White Feathers by Susan Lanigan

White Feathers Reviews

• 
  Liz Barnsley

  So historical fiction then. Not my favourite. Except on occasion – this being one of those occasions. Absolutely enthralling.
  
  Susan Lanigan has a great depth of literary styling that puts you bang into the era she is re-creating here. The anchor to the tale, that of the giving of white feathers to those refusing to fight in the war, is a very intriguing one – the prejudices if you like of a time now past, this is the state of play Ms Lanigan draws from to write this very emotional and addictive story.
  
  Eva is a fascinating and well drawn character, her terrible choices stark and unrelenting, the knock on effects of which will be long reaching…the sense you get of an independently minded woman back in the age when women were not allowed to be such things is really well done and kept me turning the pages. The backdrop, that of the first world war is authentic and obviously well researched.
  
  A really beautifully written story that encompasses not only Eva’s story but that of women in general at the time – the challenges and problems they faced in what was already a difficult and traumatic period in history. If you love Historical fiction you will definitely want to take a look at “White Feathers” and if you are not, then this is perhaps the novel I would point you towards if you wanted to take a stroll out of your comfort reading zone.
  
  Really good. Really very good.
  
  Happy Reading Folks!
• 
  Margaret Madden

  1913 and War hovers, as a very real possibility, in the air of London. Men are signing up. women are demanding rights and mothers all over the land fear for their young sons. The lucky ones are hidden behind the safety of their status, education or rank. An unexpected bequest means that Eva Downey, gets to escape the wrath of her stepmother and stepsister, gaining entry into an exclusive boarding school. A major change in the young girl's life, she embraces the world of learning, structure, poetry and self-improvement. She is embraced by two very different characters at the school and life takes a very different turn in her sheltered world.
  
  1914 and Eva has a heart-wrenching decision to make. An evil twist of fate has her held hostage to this decision and the pain remains long after the deed is done. Love is pain, loss is pain and regret is pain. But how can one forget what caused the pain? How can one move on?
  
  Written in delicate prose, in the style of the period, the first thing that appealed to me when turning the opening pages, was the fluidity of the words. They slipped across the page, like a satin scarf slipping off the back of a chair. Gliding, without any apparent effort, taking the reader along their journey. This elegance didn't fade once throughout the novel. Each chapter, each character and each sub-story, all had this unique feel. I felt like I was discovering some forgotten antiques at an old house auction, that could now be appreciated by a lover of stories.
  
  Susan Lanigan began this book long before this years WWI centenary, but the timing of its release was impeccable. The White Feathers of the title, are all too well known for their message of cowardice, and may my children never know the impact of such a statement in their lifetime. Eva is a wonderfully drawn protagonist, one who has been dealt the bad hand but who uses this to make her a stronger person. Her father is the biggest coward in the whole tale, not the men avoiding war. A spineless, selfish man, who has hurt the ones who are closest to him, without a second thought.
  
  Sybil, Christopher and Lucia are the Holy Trinity of Eva's new world. Unaware of how their roles will affect her, she stumbles across their company, like a moth to a flame. Their fates are aligned, both in the UK and on the fields of France and Belgium. Friendship can be a bond, hard to break and harder to forget. Even when war tears people apart, life has a way of bringing people together. Heroes, cowards, life, death, duty and honor. Fear of humiliation, nervous conditions, unplanned pregnancies, and pre-arranged marriages. This book has a bit of everything. The most powerful thing it does possess; soul. Good, old-fashioned, soul. Beautifully crafted, immaculately researched and lovingly produced. Place this novel on your best piece of furniture, as it deserves to be displayed prominently, and admired regularly.
  
  
  Highly Recommended
  
• 
  Dem

  Review to follow
• 
  Alva

  There are books we read and enjoy and there are books that take over our soul. White Feathers is a soul-occupying story. Eva Downey's life and times, told with skill, compassion, grit, determination and complete love. Susan Lanigan nails each of these with clarity, delving into every corner of Eva's journey to create this mind-blowing tale of personal triumph, although triumph is not the right word for the suffering here. If there's a book showing why we don't ever need another war, this is it. Susan's flowing, graphic descriptions of the effects of war on families, on individuals, on countries and loyalties, is unmatched. White Feathers buries deep inside you and refuses to leave. Eva's relationships are simple, yet extremely complex. Her family is intact, yet splintered. Her friends are true, yet selfish. Her love is given completely, but with reservation. Her decisions are understandable, yet perplexing. Susan Lanigan is a word artist as she winds this tale from beginning to end. I am in awe.
• 
  Izzyreads

  White Feathers is the story of a young independently-minded girl, Eva Downey born in the early 1900s whose mother has died and whose father is married to their former domestic servant landing Eva with a hostile stepmother. Escape becomes possible when an unexpected bequest from a suffragette provides for Eva to attend The Links, a boarding school for young women.
  
  At school, Eva's intellect attracts the attention of a teacher, Christopher Shandlin and she finds herself slowly falling in love but they are not typical romantic characters and their story contains uncomfortable and difficult elements. Without giving away the plot, suffice to say that the choices Eva faces in the historical circumstances of the time could make for some interesting book club discussion.
• 
  Ilana Costello (patel)

  I won this book through a contest on the author's Twitter. I never thought that I would win and was shocked when I did! Then I realized this story was a romance leaning historical fiction and thought I wouldn't like it (I typically don't enjoy Romance novels). This book proved all my prejudgments to be wrong!
  The characters and descriptions in this text pull you into the story easily within the first few paragraphs. I now greatly look forward to reading the second book!
• 
  Suze

  Eva Downey's stepmother hates her and the same goes for her stepsister Grace, together they're trying to make Eva's life as difficult as possible. Eva's father doesn't care much about his two other daughters, he's too preoccupied with work and his wife. Eva's sister Imelda's health has been an issue all of her life and she isn't feeling very well when Eva finally has the chance to leave her much hated home. She's received a scholarship to go to finishing school. As an Irish girl in England it isn't always easy to make friends, especially not when you're also the smartest one there, but Eva manages to befriend a very popular and rich girl. She's having the best time studying and all of her teachers encourage her, but there's one in particular, Christopher Shandlin. Soon Christopher and Eva discover that they have a lot in common and they start to become something more than teacher and pupil.
  
  Eva's not allowed to finish her time at school as her family manages to find a way to make her come home again. Imelda needs her and Eva is a loving and dutiful sister, so she doesn't complain, but she also doesn't have much of a choice. After a few hurdles she and Christopher are getting back in touch. Her stepmother wants Eva to marry a horrible man, but Eva has other plans. Their country is at war and Grace is handing out white feathers to men who don't want to fight. Eva doesn't like this behavior at all, which is the perfect reason for Grace to make her life a living hell. She forces Eva to choose between her lover and her sister. Grace has the family money and enough funds to pay for Imelda's treatment, but she will only do that under one condition. The decision Eva has to make will have grave consequences and she will never be the same again.
  
  Eva's family members are cruel. Her father is indifferent, his wife hates Eva and she and Grace can do anything they like to her as he won't do anything to protect his daughter. That was heartbreaking to read about. White Feathers is a beautiful story about a difficult love that keeps burning strong even though there are so many obstacles. The question is if these obstacles can be overcome. I couldn't stop reading until I knew what would happen to both Eva and Christopher. They each have a place in my heart. They're such endearing main characters, who simply aren't able to win every battle that comes their way. Eva is smart and she has great ideas, but she knows she has to give up her dreams as she isn't strong enough to stand up to her stepmother and stepsister all by herself. Friendhip and love are keeping her alive during everything she's going through and that makes this novel so romantic and hopeful. I loved this story and can't praise it enough, it's really fantastic.
• 
  Sheila

  As a reader of mainly crime fiction I stepped out of my reading comfort zone with White Feathers, and I'm glad I did. I won a copy of this book on Twitter, otherwise I may not have ever chosen to read it. Hard to believe this is a debut novel as it is so well written, intelligent, and obviously well researched. I was rooting for spirited Eva Downey from the start, who was trying to assert herself and make her way through life, against all the obstacles that she had to face.
  
  If you enjoy historical fiction then I would urge you pick this book up. I can imagine that someone who does usually read that genre, might easily give this book five stars.
• 
  E.R. Murray

  It's about a year since I read this book and it's stayed with me. Lanigan tells a cracking story, with passion and skill. You care about the characters (so much so that I live tweeted my reactions to events, no spoilers) and the surprises and twists are deftly handled. The subject matter is dark, but the writing a joy. If you like a good story with heart, give this a try.
• 
  Jaffareadstoo

  In this centenary year of the start of WW1 there have been lots of tempting books on offer, which give voice to many stories which sum up the effects of war on a generation of young people.The story opens in 1913 as Eva Downey, a young Irish immigrant, learns that an unexpected legacy gives her the means of escape from a remote father and hostile stepmother. Attending finishing school in Eastbourne gives Eva the means to escape from her family circumstances and allows her a little freedom. Whilst at The Links, she meets and falls in love with her teacher, Christopher Shandlin, who is an admirable man with strong principles. However, as England is poised on the brink of war, strong beliefs do not meet the exacting standards of a nation who are sending hundreds of young men out to fight a war. Forced into to giving her sweetheart a white feather to denote his opposition to fighting, Eva must live with the consequences of her actions.
  
  The book is a beautifully written, with strong attention to detail and there is a real authenticity to the storyline which is maintained throughout the whole of the novel. The troubled early years of the war is recreated in intimate detail, made all the more shocking by the real ethical and moral dilemma faced, not just by Eva and Christopher but by the country as a whole. I empathised greatly with Eva and understood just how difficult life was during this awful time.
  
  The emotional journey of the story is really hard hitting at times, and the book seems to cover an awful lot of ground, not just about the war itself, but also about the women’s movement, suffragettes, conscientious objectors, burgeoning sexuality and marital infidelity, but it’s all remarkably well done and it soon becomes a real page turner of a story.
  
  There is no doubt that this is a really good debut novel from a talented new author and I’m sure that White Feathers will stand out from the crowd of WW1 novels in this centenary year.
  
  My thanks to Real Readers and O’Brien for my review copy of this book.
  
  
• 
  Ninnytendo

  Eva lives an unhappy life with her father, sister Imelda and step-mother and sister who both despise her. When she is offered a place at finishing school she jumps at the chance to leave her miserable life behind. At school she meets Mr Shandlin, who acknowledges her intellect and encourages her to write and express herself. Eva and Mr Shandlin form a very strong bond and fall in love but when news that her sister Imelda's health has taken a turn to the worse she must return home. Mr Shandlin pursues Eva and the relationship angers her step-sister, who in the eve of World War I is fanatical about men going to war to defend their country.
  
  Eva must make the toughest choice: to save her love for Mr Shandlin, who refuses to go to war, or to give him a white feather of cowardice in order to secure the funds to save her sister from a life threatening illness. Eva's decision will have terrible consequences for both herself and Mr Shandlin and will haunt her for the rest of her life.
  
  White Feathers is a very believable novel with realistic characters which draw you into the story and take you on an emotional journey through World War I. It is an absolute page-turner which deals with hard issues like family, honour, valour, war, class, race, sexual orientation and women's issues like the right to vote and their role in marriage. I was immersed in Eva's life and could not put the book down until the journey was over.
  
  The middle of the book reminded me of the wonderful BBC drama The Crimson Field and it made Eva even more believable and human. Susan Lanigan expertly brings war to life and gives us a detailed account of the raw emotions felt by both the nurses in the field and the soldiers fighting in it. This story touches very raw emotions and realities of war and how it changes people's lives.
  
  This is a superb debut novel which promises many great things from Susan Lanigan
• 
  Sarah Farmer-wright

  This is a great book!
  Set in the early 1900's and encompassing the First World War, it is the story of Eva Downey and her love for Christopher Shandlin, her teacher, whom she meets while at finishing school.
  Amid the destructive and corrosive family dynamics between Eva, her stepmother and her step sister, Eva is emotionally blackmailed into publicly giving Christopher a white feather when he refuses to enlist. The ramifications of this act of betrayal are set to be shocking and far reaching - and Eva has little idea how much this act will alter the course of their lives forever.
  The story deftly covers the sensitive and highly charged issues of that era - conscientious objection, sexuality, infidelity, shell shock, votes for women and the marital role of women.
  My only negative comment about this book would have to be about the ending which I thought disappointing. The book seemed to end somewhat abruptly and all of a sudden when I felt the plot had lots more to deliver. Having said that, this in no way detracted any enjoyment from this brilliant debut novel. At times hard hitting and brutally traumatic but always vibrant and riveting, its characters credible and three dimensional.
  Great story, brilliant plot and an excellent read! Highly recommended.
• 
  Sehar

  This was an okay read. I don't know much about the author. If this was her first book then I think it was a good effort. For a seasoned author though, it would count as a dismal effort.
  THE PLOT: it's your basic Cinderella story with a bit of offscreen rape, onscreen girl-on-girl time and a world war thrown in for good measure. Maybe that's a cruel summarisation, but you get the gist.
  THE CHARACTERS: try as I might, I cannot like Eva. Surrounded by pain, and death and misery, it would take a unique person to worry about their own love life. Her disdain for the Irish also goes sorely against the grain for me ( doesn't the author have Irish roots???). She sticks to the typical stereotypes of booze loving, coarse, crude religious nutters. It's quite offensive.
  The father is a poorly drawn character with no explanations for his actions provided. Even the big 'twist' near the end sheds no light on his banal cruelty.
  Sybil is perhaps the one likeable character in the entire tale.
  Shandlin too I enjoyed, if only due to his frequent literary references.
  
• 
  Mary Lou

  This is a very good debut book. A great writing style makes it very easy to read. But the time required to tell this interesting story and to set the immense historical backdrop required, comes at the expense of the characters. Some of these feel superficial and a few could be done without entirely. As a result, it is difficult to empathise with either their personal tragedies, or those of WWI in general. A huge task undertaken with a good result for a first novel.
• 
  Priya Bhakta

  I really enjoyed this book. So much happens and Eva is an extremely compelling protagonist. I was really rooting for her and Christopher throughout and was riveted by the complications in their way. So much happens and my only disappointment came from the fact more didn't happen. I look forward to reading more from Susan Lanigan in the future.
• 
  Brian Finnegan

  A hugely entertaining read, beautifully written and passionate. Loved it.
• 
  Maybelle Wallis

  A haunting novel of a love affair between a young woman coming of age and her teacher. I felt completely caught up in the fate of the characters as their story, with its poignant twists and turns, unfolded against a backdrop of World War One. The novel convincingly evokes what it was to live through that time and gives a subtle exposition of the way in which societal attitudes were moulded by warmongers.
  
• 
  Steve Radlow

  Wonderful novel but I didn't like the ending. I think the author has left her options wide open for a sequel. It is beautifully written though and the plot, although heart-breaking is quite well planned out.
• 
  Meg

  3.5
• 
  Liz Maguire

  White Feathers is the debut novel from Irish author Susan Lanigan. Divided into five sections detailing the years with young Eva Downey and the role World War I in her life, White Feathers is a historical romance with guts . After receiving a generous endowment to attend a finishing school, Lanigan’s fictionalized “The Links”, Eva leaves her family home in London. Eva and her step-mother Catherine, her father’s second wife, share a tense relationship since the family’s immigration from Ireland nearly ten years before. While at school Eva explores and expands her understanding of life through the tutelage of her English teacher, Mr. Shandlin. When her elder sister Imelda takes ill, Eva leaves Links behind— until Sybil, her friend from the school, tells Mr. Shandlin where he might find the brilliant and beautiful Eva. When the war and family obligations interrupt their courtship Eva is forced to do the worst imaginable…and so begins White Feathers.
  
  I was first approached by the author, Susan Lanigan, in January of this year (2015) to read and review the novel. I set about reading White Feathers as spring opened the skies in Dublin. In the window seat of my favorite cafe, perched above D’Olier Street with the novel open on my lap, rain lashed the glass beside me while I read and read and read. White Feathers was so intense and addictive that my tea went cold and unnoticed—perhaps the greatest sign of enthralling literature. I found White Feathers well written and well paced. The plot could have become stale in the length of the novel (my copy is close to 450 pages) but Lanigan’s division into five sections is wise. It allows her to jump timeline and bring plots forward without entire scenes of exposition. Dotted within the text are letters from one character to another which adds an element of the beyond to the story, allowing Lanigan to move the plot swiftly and have her characters do most of the talking.
  
  I always admire an author who can stock their story in such history without it becoming a textbook and I think Lanigan succeeds. By laying the historical foundations thickly in the first two sections of the story, there is room to move within the universe created in the last three. Lanigan trusts her characters implicitly. The story is carried by the confident, human voices behind the typeset. I am often amazed by how the human brain can configure only so many letters, arranged into so many words, into images and sometimes even living breathing flesh in their minds. Lanigan is a natural story teller and that’s evident in this popular debut.
  
  Without further adieu I recommend this book whole heartedly for anyone interested in World War I fiction, romance or coming of age stories set in Europe. You can find the novel in your local Waterstones, or online here. You can learn more about Susan Lanigan by visiting her website or join the conversation about White Feathers on Twitter!
• 
  Morticia Adams

  If you're thinking of reading or buying this book, please don't be put off by my comments, for despite some flaws, there is much to enjoy in this story - set before and during World War 1 - which is both interesting, and well-researched.
  
  One of my quibbles was the pacing in the first half of the story, which seemed plodding and repetitive, taking too long to set up the scene and establish the relationship between the two characters - too many encounters between them where very little happened to move things along. The pace eventually picks up, and I found the remainder of the book much easier to get through.
  
  But the principal problem I found with this novel was weak character development. In particular I found both Eva, the heroine, and Christopher, her lover, uninvolving and irritating, and I never felt the pathos of their situation.
  
  Not caring about the main characters can of course be a big obstacle to actually finishing a book, but this one is fortunately redeemed by a well-handled historical and social setting which provided an entertaining and informative backdrop to the main plot: the emergence of the suffragette movement; the appalling "white feather" women who took such grim pleasure in the public humiliation of men who had not yet enlisted to fight; the war itself and the experiences of nurses at the front. And we even get a voodoo midwife!
  
  On the whole, this is a pretty good first novel from Susan Lanigan, and I would like to thank Real Readers for sending me the book for review
• 
  Tracey Watson

  4.5 stars. Wow, what a debut novel! This book took my breath away, it's been a long long time since I have read a book that was so emotive. Normally I wouldn't read this genre, but I chose to order this title as we were doing a display at work on the first and second world wars. The story centres around Eva, the lead character and how her life changes during and because of The Great War, this compelling novel takes you on a roller coaster of emotions and it's not always an easy ride. The only one tiny tweak that I wish I could change was that I was desperate to find out Christopher's age and had to read quite a way through it before it became apparent (maybe it's just me liking to visualise the characters.)This is a must read, I fully recommend this to anyone and I don't think many will be disappointed. Wonderful, thank you Susan Lanigan.
• 
  Stephanie

  White Feathers is another very good novel set during WW1. Telling the story of Eva and Christopher, whose love affair is destroyed by Eva's family and the devastation of a World War.
  Events at the front were very graphic and for me the best parts of the novel. Even though I knew about it, I had never come across the giving of white feathers in a novel before and I didn't know that it was common among suffragettes. I also had never heard of the Brittanic and have since read that events that happened on it were true.
  I didn't care much for either Eva or Christopher. I preferred Sybil, who came across as a lot warmer than any other characters in the novel.
  I would be interested in reading more by Susan Lanigan and would recommend to anybody who likes to read about this time in history.
  
  With thanks to RealReaders for sending me this novel to review.
• 
  Suggestion_noted

  This is such a great read. The author really draws you into the world of the book and the characters are so vivid and real I actually missed them and kept thinking about them after I'd finished. Not many novels manage to combine family drama, boarding school hi-jinks, a passionate love story, early 20th-century feminism, gory battle scenes and the reality of the frontline of World War One all in one book - the fact that the story contains all that and doesn't feel at all overloaded but instead flows along nicely is, in my opinion, an amazing achievement. This is an intelligent, beautifully written novel that is also a rollicking great story. Hope it gets the chance to be adapted for film or TV, it'd be perfect for it. Definitely recommended!
• 
  Carolann Copland

  They say what doesn't kill you will make you stronger. That is certainly the case for Eva Downey, Lanigan's protagonist in 'White Feathers'. Eva's character is still following me around after finishing this brilliant book of betrayal. Eva is put to an unfair test, with terrible consequences, but we see her fight for what she believes in. Lanigan shows us what Eva is made of through her treatment of relationships with her friends, family and lover. Lucia was my favourite character, always ready with a surprise for the reader. This is historical fiction that will pull you back in time and give you a lifesize taste of what life was like for women during WW1. A rich and enveloping read, unpredictable and engrossing. Looking forward to the next.
• 
  Bharti

  I enjoy reading War time stories. This story deals with the sensitive topic, as the title -White Feathers, suggests cowardice. It is not usually or openly spoken about but this story deals well with and creates an interesting environment with the lives of its characters. An enjoyable and easy read. The writing is good and the plot well developed, definitely a commendable debut.
  
  Read a detailed Review on my blog:
  http://wp.me/p6THg1-2I [
  www.27bookstreet.wordpress.com]
• 
  Paul Bowler

  This is certainly not my usual fare but I'm glad I read it, despite the lack of elves, warp speed and errant mages.
  
  Set during World War 1, White Feathers tells the story of Eva Downey, a young woman trapped in a hateful family. She is intellectually ambitious, falls for someone her family disapprove of and is forced to make an impossible choice.
  
  To say any more may wander into spoilers. Suffice to say, I fear Eva and Christopher will stay with me for some time.
• 
  Maxime

  I loved this book This is a real atmospheric book about a young girl the 1st world war love & loss such a great storyline It Touches on everything Women's sexuality Constraints of Society War.
  A great book I highly recommend it. A great well researched 1st novel from Susan Lanigan