned as an appropriate suitor by Lilly&#x2019;s snobby parents. Yet the two would-be lovers manage to find one another near the battlefields of France. The question remains whether their love will be realized during those tumultuous years. Robson intermingles the overarching themes of love, war, and societal strictures in this appealing read that should resonate with fans of Downton Abbey. --Julie Trevelyan