A moving tale of a young woman caught between the attractions of two very different men, set in the time of Napoleon, against the tensions of wartime. As the author depicts Sylvia's fateful decision to marry one man while loving the other, she deftly interweaves the eternal themes of jealousy, unrequited love, and the consequences of individual choice.
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A moving tale of a young woman caught between the attractions of two very different men, set in the time of Napoleon, against the tensions of wartime. As the author depicts Sylvia's fateful decision to marry one man while loving the other, she deftly interweaves the eternal themes of jealousy, unrequited love, and the consequences of individual choice.
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Raised by caring, older parents on a country farm on the outskirts of a seaside English town, Sylvia, when we are first introduced to her, is exactly as we would expect her to be: immature, flighty, stubborn and headstrong. She's still very likable, though, because her nature isn't cruel or selfish. Because of this, it's easy to sympathize with her as she is torn between the love of two men: one a dashing young sailor who sweeps her (like many of his other conquests) off her feet with his romance and gallantry and the other a steadfast, loyal merchant who stumbles and falters in his relentless pursuit of her happiness and love. She never has the option of really choosing between them, though, for other forces - namely, a press gang whose sole intent is to gather "recruits" for the battle against Napoleon - intervene and alter the entire course of her life. One of her lovers is spirited away while the other is left behind, closely guarding the secret of his opponent's whereabouts. As Sylvia faces trial after trial, she is forced to turn to this less-respected lover for help and security. But what happens when she discovers the treachery he has hidden underneath his love? Can love save her? Him? The answer lies in the climax of the book and is a unique combination of sadness and hope... Only then do we see all of the book's themes come together into a beautiful lesson on love, honesty and forgiveness.
