Whispers On The Water
The only daughter of a working-class family in 1911 Liverpool, young Grace Tooley’s carefree life is brought to a halt when she falls in love with Rupert Bradley, her eldest brother’s handsome, well-to-do friend from university. Over the years, through much hardship and tragedy, Grace’s unrequited affection for Rupert becomes the driving force of her existence. In the end, it is up to her to prove to him that, despite circumstances that leave them both profoundly changed, he is still worthy of her love.
This is a well-rounded coming of age story, centered on Grace but also, through the Tooleys, providing a detailed picture of how the Great War destroyed the lives of many while forcing strength to appear from unexpected avenues. The novel suffers from an overly abrupt conclusion, but perhaps this only serves to demonstrate the impact that this engrossing, emotionally intense page-turner had on me. I didn’t want it to end.