Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

- multiple POVs used with deliberation
- overarching storyline involving Greek gods.
- World War I romance with two intersecting stories, where one story involves a coloured musician soldier and focuses on the treatment of coloured service people. He meets a Belgian singer. The second story involves an English couple, a piano player and a boy who would build things instead of destroying them.

Aphrodite: Of course, almost no one notices me, yet all but the hard-hearted do sense a new mood. Perhaps it’s my perfume. Perhaps it’s something more.

I really liked this half fantasy half historical war romance story which is framed as a trial of Ares and Aphrodite by jealous Haephastus, also featuring Apollo and Hades. As scorned Haephastus puts on trial his wife Aphrodite and her lover Ares, Aphrodite begins telling a story about two WW1 couples. In the process, she calls as her witnesses Ares, Apollo and Hades. They take turns narrating the story, each narrating bits corresponding to their "domain" e.g Hades narrates bits related to death, Ares is most often with the fighting. I really liked this multiple pov used this way. The characters are likeable, The couples meet and fall in love and the bonds are strong but they are all too soon separated by war and prejudices. What trials await? And what of Aphrodite's own trial?

A good war set romance with a bit more relevance to it, I could see this as a movie, if it hasn't yet been made into one. I really think the concept and the narrative were lovely and thought-out. Favourited.