14. Book Review: Stella Bain (2014)

Stella Bain by Anita Shreve

Synopsis

An epic story, set against the backdrop of World War I, from bestselling author Anita Shreve. When an American woman, Stella Bain, is found suffering from severe shell shock in an exclusive garden in London, surgeon August Bridge and his wife selflessly agree to take her in. A gesture of goodwill turns into something more as Bridge quickly develops a clinical interest in his houseguest. Stella had been working as a nurse's aide near the front, but she can't remember anything prior to four months earlier when she was found wounded on a French battlefield. In a narrative that takes us from London to America and back again, Shreve has created an engrossing and wrenching tale about love and the meaning of memory, set against the haunting backdrop of a war that destroyed an entire generation.

Review

I picked this book up on a whim after finding it at the library without having heard anything about it previously.  After reading the book flap I was curious and brought it home with me.  I was pleasantly surprised by it. Anita Shreve also wrote The Pilot's Wife, which is a book I remember really enjoying reading. The story moves quickly and the writing is driven mostly by dialogue which in my opinion makes for a fast read. This book is a perfect "palate cleanser" after a deep, tough or lengthy book. Where some books can be equated to an epic movie… this was more of a one hour tv show. If that makes sense. The characters were likable and the story was an interesting albeit predictable one.  This book would make a great beach read.

Other books you may like…
The Pilot's Wife
The Aviator's Wife: A Novel
Sarah's Key