Dance the Moon Down Review

Dance the Moon Down
By R.L. Bartram
Published November 4th, 2011 by Authors Online
300 pages

4 stars-Good Read!!

*This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review*

In 1910, no one believed there would ever be a war with Germany. Safe in her affluent middle-class life, the rumours held no significance for Victoria either. It was her father's decision to enroll her at university that began to change all that. There she befriendes the rebellious and outspoken Beryl Whittaker, an emergent suffragette, but it is her love for Gerald Avery, a talented young poet from a neighbouring university that sets the seal on her future. After a clandestine romance, they marry in January 1914, but with the outbreak of the First World War, Gerald volunteeres but within months has gone missing in France. Convinced that he is still alive, Victoria's initial attempts to discover what has become of him, implicate her in a murderous assault on Lord Kitchener resulting in her being interrogated as a spy, and later tempted to adultery. Now virtually destitute, Victoria is reduced to finding work as a common labourer on a run down farm, where she discovers a world of unimaginable ignorance and poverty. It is only her conviction that Gerald will some day return that sustaines her through the dark days of hardship and privation as her life becomes a battle of faith against adversity.

Ok so I know that I don't usually review books like Dance the Moon Down but when I see a book that sounds interesting I give it a chance. Dance the Moon Down was a great read and it was interesting and for someone like me that means a lot. I don't usually like to read historic fiction books but like I've said, if it sounds interesting I'll give it a try. So if any of you feel the same way as me then you should give Dance the Moon Down a try as well. 

Reading this book I was able to learn more about the First World War but I got to learn about it from a women character's perspective. Reading the story through Victoria's eyes was great and interesting and thought provoking as well. Victoria was well educated, kind, loyal and hardworking. Victoria meets and marries Gerald but they aren't married long when the war starts and Gerald is leaving her to go fight. It's difficult for her but she at least has his letters to get her by until one day the letters stop coming. This leaves Victoria no choice but to do whatever she can to make sure she finds her husband because she knows that he isn't dead. As the years go on and the war gets worse Victoria has to go through more trials. She has to find work and ends up working at a run down farm and even though it's far from what she is used to Victoria learns many great lessons. Victoria was a strong woman and she was young having to go through all those trials. During the middle of the book was when I really began feeling for her and hoping that she'd have her happy ending. 

Dance the Moon Down really put in perspective what women had to go through during the First World War and even just that time period, the 1910's and on. Women were expected to act a certain way and believe a certain way. They were put through a lot having to worry about their families during this time. So anyways I found this book to be nothing like what I was expecting, it was interesting and I felt for Victoria and the women who really went through this. So check it out yourself!

Vanessa