Short novel set in SWEDEN
Historical novel set in France (and Scotland)
3rd October 2024
The Paris Peacemakers by Flora Johnston, historical novel set in France (and Scotland).
This novel deals with the notion of peace – politically on the world stage and on a personal level – set against the backdrop of The Paris Peace Conference. This consisted of 5 treaties which re-arranged the maps of Europe and parts of Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands. The Treaty of Versailles was the culmination. The losing nations were not invited to participate and the terms imposed caused festering resentment. The author captures not only the relief of the end of the war but also the sense of futility and a deep frustration that lessons may not have been learned. This, we know only too well, is justified.
It is against this broad and historically factual backdrop that the author crafts her story.
Sisters Stella and Corran have lost their brother, Jack and at one point after the war they travel to visit his grave. We have been introduced to Jack and Corran’s later fiancé in the first chapter, where the girls are watching a rugby match taking place on 21 March 1914 and the sense of carefree youth and high spirits forms a stark contrast to the events that these young people go on to endure during the war years. This is poignantly scripted because we know they have no knowledge of what the future holds.
Stella is posted to Paris to transcribe the details of the peace terms and Corran is delighted to be teaching soldiers useful skills, but both young women are soon disheartened by the level of misogyny and the lack of opportunity for women. They have to tap into inner strengths to assert themselves at kinds of levels.
Rob, meanwhile as a surgeon, has had a host of atrocious experiences that he has to somehow process so that he can adjust and continue with some semblance of life after the war.
This is the kind of novel that brings history to life through an accessible storyline. Set against real life events it enables the reader to experience events through the characters and gain a sense of the terrible and personal consequences of war. There are poignant and heart-rending parts in this story that add a high degree of humanity to a sadly common experience.
Tina for the TripFiction Team
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