At the Going Down of the Sun
Mary-Anne O'Connor
Reviewed by Helen
This story took me back in time to just before World War One started, to a small country town called Rainbow in Victoria, here we meet two brothers Archie and Thom Hogan and Molly James, Molly is beautiful and can steal hearts with a smile and soon Archie and Thom are in love and Molly well can you love two men at once? The then war breaks out and everything changes.
Archie and Thom are not only brothers they are best of friends and flying through the skies is their greatest wish and when their father wins a small plane in a poker game they are set tinkering and getting it ready to fly, when Molly arrives in town there is friction between them for the first time, who will win her heart.
Molly has grown up in Adelaide with wealthy parents, she is beautiful and has often found herself in trouble firstly at school where she is expelled and then when she is caught in a situation, her parents pack her off to her aunt in the country and Molly is determined to make sure that Rainbow will be the start of a new life and a happy one. Here she finally finds a best friend in Joanie and then there are the Hogan Brothers they are handsome and fun and choosing is going to be hard.
When War breaks out Archie and Thom enlist to become pilots and soon Molly makes her big escape to make her way to London to become a nurse, hoping upon hope to find the love of her life. Here her heart breaks for the injured soldiers and she becomes stronger and more determined to do what she can to help, even if it puts her in a dangerous position.
This really is a fabulous story, it takes us to Egypt and Europe during one of the toughest times, it shows strength courage and determination of the men and woman who put their lives on the line for everyone and it shows that love will win through whatever is thrown our ways.
I loved this one and I do highly recommend it, meeting Molly, Archie, Thom, Wally and Joanie and the many other colourful characters was heartwarming, heartbreaking and uplifting all at the same time, this story is based on the author’s own grandfather’s stories and is so beautifully told, truly this is one not to be missed.
My thanks to the author and publisher for my copy to read and review.
Archie and Thom are not only brothers they are best of friends and flying through the skies is their greatest wish and when their father wins a small plane in a poker game they are set tinkering and getting it ready to fly, when Molly arrives in town there is friction between them for the first time, who will win her heart.
Molly has grown up in Adelaide with wealthy parents, she is beautiful and has often found herself in trouble firstly at school where she is expelled and then when she is caught in a situation, her parents pack her off to her aunt in the country and Molly is determined to make sure that Rainbow will be the start of a new life and a happy one. Here she finally finds a best friend in Joanie and then there are the Hogan Brothers they are handsome and fun and choosing is going to be hard.
When War breaks out Archie and Thom enlist to become pilots and soon Molly makes her big escape to make her way to London to become a nurse, hoping upon hope to find the love of her life. Here her heart breaks for the injured soldiers and she becomes stronger and more determined to do what she can to help, even if it puts her in a dangerous position.
This really is a fabulous story, it takes us to Egypt and Europe during one of the toughest times, it shows strength courage and determination of the men and woman who put their lives on the line for everyone and it shows that love will win through whatever is thrown our ways.
I loved this one and I do highly recommend it, meeting Molly, Archie, Thom, Wally and Joanie and the many other colourful characters was heartwarming, heartbreaking and uplifting all at the same time, this story is based on the author’s own grandfather’s stories and is so beautifully told, truly this is one not to be missed.
My thanks to the author and publisher for my copy to read and review.
5 stars
April 9, 2024 by Penguin Random House Australia
