This beautifully written family saga spans nearly a quarter of a century from the birth of central character Clarry in 1902 to the aftermath of the First World War in the 1920s. Her mother having died when she was three days old and her father seemingly rather oddly incapable of providing either love or effective support, Clarry and her brother Peter forge a powerful bond with their grandparents in Cornwall and, particularly, with their exciting and heroic cousin Rupert. The story follows the children through adventures at school and then emerging adulthood during the Great War, gradually unravelling themes of social inequality and the different expectations placed on boys and girls as they go.

Clarry is an instantly appealing protagonist with a strong sense of what is right and a kind intelligence which leads her to expect the best of others whilst resisting the obstacles to independence which beset her. Rupert and Peter (Clarry's brother) are also very strong, engaging characters and so too are Vanessa and Simon (their friends). Above all, it is the relationships between the main characters and their closest friends that make the book very difficult to put down. Rupert rejects family pressure to go to University and instead joins the army—just before war with Germany is declared. Much of the book focuses on the way that the different characters cope with the physical and emotional demands of the war and the drastic effects it has on their lives and their friendship.

If you like historical fiction and have enjoyed books by writers such as Emma Carroll or Katherine Rundell, this is definitely a book worth reading.