CONTAINS SPOILERS
Expect to see this book everywhere because the name alone will sell it, having said that it is a decent summer read, perfect for the beach or garden. The story is in the main well constructed and told in fluent prose which is easy to follow. Part one features short stacatto chapters whilst in part two the chapters are more lengthly but this suits the novel. It is a tad predictable at times although the ending was a surprise and has one of those increasingly annoying prologues which rather than add to the story try to set up an air of mystery, but a quick perusal of the blurb renders unnecessary. The story is told from a variety of viewpoints which adds interest and allows us to see things from a variety of angles. Anyway niggles aside a worthy read 4/5
Initially we are presented with a love story and a well to do family – the Arnolds. They are in war time England and their son is joining the RAF, he has made friends with James Blackwell who has charmed and manipulated his way through life, including into the RAF where he has been struggling to survive until he meets John. Whilst visiting the Dower house he is introduced to Diana. She is charmed by him and they share some times together and despite the war manage to see each other on the odd occasion. Based at Upminster the war is gaining momentum and it is difficult for the men to get leave, snow compounds the problem but James managed to get to Cambridge to see Diana who is studying at Girton college.
The next time they are together the pair have a shotgun marriage and on their return the officers are called to return to Upminster to fly out. Tragically John, riding a motorcycle is killed on his way and James is shot down without any sign of a parachute evacuation and therefore presumed dead. Heartbroken, Diana then discovers she is pregnant and single. Luckily she has the support of her family and together they move forward until ten years later Diana finds herself living in Nice with new husband Douglas who has also taken on Stella.
Diana has taken to having lunch at her favourite cafe and is shocked one day to hear James, and after pursuing a taxi and feeling foolish and being convinced by her father that her imagination is playing cruel tricks on her she tried to accept his death. This doesn’t prevent her from looking at every taxi for days until eventually a flower stall holder Helene talks to her about her own experiences and Diana begins to move on. That is until she comes face to face with James. It turns out he did evacuate and then promptly deserted, what he does not reveal is that the person he is now is not the mysterious and sexy young man Diana fell in love with! He is still charming but everyone seems to be afraid of James and defers to his demands. Helene and Armand know why and they take it upon themselves to let her know his true persona by letter.
By then James has discovered that he is a father, that Douglas is very wealthy and that Diana can still be manipulated. She lends him money for what she believes is a legitimate business interest and he plans to get more, charms Diana to bed and leaves her with a dilemna about her marriage to Douglas. She is both appalled and excited by his dramatic reappearance in her life despite his abhorrent acts and desertion. On her way to rendezvous with him again Diana finally reads the letter sent to her and her world is shattered, when James realises the game is up an appalling plot unfolds with his greed driving his actions there is no telling where James will stop. The conclusion is fast paced and I didn’t expect the final act, it draws in all the main characters and finishes in a fast and furious fashion. I did enjoy the story and it was a pleasant read, the characters are well drawn and if the reason I didn’t get five stars is I felt that they could have expressed more emotion rather than been as accepting as they are of the events that unfold!
