The Care and Management of Lies

A Novel of the Great War

By: Jacqueline Winspear

Narrated by: Nicola Barber

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times best-selling author of the Maisie Dobbs series turns her prodigious talents to this World War I standalone novel, a lyrical drama of love struggling to survive in a damaged, fractured world.

By July 1914, the ties between Kezia Marchant and Thea Brissenden, friends since girlhood, have become strained - by Thea's passionate embrace of women's suffrage, and by the imminent marriage of Kezia to Thea's brother, Tom, who runs the family farm. When Kezia and Tom wed, just a month before war is declared between Britain and Germany, Thea's gift to Kezia is a book on household management - a veiled criticism of the bride's prosaic life to come. Yet when Tom enlists to fight for his country and Thea is drawn reluctantly onto the battlefield, the farm becomes Kezia's responsibility. Each must find a way to endure the ensuing cataclysm and turmoil.

As Tom marches to the front lines, and Kezia battles to keep her ordered life from unraveling, they hide their despair in letters and cards filled with stories woven to bring comfort. Even Tom's fellow soldiers in the trenches enter and find solace in the dream world of Kezia's mouth-watering, albeit imaginary meals. But will well-intended lies and self-deception be of use when they come face to face with the enemy?

Published to coincide with the centennial of the Great War, The Care and Management of Lies paints a poignant picture of love and friendship strained by the pain of separation and the brutal chaos of battle. Ultimately, it raises profound questions about conflict, belief, and love that echo in our own time.

©2014 Jacqueline Winspear (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

The Care and Management of Lies

Poignant. Gentle and loving. I haven't read anything like this before.
Another book full of wisdom.

Bad ending

The ending of the book was terrible. It’s like she just got tired of writing left all sorts of things hanging I’m getting a refund.

Narrator whispered too much

While a change in tone for effect is good, whispering through long passages often made it difficult to hear.

Love, seen through the tragedy of war 

Every character is one that I fell in love with instantly. The reality of war brought to life through the lives of a closely knit family of three is incredibly poignant. While the underlying goodness of humanity shines, and the inevitability of loss hangs heavy, still remarkably, one can rejoice that somehow love and wisdom can prevail, outlasting the transient life journeys of ordinary people at war.

Heartbreaking

Narrator was wonderful. Age old story of the futility of war. Windspear has again penned a masterpiece. Worth every word .

A Different Kind of Book from Jacqueline Winspear

I liked this book, but I felt it was very different from Ms Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series... it kind of took me by surprise. However, Ms Winspear is still a master story-teller and expert on WWI history, so if you like her other books, I believe you will enjoy this book as well. Cheers.

Jacqueline does it again

After reading several reviews about this book, I decided to give it try. I am an unwavering fan of Jacqueline Winspear, most especially of the stories and characters within her Maisie Dobbs series. Some of the reviews that I read about this book were quite negative and compared this book to the Maisie Dobbs series by saying it is nothing like those books. But of course it isn't, this is not a Maisie Dobbs novel!
This book is set in a pre-WW1 England and is every bit as engaging and interesting as any of Ms Winspear's previous novels. I found the characters likeable and the story believable. I didn't expect the ending to be the way it was but that happens.
Overall I really enjoyed the novel and was pleased with the performance of the reader.

Don’t Ever Expect Less from J Winspear!

This book indeed rates the highest marks for storytelling and narration. It is gripping in all ways & so very “visual”.

WW1

I liked the weaving of all the characters into a tight family. I would like to more about post WW1.

In able to download

Was not able to download this book. Would like to exchange this book please thank you