An author with a shrewd eye.

It's difficult to rate this book because I loved the author's style but couldn't really go with the adventure side of the novel. Somehow, what Poppy achieved just didn't seem possible.

Poppy Day's husband, Mart, has signed up for the army, he wants to prove to his wife that he's able to provide for her, to be a real man. But when he's posted to Afghanistan, she's devastated. They've been together since junior school and she can't imagine how she will survive without him.
The author is, herself, the wife of a serviceman and writes with feeling about the trauma of being the one left behind; the fear of the knock on the door. She also writes beautifully about the relationship between Poppy and her aging grandmother, Dorothea,who is gradually becoming more vacant.

Five stars for the characterisations and wry observations, two for the adventure that Poppy embarks on. Amanda Prowse is a brilliant writer who I shall follow with enthusiasm. I already have her second novel lined up to read on my Kindle, hopefully, this time she has concentrated on the area in which she excells. ( )