Tides of War - Hardcover

Tillyard, Stella

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0701183179 ISBN 13: 9780701183172

Publisher: Chatto & Windus, 2011

Synopsis

At the heart of this sweeping, panoramic novel, set in Regency London and Spain during the Peninsular War, stands the lively, outspoken Harriet, poised on the threshold of the adult world. Her new husband, James, is setting off to join the Duke of Wellington's troops in Spain. Left in London, she is taken under the wing of Kitty, Lady Wellington. While the women plunge into new worlds of politics, finance and science, the men face the bloody reality of the battlefield, testing their endurance to the hilt. There are betrayals on both sides, and at times it seems their love cannot endure. Their dramatic stories whirl us through the tumult of the Regency at home and abroad.

Tides of War is drenched in an unforgettable atmosphere, from the mantillas and palms of Seville to gas lamps in foggy London. It carries us deep into the anguish of men at war, the taste of freedom offered to the women left behind, the passions of scientists, doctors and inventors and the burning drive of émigrés in a society on the cusp of change. As Harriet and James pursue their destinies, facing hope and heartache in equal measure, this stunning novel returns us all to the vivid, lost world of the past.

About this title

Review:

`a perfectly sprung novel of the sort that owes more to Hilary Mantel and David Mitchell than Patrick O'Brian or Bernard Cornwall' --Telegraph, Toby Clements: `A Page in the Life' interview, May 2011

'Hugely enjoyable... In its intelligent, classy, entertaining way, the book is reminiscent of that other fine novelist of the Napoleonic wars, Patrick O'Brian.' --Times

`Love, betrayal, war and peace charge this powerful debut.' --Woman & Home

`One of the most assured literary debuts in years... a modern novel that is the perfect answer to anyone who thinks the past is out of date.' --Financial Times

`Tillyard writes in fluid, largely understated prose and her descriptions are wonderful.'
--Sunday Times

`Tillyard is a fluent and attractive chronicler of detail and some of her imaginative liberties are ingenious.' --Sunday Telegraph, Jane Shilling

`This saga of lives swept up in the Peninsular War recalls Georgette Heyer at her best'...'impossible to put down'
--Saga

`This saga of lives swept up in the Peninsular War recalls Georgette Heyer at her best...impossible to put down'
--Saga

`Tides of War is elegantly written, with passages of verve and ... poignancy' --Independant

`A thrilling romance brought to life with exquisite detail' --Prima

Book Description:

Longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2012, Tides of War is an epic romance - a sweeping, panoramic novel by the best-selling historian, set in Regency England and Spain during the Peninsular War, 1812-15

About this edition

• Publisher: Chatto & Windus
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0701183179
• ISBN 13: 9780701183172
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384