Tapestry of War

Author/Guide: Jane MacKenzie

Why a Booktrail?

1941: Two women from two very different worlds…

ISBN: 978-0749022990
Genre: Fiction, Historical

Comment

What you need to know before your trail

In Alexandria, Fran finds her world turned upside down as Rommel’s forces advance on the idyllic shores of Egypt. The life of luxury and stability that she is used to is taken away as she finds herself having to deal with loss, heartache and political uncertainty.

Meanwhile, in the Firth of Clyde, Catriona struggles between her quiet rural life and her dreams of nursing injured servicemen on the front lines. As the war rages on, the two women’s lives become intertwined – bringing love and friendship to both.

Locations

Reset

Scotland - Isle of Islay
E: Bowmore Distillery
F: Loch Indaal (Rubh' an Duin) Lighthouse
G: Loch Finlaggan

Travel Guide

Egypt – Alexandria

The war has destroyed international markets for Egyptian cotton. The gap between wealth and poverty seem clear with some of the residents such as Fran attending garden parties whilst to some like Bill Eaton “Egyptian peasants weren’t his concern” Alan Trevillion has been brought in in Egypt and is the son of an eminent irrigation engineer.

When Fran finds the body in the water, the camps of Greek refugees we are told are around a mile way from the town.

Macneill, from the isle of Islay describes it in a letter:

Alexandria is a nice enough city, nothing spectacular with some scruffy backstreets but it is saved by its waterfront, and some fine buildings like the Opera House and the Cecil Hotel.

War is ongoing and the community here is delicately balanced. Things were going very wrong and many believed he British were making a bad situation worse. Fran who works for the local paper is told to be careful what she writes and to not inflame anything that might be considered anti French propaganda. Many people here have links to France.

Scotland – Islay

Macneill tells Fran about where he’s from. It’s a little island off Scotland that still doesn’t have electricity at the time the novel takes place. Fran thinks of it as being very smiliar to the villages along the Eyptian Delta where the Egyptian peasantry scraped a living from the earth with only their donkeys to help them. Macnill explains how even whisky production which is his island’s main income is being ruined by war.

The War Ministry have been trying to take over MacNeil’s cottage in Bowmore. They have requisitioned the distillery there and the house on Loch Indaal

Booktrailer Review

Susan: Thebooktrailer

What an atmospheric read. I love novels where two threads fit together and where the stories of two unconnected characters intertwine but this is one which does it particularly well for me.

Fran and Alexandria are from two very different places and stations in life but their worries are the same. The war is ongoing and getting worse. Their lives are getting more and more complicated and uncertain and all around them, uncertainty is their neighbour.
Catriona dreams of being a nurse and helping servicemen on the front line. What must it have been like to have been confronted with the soldiers at home and then want to go and help them in the field. Similarly, for Catriona, as the forces of Rommel’s army advance, her world of luxury comes into question. I liked the way how the two women shared a story despite being miles apart and how the two characters developed throughout the novel.

The background and history to this novel is quite something.I had no idea of the Free French navy along the Clyde nor the heroics and actions of the men. The heartbreaking efforts of the hospital staff has been written with accounts of real incidents and this definitely brings another level of authenticity to the story.

Alexandria and the Isle of Islay shine as the two locations are central to the plot and it’s an interesting parallel of two places linked by war I had not linked before. Their war stories and community spirit are severely tested and it’s a fascinating insight into two very different countries, cultures and opinions of the time.

It’s like reading a historical account but being there at the same time. Very immersive and an interesting part of history I’m pleased I’ve been able to discover.