Today I am thrilled to welcome Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours to the Book Binder’s Daughter. They have put together a great blog tour for the historical fiction novel Lies Told In Silence by M.K. Tod. You can read my review and win a copy of your very own to enjoy.
My Review:
Helene Noisette is sixteen years old and living with her well-to-do family in Paris on the eve of World War I. Helene’s father works at the Department of War Ministry so he is privy to sensitive information as far as national security matters are concerned. He knows that if a war with Germany breaks out that his family could be in danger, so he moves entire family, including Helene, to country home in the rural town of Beaufort.
M.K. Tod provides the reader with details about the causes that led to so many countries declaring war. Henri, Helene’s father, works for the government and through his conversations and observations the author creatively gives us an informative and interesting history lesson.
Helene and her family are changed by the war in ways that they never could have imagined. Mary Tod masterfully depicts the struggles of everyday life in war torn France. Families and friends are separated, love is put on hold, and ordinary life is greatly altered. Helene, her mother and grandmother, who are all used to a pampered existence that included servants, shopping and social gatherings are now forced to fend for themselves in the remote town of Beaufort. As they cook and sew and spend more time together, they have a chance to form stronger relationships that they would not otherwise have forged. Helene learns over the course of four years in her forced “exile” that she has become a strong, independent woman capable of making her own decisions about her life.
While they are in Beaufort, Helene meets Edward Jamison, a Canadian soldier whose regiment is stationed not far from Beaufort. When Helen meets him at a small social gathering, her life is changed forever. Will the war keep these two apart, or will they be able to find their way to each other when the fighting ceases?
Helene’s oldest brother, Guy, is also fighting on the front lines in France. He is wounded twice in the battles and the descriptions of his illnesses and the hospital conditions bring into vivid focus the horrible consequences that this mechanized and deadly war had on a generation of youth. This was a very emotional read for me, as I went from feeling sadness, to joy, to anger, to hope all in the span of its 368 pages. Do yourself a favor and read LIES TOLD IN SILENCE, if not only for the emotional read, but also to gain a deeper appreciation for the complexities of The Great War. Scroll down to the bottom of this post to win a copy for yourself. Open Internationally.
About the Author:
M.K. Tod has enjoyed a passion for historical novels that began in her early teenage years immersed in the stories of Rosemary Sutcliff, Jean Plaidy and Georgette Heyer. During her twenties, armed with Mathematics and Computer Science degrees, she embarked on a career in technology and consulting continuing to read historical fiction in the tiny snippets of time available to working women with children to raise.
In 2004, she moved to Hong Kong with her husband and no job. To keep busy Mary decided to research her grandfather’s part in the Great War. What began as an effort to understand her grandparents’ lives blossomed into a full time occupation as a writer. Her debut novel is UNRAVELLED: Two wars, Two affairs. One Marriage. LIES TOLD IN SILENCE, her second novel, is set in WWI France and tells the story of Helene Noisette who featured in Unravelled. Mary has an active blog – www.awriterofhistory.com – which discusses all aspects of historical fiction and includes author and reader interviews. Additionally, she is a book reviewer for the Historical Novel Society. Mary lives in Toronto where she is happily married with two adult children.
Connect with M.K. Tod on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
Lies Told in Silence Blog Tour & Book Blast Schedule:
Monday, July 28
Review at Unshelfish
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Book Blast at Our Wolves Den
Tuesday, July 29
Review at Just One More Chapter
Book Blast at Book Babe
Book Blast at A Book Geek
Book Blast at Mel’s Shelves
Wednesday, July 30
Review at Bookish
Guest Post at Just One More Chapter
Book Blast at Passages to the Past
Thursday, July 31
Book Blast at Royalty Free Fiction
Friday, August 1
Book Blast at Back Porchervations
Book Blast at So Many Books, So Little Time
Saturday, August 2
Book Blast at Mythical Books
Monday, August 4
Review & Guest Post at A Bookish Affair
Book Blast at Historical Tapestry
Tuesday, August 5
Book Blast at Layered Pages
Book Blast at Princess of Eboli
Book Blast at What Is That Book About
Wednesday, August 6
Book Blast at Literary Chanteuse
Book Blast at Caroline Wilson Writes
Thursday, August 7
Review at The Book Binder’s Daughter
Book Blast at Kinx’s Book Nook
Friday, August 8
Book Blast at The Maiden’s Court
Monday, August 11
Review at Dianne Ascroft Blog
Book Blast at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Tuesday, August 12
Book Blast at Book Nerd
Book Blast at The Bookworm
Wednesday, August 13
Review at The Writing Desk
Thursday, August 14
Book Blast at Words and Peace
Book Blast at CelticLady’s Reviews
Friday, August 15
Review at Lost in Books
Book Blast at The Mad Reviewer
Sunday, August 17
Book Blast at Brooke Blogs
Monday, August 18
Review at The Librarian Fatale
Review at Historical Fiction Notebook
Giveaway:
To win a copy of M.K. Tod’s Lies Told In Silence please complete the Rafflecopter giveaway form below. Giveaway is open internationally! Click here to enter: Rafflecopter Giveaway.
*Giveaway ends at 11:59pm on August 18th. You must be 18 or older to enter. Winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter on August 19th and notified via email. Winner have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Thanks so much for stopping by on the book tour and thanks to M.K. Tod for a great book. Historical Fiction Virtual book tours has a lot of other great tours going on right now, so be sure to check out their website.
The Book Binder's Daughter 
Many thanks for reading and reviewing Lies Told in Silence. So pleased that you liked the story!
LikeLike
It was a lovely story. I did have to wipe a few tears away at the end.
LikeLike
Sorry about the tears – or maybe not? I still cry and I’m the author!
LikeLike
Oh don’t be sorry! That’s a compliment. Only the best books can bring tears!
LikeLike
Here’s the thing about WWI — it changed *everything.* It was the first war in which killing was generally anonymous, the first really mechanized war. And it was a very long, very brutal war resulting in an enormous death toll (17 million killed, including about 7 million civilians, and 20 million wounded) and virtually no border changes. So it was pointless and the casualties were seemingly random and it was probably the first war in which the general population had to blinder themselves to the pointlessness of their government’s position. It gave rise to modernism, and when you take a look at, for example, Dadaism, you see that it reflects the sense of arbitrariness of the times. Not to mention the fact that the influenza epidemic killed approximately 50 million people, and that drove people apart — people were afraid to go out in public without a mask, etc. It was an isolating, frightening time overall, and created the biggest social and artistic changes since maybe the Renaissance. That’s why I find it so fascinating. A Very Long Engagement, by Sebastien Japrisot captures some of this from the French perspective and the film with Audrey Tautou is actually very true to the book, so you wouldn’t have to commit to an entire book. 🙂
LikeLike
Yes, that is why I am highlighting so many WWI books to commemorate the centenary. I think WWI is not studied or understood as much as WWII. Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
LikeLike
What a great idea to read WWI books as a tribute. Let me know if you find some particularly excellent ones – have you read Testament of Youth by Vera Britain? It’s on my TBR list.
LikeLike
whoa, that looks amazing. I really need to take a long vacation and catch up on my reading. Testament of Youth is in my amazon cart right now!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much. I haven’t heard of that one, but I will have to check it out. Thanks for the suggestion!
LikeLike