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Publisher's Summary

Consider Vivien in November 1922: she is 24 and a spinster. She wears fashionable clothes, but she is plain and - almost worse in those times - intelligent. At nearly six feet tall, she is known unkindly by her family as 'the giantess'.

Fortunately Vivien is rich, so she can travel to London and bribe a charismatic gentleman publisher to marry her. What he does not know is that Vivien is pregnant with another man's child and will die in childbirth in just a few months....

©2016 Fay Weldon (P)2016 W F Howes Ltd

Critic Reviews

"A romp of a read full of Weldon wit and wisdom, as well as sumptuous period detail." ( Daily Mail)
"The quirky, singular writing style...triumphs...with its unique characters and playfully ironic voice." ( The Irish Sun)

What listeners say about Before the War

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  • Nicola
  • 25-09-2018

Writing style is a little different.

I've not heard of this author before and bought the book as it was on offer. The story line isn't really my cup of tea but I quite like Vivvi (The main character) so read to the end to see her character develop, its a shame however that the author keeps reminding you that she will die. The author seems to like adding little comments in here and there and for me, it completely distracts from the story. If I'm reading/ listening to a book, I want to get lost but instead the author insists on reminding us that this is just a story, its not real and that the characters are a figment of her imagination. Its a shame. Its an ok story, easy to listen too but I wouldn't rush out to buy it or read/ listen to it again.

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Ruth
  • 27-05-2018

Decided not to carry on with this.

I wasn't keen on this, not gripped from the beginning, which wasn't helped by the choice of narrator! I like him normally but his voice didn't fit with the story!

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