Wonderfully Written Debut Novel
- Book: A Parachute in the Lime Tree
- Location: Berlin, Brittany, Ireland
- Author: Annemarie Neary
Annemarie Neary was born in Northern Ireland, educated at Trinity College, Dublin and now lives in London. A Parachute in the Lime Tree was published in 2012 by The History Press Ireland, and is her first novel.
During World War II, Ireland remained neutral and the war was referred to as the ‘Emergency’. The story of A Parachute in the Lime Tree is set during the days after the blitz of Belfast. The four main characters of the story are: Oskar whose parachute becomes caught up in the lime tree Kitty who discovers Oskar there is Elsa who is Oskar’s sweetheart and has fled to Ireland, and Charlie, a medical student.
Annemarie Neary’s beautifully written novel brings each of these characters to life, their lives and their stories effortlessly interweave together and the novel gives a fascinating insight into life in Ireland during the war. Although primarily set in Ireland, the story really starts in Berlin where the reader is introduced to Oskar and his family, and where his love for Elsa is made plain.
Each character has their own unique voice, and their own opinions about the war. This adds much to the storyline, creating some interesting perspectives within the storyline and going some way to explain the character’s behaviours.
In a nutshell, A Parachute In The Lime Tree is a very accomplished, very enjoyable and very perceptive debut novel. It is a story of hope and love and is neither predictable or formulaic, but is quite unique and may leave the reader with a lump
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