Showing results for "The Return of the Soldier" in Historical Fiction

In this lyrical and poignant story of a wounded man and the three concerned women who seek to heal him, Rebecca West explores the complexity of the mind and its subtle strategies for coping with life's painful realities. Only when Chris has the courage to face one pivotal moment of truth in his married life will he be able to awaken from his boyish fantasy and become, indeed, "every inch a soldier".

When Naomi's brother, Ned, is sent home seriously injured, it's up to Kate to manage the household as well as Ned's rehabilitation. But with the growing workload, she struggles to keep everything running smoothly and yearns to return to Woodicombe House. And with no word from her husband, Luke, fighting in France, it's becoming increasingly difficult to stay positive. Hard times are ahead for Kate and her family - when the realities of war land on their doorstep, can Kate find the strength to keep going?

In the spring of 1946, ex-corporal Samuel Richardson returns home from Burma to Wigton in Cumbria, to the relief of his young wife, Ellen. He finds a town in which little has changed. Sam, however, has changed: the war has left him with traumatic memories. And there's six-year-old Joe, a baby when Sam volunteered, who can scarcely remember his father. As all three strive to adjust, the bonds of love and loyalty become stretched to breaking point.

The Return of the Soldier is the powerful debut novel of the prolific English novelist Rebecca West. First published in 1918, the novel opens with the return of the shell-shocked Captain Chris Baldry from the trenches of the First World War, and grapples with the devastation of mental trauma from that war and its effects on families. Recounted from the perspective of his cousin Jenny, the story examines the relationship between Chris and the three women in his life.

Chris' "shell shock" blocks out fifteen years of his life as he returns home to his wife, only to remember and revisit Margaret, the earlier love of his life. The plot of this book takes place during World War I, but the consequences of battle are just as devastating today.

Scottish Highlander Alex MacDonell returns home from fighting for clan and king to discover that the girl he once hunted and fished with has become an intriguing young woman. Kenna has adored him for years, but he always treated her like a little sister. When her own brother dies from battle wounds, Kenna is left with no family or home. Alex would love Kenna if he could, but recurring nightmares of acts he committed while hunting down Covenanters now haunt his days and nights. When Kenna comes too close to his heart, he pushes her out of his life—and into the arms of another.