Echoes from Afar
London, 1936. After spiteful rumours force her out of her nursing job, Annabelle Blake flees to Paris to stay with her Bohemian Aunt Aline. Soon she’s caught up in the excitement of 1930s Paris, thrilled to be meeting artists like the Basque artist Henri Baptiste, and his writer friend, Etienne. It’s all a far cry from her grey and dismal London life, and Annabelle revels in it – especially when the handsome Henri makes his interest in her clear. But her money is running low and she needs a job. Henri and Etienne are planning to return to Spain to join the fight against Fascism. They urge Annabelle to join them; nurses are desperately needed and her talents will be put to good use. Part of her longs to go with them, but is she prepared to face the grim realities of a brutal war?
I enjoyed Echoes from Afar. Tamara McKinley is good at evoking both time and place. London in the 1930s is suffering from the Depression. Paris, by contrast, is buzzing with new and exciting ideas, especially in the arts. The artistic world Henri and Etienne inhabit is very real – I could, literally, smell the coffee – not to mention the Gauloises. Her depiction of the Spanish Civil War is equally graphic: little food, sleepless nights from the constant air raids, inadequate medical supplies, and horrific wounds to deal with. McKinley does not pull her punches. But another thread runs through the book, that of the agonizing choices facing Annabelle, and their consequences, especially for her artistic daughter, Eugenie. There are some secrets which, if exposed, could destroy both Annabelle and Eugenie’s happiness. If you enjoy a thumping good, historically accurate read, which features interesting characters you believe in and care about, then this is the book for you.
