Do you know the beautiful song by Robert Burns, ‘Ae Fond Kiss’?
‘Ae fond kiss and then we sever
Ae fareweel, and then for ever,
Deep in heartwrung tears I’ll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and hopes I’ll wage thee.’
I’m using a line from the 4th verse – ‘Had we never loved so blindly’ as the title of my third historical novel, set during the Second World War. It should be published late this year.
I’ve had the pleasure of reading ‘Had We Never Loved So Blindly’ pre publication. As I enjoy historical fiction I was intrigued to see what was install for me. I wasn’t disappointed! The author takes you on a rollercoaster of a ride following the lives of the rather gauche and naive main characters which develops into a family saga stretching across some 35 years or so.
From the relative cosiness of the late 1930s Liz MacRae Shaw proceeds to explore the disintegration of certainty and security and the devastation and horror brought about by war. An interesting and emotional read packed with social history.