The Storms Of War: A Novel - Softcover

A sweeping and gloriously moving novel of the First World War and its aftermath from the brilliant young historian and storyteller recognized on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the “queens of historical fiction” (The Guardian)

In the idyllic early summer of 1914, life is good for the de Witt family. Rudolf and Verena are planning the wedding of their daughter Emmeline, while their eldest son, Arthur, is studying in Paris, and Michael is just back from his first term at Cambridge. Celia, the youngest of the de Witt children, is on the brink of adulthood and secretly dreams of escaping her carefully mapped-out future and exploring the world.

But the onslaught of war changes everything, and soon the de Witts find themselves in danger of losing everything they hold dear. As Celia struggles to make sense of the changing world around her, she lies about her age to join the war effort and finds herself embroiled in a complex plot that puts not only herself but those she loves in peril. With gripping, pitch-perfect detail, cinematic scope and heart-rending empathy, Kate Williams tells the unforgettable story of Celia and her family as they are shunned by a society that previously embraced them, torn apart by sorrow and buffeted and changed by the storms of war.

For fans of Downton Abbey, Atonement, and Birdsong, the first of three novels about a privileged British family during the First World War, from Globe and Mail—bestselling author Kate Williams.

I?n the early summer of 1914, life is good for the de Witt family. Rudolf and Verena are planning their daughter Emmeline’s wedding, while their eldest son, Arthur, is studying in Paris, and Michael is back from his first term at Cambridge. Celia, the youngest de Witt, is on the brink of adulthood, and dreams of escaping her carefully mapped-out future.

But with the onslaught of war, the de Witts find themselves in danger of losing everything. As Celia struggles to make sense of the world around her, she lies about her age to join the war effort and finds herself embroiled in a complex plot that puts not only her but those she loves in peril. 

With pitch-perfect detail, cinematic scope, and heartrending empathy, Kate Williams tells the unforgettable story of the de Witts as they are shunned by a society that previously embraced them, torn apart by sorrow, and changed by the storms of war.