Goodbye, Piccadilly by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is the first in her historical fiction series set during World War I. There are a lot of characters that were introduced in this book. There are two main families, the Hunters and the Wroughtons as well as their various relatives and servants. The Upper, Middle and Lower classes are represented and I am looking forward to following the various stories as the war builds and escalates.

This book opens just before the war but by the end of the book England is facing the sadness of the many casualties, the horror of home-coming wounded soldiers, and the influx of refugees. People are starting to realize that this war is going to be a long one and everyone will be dealing with the pressures and conflicts that will be generated.

Goodbye, Piccadilly is both well researched and well written with engaging characters and plenty of interaction between the various classes. From romance to village jumble sales, the author paints a vivid picture of England “rolling up it’s sleeves” and getting ready for battle. I am looking forward to continuing on with this series. ( )

I'll be honest, I was a good quarter of the way through before I started to enjoy this book. It follows The Hunter family through 1914 as Europe slides into war, ending rather poignantly on Christmas Day in the trenches. Having read Cynthia Harrod-Eagles before I already know her strengths lie in a family saga and she is very good at writing from multiple characters perspectives and following their development over time. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series which will carry on and cover 1915. ( )