Revue de presse “Hard to put down…. A new perspective on an old war. Gripping, thoughtful, heartbreaking, and, above all, human.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))“Wartime-saga lovers will be kept on their toes to the end.” (Daily Mail (UK))“This terrific saga comes with a fascinating twist. . . . Williams has a gift for showing how great movements in history affect the lives of people caught up in them.” (The Times (London))“Historian Kate Williams’s epic about the First World War starts in the idyllic country mansion of the wealthy de Witt family…. [She] outlines the tragedy of war but also reveals…how this first modern conflict changed British society beyond recognition.” (Sunday Express (London))“A big juicy drama set on the eve of the First World War. . . . A spellbinding portrait of a family clinging on desperately to its privileged way of life.” (Good Housekeeping) Présentation de l'éditeur A sweeping and gloriously moving novel of the First World War and its aftermath from a brilliant young storyteller recognized on both sides of the Atlantic as “an outstanding new talent” who ranks among the “queens of contemporary fiction.” Kate Williams’s The Storms of War is the first book in a groundbreaking, cinematic trilogy that tells the story of the de Witt family from 1914 to 1939: perfect for fans of Downton Abbey, Birdsong, and Somewhere in France.In the idyllic early summer of 1914, life is good for the de Witt family. Rudolf and Verena are planning the wedding of their daughter Emmeline, while their eldest son, Arthur, is studying in Paris and Michael is just back from his first term at Cambridge. Celia, the youngest of the de Witt children, is on the brink of adulthood, and secretly dreams of escaping her carefully mapped-out future and exploring the world.But the onslaught of war changes everything and soon the de Witts find themselves sidelined and in danger of losing everything they hold dear. As Celia struggles to make sense of the changing world around her, she lies about her age to join the war effort and finds herself embroiled in a complex plot that puts not only her but those she loves in danger.With gripping, pitch-perfect detail, cinematic scope and heart-rending empathy, Kate Williams tells the story of Celia and her family as they are shunned by a society that previously embraced them, torn apart by sorrow, and buffeted and changed by the storms of war.“A beautifully conjured family saga. Fans of Downton Abbey will love it, as did I.” —ALISON WEIR, AUTHOR OF THE LADY ELIZABETH AND THE CAPTIVE QUEEN Quatrième de couverture A privileged British family living an idyllic life It is the summer of 1914, and the de Witt family lives on a country estate, with servants to tend to their needs. Their sons are studying in Paris and Cambridge, and their eldest daughter is betrothed to a lord. The war that shatters their worldBut when the First World War breaks out, the de Witts’ German ancestry makes them a target. They find themselves shunned by their society and at risk of losing everything. A decision that could put them all in perilFaced with her family’s collapse, fifteen-year-old Celia lies about her age and joins the war effort as an ambulance driver in France, where she becomes entangled in a complex plot that could put her and those she loves in danger. Biographie de l'auteur KATE WILLIAMS is the author of the novels The Storms of War, Dancing into Life and The Pleasures of Men, as well as five acclaimed non-fiction books, including Becoming Queen, about Queen Victoria’s youth, and England’s Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton. She is also a social historian and broadcaster who appears regularly on radio and television as a historical and royal expert, frequently appears on BBC Breakfast and has hosted historical documentaries on TV and radio. The New World is the concluding volume in the Storms of War trilogy, which tells the story of the de Witt family between 1914
