A French Soldier and a Angeline, a Colonist lives become intertwined by the causalities of war.
Poignantly written with a slow cadence that seems to capture the natural setting of Africa, this novel is full of suspense and a love story all wrapped into one. Think "Cold Mountain" meets "Out of Africa." Two of my favorite novels combined into one. I must confess this was a tear jerker at one point in a way that makes you remember you are 'alive,' and it also feels cathartic to embrace two other vulnerable souls looking to carve out an imprint of something in their life as Africa dissolves around them in blood, heat and war during the late 1990s in the Congo.
What is absolutely wonderful about Crispi's writing is how she draws you into the scene, the moment, and the place feel as if you can touch it. The characters become larger than life as you are reading the book. You can hear their voices clearly in your mind. I could pick this book up and read one paragraph and my day felt immensely improved upon by reading Crispi's dialogue and prose in this beautifully wrought novel that deserves serious attention.
If you are searching for a novel to read this fall, do order "SOLDIER IN THE GRASS." Joanna Crispi has also written "The Guilty Ones," which I just read as well. If I had to choose between the two, I would take them both with me. They are equally splendid on their own merits.
...The graphic images of war are sharp and disturbingly real. Crispi has spared no expense in researching Africa and weaving the details in this fictional account of love, death, and discovery in "Solder in the Grass."
A must read for those that love an unforgettable love story. m