Calm before the storm

Judith Lennox: Before the Storm

Fiction - Family Saga

Published by Headline Review

Lennox begins her novel with the intriguing and thoroughly mysterious character Isabel, who hides a dark secret and does not allow anyone to get too close to her. Her love interest Richard Finborough, at times quite a frustrating and detestable character, takes on this challenge, managing to suceed in winning Isabel’s heart. Although this tale is set in 1909, the story of budding romance is one which spans all decades of time; it is a modern tale of love, secrets and passion set in the past. Love definitely conquers all in this novel and through loss, the characters truly see how important love can be. Even though tragic circumstances of both World Wars surround the Finborough’s life, we follow the pitfalls and celebrations of this family which help them to develop and mature over time. However, at a time when war is imminent and family is the most important thing, it is frustrating that the hypocritical, egotistical Richard is destroying his family.

On one minor negative point, I felt the ending did not live up to my expectations. Although, it ended with a cliff hanger, I had wanted to learn more about the lives of the characters after the war. This however, is a personal thing and some may find that the ending is quite right for this novel.