Review: White Feathers by Susan Lanigan
Today, I'm thrilled to welcome Irish author Susan Lanigan. I'm reviewing her fascinating novel, White Feathers. It's well worth checking out. Read on!
White Feathers is currently on blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club. Find other fascinating posts HERE!
White Feathers
White Feathers, Book #1
Susan Lanigan
Well, I've said it before, and I'll say it again – reading historical fiction teaches you things you never knew. White Feathers is no exception.
I'd never heard of the rather aggressive action of pinning a white feather to a man's lapel during World War I, to mark him publicly as a coward. To our modern sensitivities, it's nothing but bullying. These men may have had important jobs in the country, or they may have been ill. I suppose the women who did this didn't care enough.
But White Feathers is more than a reminder of a dark era, and how women were manipulated (by men in charge, obviously) to do their bidding. It is a story about a young woman, Eva Downey, who received a donation to go to finishing school because she'd written a scathing piece about being at a protest to avoid taking part in the census – something her family blamed her for. Especially her step-mother, Catherine, and her half-sister, Grace, rally against everything Eva does. Only her elder sister, Imelda, is on her side, but in poor health.
So off goes 17-year-old Eva, to be 'finished' in the same way upper-class girls were. Of course, just like at home, she finds herself the odd one out. She knows their fate – bagging a well-off suitor and living a life of society events – isn't hers. She's not from a rich family, but from Irish stock. In time, she realises that she has a soft spot for poetry and literature, thanks to her English Literature teacher, Christopher Shandlin.
They grow closer, in secret, and Eva discovers a side of life she'd never imagined. Here was someone who valued her opinion, treating her as an equal, unlike at home.
When Eva is recalled home, they lose contact, but her best friend Sybil – the niece of her benefactor – gives him her details, and they begin to meet. Much to the annoyance of Catherine and Grace, who consider him a coward for not signing up.
Their meetings are awkward in that Eva has a chaperone, but still, they make plans to meet regularly.
These plans are in array when Imelda takes a turn for the worse, and needs to go to Switzerland for treatment. Only Grace has that kind of money – her dowry, which contains part of Eva's – so her devious half-sister sets Eva an ultimatum: Imelda or Christopher.
Eva's decision has wide-ranging effects she never anticipated. Will Imelda get healthy again? And will there be a future for her and Christopher? Well, you should really read the book!
White Feathers is an incredible novel: evocative, tragic, and revealing. So much happens to poor Eva, and around her, that I'm surprised how she copes with it all. Well, mostly.
One can't help but feel sorry for her. In our days, when young women can determine their own future, we tend to have little sympathy for the plight of women just 100 years ago. (We may be on our way there again in some places, but I digress...) But if we switch to Eva's era, with its social upheaval, a brutal war, and the resulting manipulation of the masses, we can see why she comes to the decisions she makes.
Eva is a strong character, but limited in financial means and completely dependent on her family's goodwill. With her step-mother being such an evil witch (the reasons for which are revealed later in the book), she has no choice but to comply. Strangely, the war gives her the space to do something different, when she becomes a nurse, and is sent to France.
We may or may not agree with all her actions (trigger alert!), but they are a reflection of the times, and I found them completely believable.
I thought Eva is a brave young woman, having to grow up really fast. Her love for her sister, Imelda, marks her as caring and selfless. The difference in social standing between her and her friend Sybil is telling, but neither escapes without scars. I thought Sybil's story was fascinating, and it added an extra layer I found interesting, against the backdrop of social norms. And then there's Lucia...
White Feathers is a remarkable novel, very well researched, and mostly told through Eva's eyes, with the occasional additional character giving us a glimpse from the outside.
The plot really packs a punch. It doesn't shy away from addressing uncomfortable issues – always in context and never judging. Apart from the tragic romance between Eva and Christopher, we read about social restrictions, racial discrimination, gritty (but not gratuitous) events of war, soldiers with PTSD and mental health concerns, bullying officers, but especially a personal vindictiveness that goes beyond everything normal. I found it particularly revealing how the women's causes were hijacked by those (men) in power, with their efforts cleverly diverted from their original issues. It's ironic, somehow.
Eva's father is the weakest of all characters. He fails to stand up for his own daughter, just to keep the peace, which is the cause of her trouble, in my view. Had he put his foot down (ironically), then matters may have worked out differently. But he is completely under the thumb of his second wife, Catherine.
Christopher, on the other hand, is an intriguing man. Highly intelligent, opposed to war and the manipulation of the masses by uncaring leaders, well-read, and sensitive. He's everything those upper class senior officers (many of whom would not see the front, but happily send others there) are not. I'm not surprised Eva falls for him.
White Feathers is a novel that leaves you thinking about it, and about the circumstances the characters found themselves in, for a long time. There's a lot going on, but that's to be expected in an era of great change. It is a riveting story about an incredible young woman, in difficult circumstances, who eventually finds her own voice. A romantic historical adventure that covers a wide range of utterly fascinating topics, making it unputdownable.
I, for one, was enthralled by the story. White Feathers is a novel to remember.
Highly recommended.
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Blurb:
"Anti-war and anti-patriarchy without ever saying so - a bravura performance of effortless elegance"
- Irish Echo in Australia
Journey with Eva as she battles through a hostile social order and endeavours to resist it at every turn.
Buy Link:
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About the Author:
Susan Lanigan
Susan Lanigan’s first novel, White Feathers, a tale of passion, betrayal and war, was selected as one of the final ten in the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair 2013, and published in 2014 by Brandon Books. The book won critical acclaim and was shortlisted for the UK Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2015. This edition is a reissue with a new cover and foreword.
Her second novel, Lucia’s War, also concerning WWI as well as race, music and motherhood, was published in June 2020 and has been named as the Coffee Pot Book Club Honourable Mention in the Modern Historical Book of the Year Award.
Susan lives by the sea near Cork, Ireland, with her family.
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