This was definitely one of Marcus Sedgwick's better novels. Eerie and gothic in its own tone, if you find historical fiction to be a genre you have trouble getting into- then pick up this book. It certainly should help break some barriers and may even get you into a new genre. has a splash of 'fantasy' in it that provides an enjoyable twist and keeps the period fiction intriguing and engaging. Inspired by the Greek myth Cassandra of Troy that takes place in World War 1 is a good way to look at it! The ending is also outstanding, a twist that most readers agree never saw coming and is left ambiguously open ended. ( )

[This is a review I wrote in 2007]

Beautifully written (as always from Marcus Sedgwick), this thought provoking novel will help to bring alive a small part of the horror and sadness of the First World War for the next generation. Brings to life the reality of war in France and the senseless loss of so many men on the fields of Flanders.

In 1915 Sasha (Alexandra) Fox is 17 years old, and lives in her family home, a large house in Brighton. Sasha has a privileged background. Her father is an eminent doctor at the local hospital and Sasha is from an era where young ladies were not expected to work, but to marry well. Sasha's future seems to be mapped out. However, war alters this perspective.

Sasha has two elder brothers; Edgar who is a few years her senior, and Tom (her closest confidant) who is a year older than herself. Edgar enlists as an officer almost as soon as the war has begun, and in 1915 he goes off to the fields of France to fight. Tom is not so sure that he wants to follow in his brother's footsteps, but he has some time to decide as he is not yet 18. Sasha wants to help with the war effort and after much persuasion eventually persuades her father to let her train as a VAD nurse and start work in the local hospital. However, a few strange events with patients in the hospital (Sasha has visions and premonitions of death) lead to her father preventing her from working there any longer.

But Sasha won't give up... And her visions get stronger and become more personal... There's just something that Sasha has to do.

My only criticism is that the paragraphs about Sasha's visions and dreams are not as clear and well-constructed as the rest of the novel. This is probably intentional, but annoys me just slightly. If you enjoy this and want to read a real life account try Vera Brittain's "Testament of Youth" and "Letters from a Lost Generation". Although "Foreshadowing" is aimed at older children, this is equally readable by adults as well! I can recommend it. ( )

I'm a fan of Sedgwick's spare style and his always interesting stories. 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI, so I was interested in dipping into this story. Like some other reviewers, I wasn't sure I really knew Sasha, the main character, and what motivated her besides her brother. It's one of those books where, in the end, what really matters is what the men do and the female characters react to and reflect them, but don't have independent needs and wants. Though Sasha wants to be a nurse, when she finally becomes quite a skilled one, that achievement is always in the shadow of the dubious pursuit of saving her brother, Tom. The other brother, Edgar, is thoroughly dislikable, and a late attempt in the book to rehabilitate him really falls flat. A love interest at the end is a real deus ex machina, able to navigate what were likely completely unnavigable areas on the eve of the Battle of the Somme. I wish the story has made a little more sense, even with the "magic realism" of her ability to see people's deaths. Even with fantasy and magic, there has to be an internal logic. Sedgwick uses it when it serves him then ignores it when it doesn't. In terms of a child's view of WWI, Michael Morpugo's [b:War Horse|792161|War Horse (War Horse, #1)|Michael Morpurgo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360677423s/792161.jpg|1575365] is quite similar -- child finds a way to join up to save a loved one and succeeds despite the atrocities around him -- and is more effective as a novel.

That said, there is some really lovely writing here. Sasha and her dispatcher, frantically trying to find Tom, end up in the middle of the Somme fighting. He crashes his motorcycle.

Some Scots were passing. They laughed at me, but I didn't care. No one could recognize me, I thought, and two of them came over and lifted the bike free with Jack's help, but we had only made our way a little farther when it ran out of petrol. I was too tired even to cry now, and we stood staring at the useless bike, lying on its side like a dead animal in the mud. With a strangely unnatural speed, the mist began to clear, the sun burning it off in a matter of minutes, and we could see it was going to be a hot day after all. We saw we were surrounded by the dead. Bodies lay here and there, uncared for, unburied, almost unnoticed. I tried not to look at them, but couldn't help staring at the huge corpses of horses that lay among the human dead.

( )

During World War I, Alexandra is working in a hospital healing injured soldiers discovers she has a dark gift. She can see the deaths of the people around her. It was something she experienced a time or two in the past, but now she is surrounded by death, and she can no longer ignore the truth.

This was a surprising one for me. I admit I really only read it because I was looking for something quick and easy to read, and this YA book with big text and short chapters fit the bill. It captured my attention quick and didn't let go until the last page. The funny thing is, I'm having a difficult time explaining why. It gives a bit of historical detail but that isn't the focus, and there is a paranormal edge with Alexandra's gift/curse but it doesn't even really delve into magical realism or paranormal-anything. There is some family drama but it's understated, to say the least. The whole book seems fuzzy in retrospect, you could say it is as ephemeral as Alexandra's visions. Nevertheless, the plot had me hooked throughout, and it was a very satisfying read. ( )

Good YA read about WWI ( )