Regret to Inform You begins with a view of a picturesque English village, where everyone knows everyone and families grew up together. Unfortunately this means that when WWI hits no one is untouched, and Derek Jarrett does a wonderful job at writing a poignant story of love and loss that was felt in many other villages and towns across the country.

A very realistic portrayal of the war, Regret to Inform You also shows the realities of life as a soldier in the trenches, realistic but not brutal, it educates the reader without sanitising what life was really like.

Despite the sad subject matter, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and felt it was very well written and the story well told.