Of Love and Other Wars
Sophie Hardach
Aug 2013 · Simon and Schuster
Ebook
384
Pages
About this ebook
London, 1937. The profoundly moving story of a Quaker family and a Jewish family in love and at war during WWII.
At a rally in the Royal Albert Hall, two Quaker brothers, Paul and Charlie Lamb, sign a pledge of peace that only one of them will honour. Meanwhile, in a draughty Victorian mansion in Hampstead, Mr. Morningstar wonders why his wife, a crystallographer from dynasty of diamond cutters, turns into a cursing somnambulist at night, while their daughter, Miriam, comes home from her shifts at the munitions factory with her stockings inside out.
As the streets throng with khaki, the Lambs and the Morningstars must decide how to do good in a world transformed by evil. Should a scientist use her skills to maximise civilian casualties? Should a Quaker stand by as millions are murdered? And is it possible to love someone if you hate their convictions?
When the two families are torn apart by war, Paul is forced to choose between his conscience and the woman he loves.
Of Love and Other Warsis a profoundly moving tale of faith, longing, and decisions made in the split second of silence between bullets, whose repercussions last a lifetime. With distinctive flair and dazzling creative energy, Sophie Hardach pulls us into lives upended by betrayal, violence and passion.
'Tender and absorbing. An intriguing glimpse into the pacifist's world' Esther Freud
'Poignant without ever being sentimental, morally complex and deftly woven - this is a book that gets better and better with every chapter' Gavin Extence, author of The Universe versus Alex Woods
At a rally in the Royal Albert Hall, two Quaker brothers, Paul and Charlie Lamb, sign a pledge of peace that only one of them will honour. Meanwhile, in a draughty Victorian mansion in Hampstead, Mr. Morningstar wonders why his wife, a crystallographer from dynasty of diamond cutters, turns into a cursing somnambulist at night, while their daughter, Miriam, comes home from her shifts at the munitions factory with her stockings inside out.
As the streets throng with khaki, the Lambs and the Morningstars must decide how to do good in a world transformed by evil. Should a scientist use her skills to maximise civilian casualties? Should a Quaker stand by as millions are murdered? And is it possible to love someone if you hate their convictions?
When the two families are torn apart by war, Paul is forced to choose between his conscience and the woman he loves.
Of Love and Other Warsis a profoundly moving tale of faith, longing, and decisions made in the split second of silence between bullets, whose repercussions last a lifetime. With distinctive flair and dazzling creative energy, Sophie Hardach pulls us into lives upended by betrayal, violence and passion.
'Tender and absorbing. An intriguing glimpse into the pacifist's world' Esther Freud
'Poignant without ever being sentimental, morally complex and deftly woven - this is a book that gets better and better with every chapter' Gavin Extence, author of The Universe versus Alex Woods
About the author
Sophie Hardach is the author of two novels, The Registrar's Manual for Detecting Forced Marriages, about Kurdish refugees, and Of Love and Other Wars, about pacifists during World War Two. Also a journalist, she worked as a correspondent for Reuters news agency in Tokyo, Paris and Milan and has written for a number of publications including the Atlantic, the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.