Aphrodite, goddess of love, and Ares, god of war, are on trial before her husband, Hephaestus, for being lovers. But Aphrodite accuses him of not knowing the meaning of love between gods, and illustrates with two stories of true love between mortals. Both stories involve soldiers of the Great war, WWI, and the heroic women with whom they fall in love. Julie Berry has weaved fact and fiction in this wonderful novel about love triumphing over all evils, especially war. I love reading historical novels for the lessons they impart about events we may know little about, and this one is stellar. Be prepared with a box of tissues, however — it’s a first class tear jerker.
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