I’m afraid I couldn’t get into this, much to my surprise since it’s the period of history I am most drawn to for both fiction and non-fiction. However, I think this may be down to not finding the narrator’s voice enticing, so I will give the written version a try.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴.

The Photographer of the Lost is the moving story of a soldier’s search for his missing brother. Harry Blythe is one of three young brothers who went off to war but sadly the only one who came home. He now spends his days in France, charged with searching out the graves of the lost and sending photos home to grieving families. He has mixed feelings about this job of his but hopes it will bring the families the closure they crave. While seeking out the graves he’s been asked to find, he’s also trying to locate the final resting place of his missing brother to help his widow move on.
Edie, our second narrator, has just received a photograph in the post that makes her question everything she thought was true. She was told her husband was missing in action but can it be that Francis isn’t actually dead? She embarks on her own journey to France to join the search for him but does she truly want to find him? And what will it mean for she and Harry if/when she does?


I’d been waiting for the right time to read The Photographer of the Lost and thought early November seemed most appropriate. I’ll admit I did find it hard to get into at first - war fiction can be a bit like that and the audio version was a little jarring for me - but once I started to read the physical copy I quickly became invested in the characters. Harry, Edie and pretty much everyone they encounter are likeable, so I was rooting for them to find closure and hopefully move on with their lives.

As a History teacher and former A-Level English Lit student I’ve read my fair share of First World War based fiction and wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. Thankfully though having now read it I’d rate it quite highly as I think it gives a fresh perspective. Most books in this genre tend to focus solely on either the fighting experience at the front or the post-war therapy of shell-shocked soldiers but this was different in its scope. As well as hearing about the soldiers’ experience via Harry’s narrative we also get to see the way in which the war affected the families of soldiers through Edie’s chapters. I feel like the lives of those left behind (during and after) is a much neglected aspect in war in fiction and it was very thought-provoking here. Scott does a good job of encompassing how far-reaching the physical effects of the war were, not just on the soldiers but on civilians and on the French landscape too. The descriptions of the ruined villages and towns the protagonists travel through are so evocative and you can really picture the scene in all it’s awful glory. Reading this really brings it home how insane it is that ‘the war to end all wars’ didn’t end up being that at all, even with all of that terrible loss and destruction.

As for the plot, once you get into the story it will keep you hooked. I was kept guessing at how it would turn out until the end which is the a mark of a good book for me. There’s only one part that confused me a little which is why I’ve only given this four stars - I’ve written a question about it above and would love to hear what others thought! But apart from that I really enjoyed it - as much as you can enjoy a piece of war fiction that is - and was happy with the conclusion. There are descriptive passages in this that will make fantastic sources in History lessons and I would definitely use it in my own classroom. Like most war fiction it’s a story that will make you sad, but it’s worth it as it’ll also open your eyes and really make you think - how can we still have had wars after all of this? All that loss and for what?

Overall it’s so detailed, incredibly cinematic, and you can really feel the great sense of loss shared by all the characters we meet. It’s a very sad, moving and thought- provoking book, and one that I certainly won’t forget quickly. If you’re looking for a good story that’ll also make you think about our history I’d definitely recommend it. And if you’re going to be reading anything around Armistice Day this should be in your list!

This was a book that needs to be given time, rather than one that is on in the background. The narration was very good.
I was deeply moved as the story unfolded and it made me think several times of the lost and their families.

A fantastic and moving story. Beautifully poignant and very emotional. I love stories set during the world wars, and this deeply moving take has become one of my favourites

I listened to this story via audiobook and I was hooked from the beginning. After the great war many of the soldiers were still missing and families were desperate to find them. They would have their missing loved ones together on a picture of those searching in hopes that someone would see it and be able to reunite them. The artist would work for money or barter for chocolate or often for free.

I found it incredibly moving journey to find Francis. There were flashbacks to the war were well researched. Brilliant story I loved it.

A slow read but detailed account of loss in the First World War, set in France and Lancashire the story is about three young brothers who go to war and trying to piece together their war lives. Using photographs, mixed up memories, walking through war graves and listening to retold accounts the story unfolds. Very moving and sad, captures the devastation to people, families, places and environments war causes, so much history now lost to younger generations who just could not imagine the atrocities. Well researched and well narrated, thank you #NetGalley for the copy to review.