In a Field of Blue

A Novel

By: Gemma Liviero

Narrated by: Steve West, Sarah Naughton, Will M. Watt, Elliot Hill

Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the bestselling author of The Road Beyond Ruin comes a novel about a family torn apart by grief and secrets, then pulled back together by hope in the wake of World War I.

England 1922. It’s been four years since Rudy’s brother Edgar went missing in war-torn France. Still deep in mourning and grappling with unanswered questions, Rudy and his mother struggle to move on. When the enigmatic Mariette arrives unexpectedly at the family’s manor claiming to be Edgar’s widow, and the mother of his child, Rudy urges her to stay, hoping she’ll shed light on the missing pieces.

Captivated by Mariette, Rudy finds that their mutual loss and grief bind them...as does the possibility of new love. But Mariette’s revelations bring more questions than answers about Edgar’s death. Suspicions threaten to divide Rudy’s already fractured family, setting him on a quest for the truth that takes him from England to France and beyond.

In his search, Rudy is forced to confront the tragedies of war and the realities of the brother he’s lost and the woman he’s found. Will the truth set him free to find peace, or will it forever shadow his future?

©2020 Gemma Liviero (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

WWI French Gypsies

I felt the characters have some depth to them and I could imagine them being real people in their timeframe (WWI) with the exception of the usage of certain phrases (minor but I feel avid historical fiction readers with be quick to catch the errors).

The nuances of the mental health of WWI soldiers with shell shock were represented quite well but it was not the true focus of the novel. I loved the history of French gypsies and the struggles of acceptance for children in such situations.

The romance, meh, not so much. I tried not to focus on the poor quality of it and thankfully there wasn’t too much of it.

World War I, historical romance

I love how many different stories mingle to make one; some brutal and hard, others beautiful. Personally I'd have liked more in the final two chapters. Narration was wonderful.

Tedious, overlong, melodrama

I was amazed that I was able to stick this out to the bitter end. Although Steve West provided his usual brilliant narration, and Will M. Watt and Eliot Hill were very good, the inexplicably bad French accent of Sarah Naughton totally ruined what little pleasure there was in listening to this story. The characters are sacrifices to an absurd plot, their behavior is completely illogical and self defeating. A epilogue ties everything up with a bow at the end. This book needed an editor to cut it down by half. I solved the problem by listening at 2x speed and even then had to skip sections here and there which dragged on forever. The only redeeming story line was the historically accurate exposé of the cruel and heartless way Great Britain used it citizen soldiers in a totally unnecessary war and then further made them suffer if they had shell shock or soldier's heart after years in the trenches with mustard gas and mud.

Where’s the twists and turns???

Four characters told their story which gave no revelations, all were basically the same. All predictable and obvious with no clues, surprises or anything. The end left me stumped and hanging. Major story events hurriedly rushed over at the end as if the author was just done. And it was a short book. I gave it 3 stars for the history although some facts from future times but also the narrators were excellent and made for a pleasant listen.

lovely story, great narration

A lovely story of war, love, and loss. very well narrated. Wonderful character development. I recommend to any historical fiction fans

great WWII book

This book kept my interest & had multiple twists & turns. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Fabulous Book

I loved how the author presented these characters in as real of a environment and situations as they would have been in history. I find a good historical novelist to be excellent when I read it and it feels like it’s a true story. The narrator’s did a fantastic job, I feel so moved after reading this. War
is awful for everyone it touches, and there are no true winners.

Well developed story

As I started listening to this book I was a bit disappointed to think that it was going to be yet another sappy, shallow love story. However, as it turned out, it is much more than I originally thought! The story soon captured and kept my attention as the author unravels and reveals the complicated stories of the lives of each character. It is a very believable story of love, tragedy, triumph and love again of a group of people who become a family. I truly enjoyed the book!

Kept me listening, great story

Edgar went missing in WW1 and his family grieves his loss. When Edgar's wife, Mariette, shows up 4 years later with their child she is met with mixed responses from the family. When her story seems not to add up, Rudy, Edgar's brother, decides to take a journey to Mariette's home to see if he can learn more about her and Edgar and their child. What he finds are secrets that Edgar wanted to keep quiet.

The first part of the book moved a little slow for me, but I am so glad I kept listening. The second half of the book had me listening intently, listening late into the night and yelling at certain characters in the book when I saw how things were going. Well written book with the perfect narration to match the characters.

This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review

Beautiful bittersweet story set during WWI

Excellently narrated story about love and loss, the effects of PTSD, and the courage of self-sacrifice.

Not as good as previous books

This was a strange story Struggled to get into it While the story took a few twists they just didn't seem authentic The narrative was ok