Changes

There's a lovely sense of place, as seen through a painter's eyes, throughout the book. London and Dundee come to life as vividly as rural France. There's a real sense of war as it is experienced by those who are not fighting it. There's a thoughtful picture of the alienation of the artist - Lucy herself is consumed in her search for love but ironically only really finds it once she loses her artistic mojo - being a source of genius. And it all ties in together with a teasing, multi-layered narrative. What more could you want?

Also featuring war-time France is [[Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris]].