Acts of Love and War: A nation torn apart by war. One woman steps into the crossfire.

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An exciting and heart-breaking story about a young English woman during the Spanish Civil War and a love that transcends the horror of war. 1936. Civil war in Spain. A world on the brink of chaos . . . 21-year-old Lucy feels content with her life in Hertfordshire - not least because she lives next door to Tom and Jamie, two very different brothers for whom she has equally great affection. But her comfortable life is suddenly turned upside down when Tom decides he must travel to Spain to fight for the International Brigadiers who are supporting the Democratic party in the Spanish Civil War. He is quickly followed by Jamie who, much to Lucy's despair, is supporting General Franco and his Fascist party. To the dismay of her irascible father, Lucy decides that the only way to bring her boys back safely is to travel to Spain herself to persuade them to come home. Yet when she sees the horrific effects of the war, she quickly becomes immersed in the lifesaving work the Quakers are doing to help the civilian population, many of whom are refugees. As the war progresses and the situation becomes increasingly perilous, Lucy realises that the challenge going forward is not so much which brother she will end up with, but whether any of them will survive the carnage long enough to decide . . .

Author Bio

Maggie Brookes is an ex-journalist and BBC TV documentary producer, turned poet and novelist. She's also an associate professor at Middlesex University, and an advisory fellow of the Royal Literary Fund. The Prisoner's Wife is based on a true story told to her in a lift, by a World War II prisoner of war. Maggie visited Czechoslovakia, Poland and Germany as part of her research for the book, uncovering largely forgotten aspects of the war. Although the story can be harrowing at times, it's also about the power of friendship and of love.