"Two women form an uneasy alliance in the aftermath of World War Two on Jersey, as the island tries to recover from its Nazi occupation."
The pain and suffering of World War Two have not diminished on Jersey in the summer of 1945, as two women find their lives entwined as they navigate post-war life in Beyond Summerland by Jenny Lecoat.
Jean Parris learns that her father has died in prison after being arrested during the war for listening to the BBC on his contraband radio. She suspects Hazel le Tourneur is the informant, as she was seen arguing with him soon before his arrest. After five long years of Nazi occupation, the atmosphere on Jersey is suffused with suspicions and accusations.
Jean and Hazel form an uneasy alliance after Hazel sees Jean’s assignation with her German boyfriend and does not want that information shared with her family and neighbours. Both the women are lonely and sad, and are only trying to live a fulfilling life in challenging circumstances.
It is clear that Lecoat undertook a great deal of research for this novel, with the book brimming with historical detail of post-war hardships, including food shortages and frayed relationships. The characters are richly drawn and the tricky moral dilemmas of the war are clearly laid out.
Beyond Summerland is the second novel from Lecoat, a Jersey native who set both her first novel, The Girl from the Channel Islands and her feature film, Another Mother’s Son on the island and wrote about the occupation and its aftermath. She writes in the author’s note that the characters and events in this book are fictional, but the setting and background are real.
What happens when ordinary people are faced with extraordinary choices?
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Other Genres: |
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What happens when ordinary people are faced with extraordinary choices? Jean Parris was a child when her adored father was taken away by the Nazis.
Beyond Summerland features in the following genres: General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Sagas, Second World War fiction, Alternative history fiction, Category fiction, Fiction, War, combat and military adventure fiction, Action Adventure, Speculative fiction, Fiction: special features
Digital download, Paperback. £8.99, down from the £9.99 cover price. In Stock.
Beyond Summerland was written by Jenny Lecoat and published by Birlinn General
Beyond Summerland has 288 pages
£8.99, reduced from £9.99. In Stock.
