Set immediately before and after the second world war, The Return tells the stories of Jack, Gwen and the people around them on the Berkshire farm where Gwen has grown up and Jack appears one day out of the blue. It is clear from the beginning of the book that he’s on the run for a reason, although he soon finds plenty of other reasons to stay.

I have to admit I almost gave up at the first hurdle – the lengthy descriptions of farming life in the 1930s slowed the narrative too much for me. Doubtless I missed out on some faultless prose by skipping them, but I am glad I persevered with the story. The characterisation is nothing short of brilliant, the atmosphere claustrophobic, the plot taut and once I was finally hooked there was no way I could put this novel down.

The Return is a well written story of Gwen and Jack. It is set around WW2, and is an enjoyable and easy read that is part mystery/ part romance - perfect for curling up on a chilly Autumn evening. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an arc of this book.
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What a wonderful novel. This was a joy to read from start to finish. The writing was so vivid and it really transported me to the rural atmosphere of the Second World War period. It was not a fast moving story but the writing was such that even the most mundane events were brought to life. The characters in the story were really well written and I could clearly see them. To me this was one of the best books I have read all year. My only negative was the abrupt ending, which was clearly planned and I think it was only a negative as I didn’t want to leave the lives of Jack, Gwen, Tom and Muriel. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this wonderful novel.

Firstly, what a beautiful cover. The cover made me want to read the book.
'Jack Ellison’s war is over, but the battle for his family has just begun.' The premise is great and blurb did not disappoint either, both had me interested.

The mystery kept me hooked, I had to know Jack and Gwen's story, which meant reading to the end—no hardship. The characters were well done and enjoyable. The descriptive passages about life on a farm were great, drew me in so I could imagine I was there. An easy, enjoyable read.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author Anita Frank.
I am a big fan of WW2 historical fiction but was slightly disappointed by this book. It is very gentle and predictable, with no real action or character development. All quite fluffy. Would be an easy holiday read. Definitely more of a romance novel with a home-front/farming background than anything else, which isn't my genre.

Sometimes a book is not always about the characters, Jack and Gwen or even the story line - which is set at the beginning and end of the Second World War in England. I was happy to read the book just for the descriptive prose with some beautiful details of a hard farming life and the countryside in wartime.

Ms Frank even manages to make 'sheep dipping' interesting and vivid!

However, I was not so taken with the romance storyline, but overall an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Net Galley and HQ UK for the chance to read and review.

Gwen is running a farm at the end of the war, aided by just a landgirl and neighbour Ted. Her young son Tom is awaiting the return of a father he has never seen, but Gwen dreads it...The explanation for this is gradually pieced together through an ingenious structure by which the author consistently alternates two time periods, one 1945, the other 1939, so as to introduce the father of Tom and the onset of war and the changes it means for the farm. This structure is very well-maintained though I did wonder if the story would not have worked equally well without so much of that 'suspense-building' alternation. The descriptions of life on the farm are not just picturesque but show real familiarity with farming of the period. I was reminded of Thomas Hardy; indeed the book as a whole has a structural resemblance to Far From the Madding Crowd. Gwen is a fallible and very vivid character, aware of her faults but staunch in the defense of her rights. The author has a good ear for dialogue and the characters leapt off the page, On every page I was well aware that World War 2 was much nearer to Victorian times than to our times - which I liked. A very enjoyable historical novel, full of plot and incident right up to the last few pages. Recommended.

This was an enjoyable read. The descriptions of farm life were vivid. The love story was engaging. The subtle twist at the end was welcome.

A lovely story, an interesting Second World War era romance with lots of twists and charming war-era farming details! The latter part of that sentence is sincere - the historic daily farming chores were as fascinating to me as the story plot itself.
Jack Ellinson flees the north and arrives in Berkshire with a terrible secret. He meets Gwen, a local girl who has fallen from her horse, and helps her - taking her back to her farm where her father offers Jack work as a farmhand. ~Jack falls in love with Gwen, (who of course, falls for someone else); but when war comes he gives her a promise that he will never return. She hopes he hold to his word. No spoilers here - you'll have to read it to find out why.
The countryside is described in almost poetical language at times; giving an authentic rural peacefulness, tempered with sheer bloody hard toil. Loved the characters - but you do want to shake Gwen hard sometimes. Under your nose, love! A charming tale.

Oh wow, I absolutely loved this book. I read The Lost Ones, which I thought was brilliant but that was set in the Edwardian era if I’m correct in recalling. When I found out the authors next book was set to the backdrop of WWII, I admit to being a little hesitant in reading it and wasn’t too sure whether I’d really enjoy it. I couldn’t have been more wrong, the book was nothing like how I imagined it might be.

The story goes back and forth between two time periods, from before the start of the war and then to the time shortly after the war has ended. We are presented with two main characters. Jack from the North East, a riveter by trade who worked in the shipyards of Newcastle. We know from the beginning Jack is on the run, and heads South ending up in a rural farming community in his bid to try to ‘disappear’ from anyone who may be looking for him. It is here that he meets Gwen and ends up working as a farm labourer on her father’s farm. Gwen is a young 22 year old country girl. She loves working on the farm and is never afraid to get her hands dirty. Jack soon finds himself attracted to Gwen, but Gwen has already had her head turned and her heart captured by the son of the local aristocracy.

I enjoyed everything about this book. The fact that a lot of it takes place on a farm and how the author really brings it to life with her descriptions of the work Gwen did, from looking after the dairy herd to harvesting and gathering in crops, you could almost smell the fresh air of the countryside.

There are some quite gritty moments in some parts, graphically described, which bring interludes of great tension. The writing is so good, it’s like watching a film, the imagery vivid. Then there’s Jack, a superhero if ever there was one. He’s so kind and patient. All the characters are well drawn, you’ll have a picture in your mind of every one of them.

There isn’t much in the book about the actual war really. As the reader, sharing your time with Gwen on the farm you could be forgiven for thinking there isn’t a war happening. That is until you reach the end, which I found very poignant and highlights what those on the front line went through. It’s a wonderful story that captures the atmosphere of the social history of a bygone era with charm and insight.

**To be posted to my blog on publication date 11 November.**

Set at the beginning and during WW2. Jack rescues Gwen when she falls from her horse. He takes her home and as he is looking for work her father offers him a job and a place to stay on his farm. Jack is running from something and he is unsure if he has ran far enough.
Later when war is declared Gwen finds herself in trouble again, the kind that will affect the rest of her life. Jack comes to the rescue again and to set Gwen's mind at rest her promises not to return after the war. He will probably not survive the war but will definitely not return.

This is a story of unrequited love. A story of the difference between those who have and those who have not and because of having they think it includes entitlement to do whatever they want.
Jack is a lovely,generous and loving man and I liked him very much. Gwen could be very stupid and selfish but I ended up liking her.
A good read which kept me turning the pages to see what happened next.

An enjoyable book with good and believable characters, and a compelling story. A good holiday read.

Jack is going to war and promises never to return, but why? The novel alternates between 1939 and 1945. A love story, a tale of tragedy and a hint of Catherine Cookson makes this book a story you will not forget or want to put down.

Gentle coming together of pre- and post-war story lines. A romantic telling of a tale that most likely had elements all too common at that time. A happy ending is never guaranteed as the story unravels and the book is all the better for keeping you wondering.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Easy to read. The joint timeline detailing the story of Gwen and Jack is great and I read the book in a day. The story is set around world war two. I was pulled in from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see where the story went. Jack was a true hero, and I loved him from the start.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

The return by Anita Frank is a beautifully written historical novel about unrequited set in WW2.
September 1939 farmers daughter Gwen gets pregnant by the local squire. She loves him and wants to marry him. But her father will not allow it. But then finds out his love for her is not reciprocated and that he is due to marry someone else. Farm hand Jack Ellison steps in and agrees to marry her, to save her dignity. He secretly has feelings for her, but she doesn’t feel the same way. He promises than that he will the join the war, and never return.
Jack has also secrets of his own. He came down from Newcastle to escape the Police after a crime he committed so going fight for his country will try and abolish some of the sins he has committed. But some unexpected turn of events, he returns from the war 6 years later to Gwen. But the welcoming he got, was not what he expected.
Thank you NetGalley and HQ for a copy of The return. I really enjoyed this story about Jack and Gwen and their life the farm. This is the kind of story that draws you in and don’t want to stop until the end. It was slightly predictable and had a hint of Catherine Cookson. But maybe I am old fashioned I liked it even more. 5 stars from me.

This book had a fabulous storyline that keeps you guessing to the end, it is full of twists and turns and keeps you hanging on until the end.
If you enjoy wartime stories then you will love this, an easy read that you won't want to put down.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Easy to read. The joint timeline detailing the story of Gwen and Jack is great and I read the book in a day.
Character wise I think they all were written excellently with Jack and Muriel being my favourite. My least favourite was actually Gwen, as one of two main characters I found her hard to like and was not a fan of her at all. Lady Helen was another I was not keen on until the end!
I think once we know Jack’s back story I think the ending is expected, but did not make this any less enjoyable.
If you like wartime romance then this would be a definite read.

I find myself with not an awful lot to say about this book. It started off promising but around the halfway mark I realised it wasn’t going to go where I had thought. I enjoyed the mystery of why Jack had run from his home, and what exactly Gwen was up to when they met, but then a conflict came in that I wasn’t a fan of. For such a long book, I expected Jack’s return to actually contain some of the romance I’d been promised by the description, but I found it lacking. The moments with Jack and Tom were sweet, the moments with Jack and Gwen less so. In complete honesty I didn’t enjoy Gwen as a main character. She’s very naive and a bit dumb even after the time skip and it’s frustrating. After the mysteries were revealed I found the remaining conflicts either boring or uncomfortable to read, and the ending convenient. I suppose all this adds up to wanting to have seen more from the book, and getting less. All in all it was an average experience.

I enjoyed this slow story about farming during WW2. It was far more a tale of country folk than a 'sweeping historical story' whch is how it is described bt NetGalley. The story is predictable and the ending far too convenient but it was a nice read, nothing more. Certainly not what I was expecting. Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for an e-ARC of this title.