Changes

England - 1914. The de Witt family live in Stoneythorpe Hall, an English manor that allows them to lead lives of relative luxury. Behind the ornate doors and heavy drapes of the house though, things are less than ideal - the approaching shadow of war makes things increasingly difficult for German born Rudolf, and Verena struggles to find her role in both the home and society. With their sons studying, one daughter marrying and one fast growing up, war will change all that these people know, and force them to either adapt, or suffer untold consequences.

''The Storms of War'' is a lighter read - but one that is nonetheless a dark and stormy one. A book that is essentially in two parts, we come to know the family as they deal with the ever approaching war, and then we follow them as they are plunged into it - and see the horrors of war torn France, the trenches, and the difficulties of living in a country that has suddenly become hostile to all of your nationality. Some reviews have compared this to ''Downton Abbey'', and others ''Atonement'' - and I understand both, although this feels somewhat more realistic than the heightened soapiness of Downton, and blends light and shade better than the wonderful but heartily depressing ''Atonement''.