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    Wake: A Novel
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    Wake: A Novel
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    Wake: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    Wake: A Novel

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Anna Hope's brilliant debut unfolds over the course of five days, as three women must deal with the aftershocks of World War I and its impact on the men in their lives.

    Wake: 1) Emerge or cause to emerge from sleep. 2) Ritual for the dead. 3) Consequence or aftermath.

    London, 1920. The city prepares to observe the two-year anniversary of Armistice Day with the burial of the unknown soldier. Many are still haunted by the war: Hettie, a dance instructress, lives at home with her mother and her brother, who is mute after his return from combat. One night Hettie meets a wealthy, educated man and finds herself smitten with him. But there is something distracted about him, something she cannot reach. . . . Evelyn works at the Pensions Exchange, through which thousands of men have claimed benefits from wounds or debilitating distress. Embittered by her own loss, she looks for solace in her adored brother, who has not been the same since he returned from the front. . . . Ada is beset by visions of her son on every street, convinced he is still alive. Helpless, her loving husband has withdrawn from her. Then one day a young man appears at her door, seemingly with notions to peddle, like hundreds of out-of-work veterans. But when he utters the name of her son, Ada is jolted to the core.

    The lives of these three women are braided together, their stories gathering tremendous power as the ties that bind them become clear, and the body of the unknown soldier moves closer and closer to its final resting place.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 11, 2014
    ISBN9780804192590
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Wake

    4/5

    144 ratings45 reviews

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    • 4/5
      While I don't love reading about war I do enjoy a book that focuses on how people are touched by it, either those that were keeping the home fires burning, or others that were in the trenches. "Wake" was just that kind of story. Set in London, two years after the end of WWI, the novel tells the story of several individuals left ruined in its wake.
      This book had a gentleness to it, as it slowly revealed each characters pain. It's not an in-depth story of any one issue, but more of a broad overview of the terrible after math of war, and as you can see by the cover, hopeful.
    • 2/5
      Nope. No. Not at all. WAKE by Anna Hope did not work for me. The problems were plentiful and the good things.. well, good thing, it was scarce. I was so angry through this book but even that anger sputtered and died as I felt myself careening toward an end that was sure to disappoint. And, honestly, maybe that's exactly what that ending was supposed to do. I hate literary devices like the one used to end WAKE and that was the final nail in the coffin for me.Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on August 26, 2014.
    • 3/5
      Rather disappointing. I wish it wasn't written in the present tense
    • 4/5
      This debut novel weaves the stories of three grief-stricken London women (and indeed all of London; all of England) as they make their way in the aftermath of WWI -- here, over four days leading up to the second anniversary of the Armistice when the Unknown Warrior was entombed at Westminster Abbey and the Cenotaph memorial was unveiled. It's a light novel that feels more substantive afterward, in its accumulation of the countrywide, post-war weight of loss.I appreciated the definitions of the title, “Wake,” in the epigraph --1. Emerge or cause to emerge from sleep2. Ritual for the dead3. Consequence or aftermath-- each of which is explored in the novel. And I enjoy multi-threaded narratives, but the transitions between these were very frequent, and often confusing due to characters so undifferentiated that I had trouble keeping them straight. I never grew very interested in the characters, and was bumped out of the historical period by the modern-seeming actions of women and the modern-seeming uses of profanity. Yet there were also some interesting historical aspects I’m glad to have encountered, for example “field service cards” -- postcards that were pre-printed with status updates (e.g. “I am quite well”) to make it easy for a soldier to update his family.
    • 4/5
      I originally gave this book 3.5 stars, but since I finished it a few days ago, I find myself thinking about it more than I expected, so I upped the rating. This is not a groundbreaking work. It is an oft-told story (the effects of war on those left behind) told in very good, though not striking, prose. I think what Hope has done best, and what makes it resonate with me still, is introduced characters that are both distinct and familiar - the mother who's lost her only child, the grieving lover, the former soldier barely holding it together.... Hope made me care about these people and while I read their stories, I felt like I was inhabiting their world. She does a good job bringing post-WWI London to life and the inner and outer lives she gives her characters ring true. This book was an unexpected pleasure.
    • 4/5
      This novel describes the four days leading up to Armistice Day in 1920, and the journey of the corpse of the Unknown Soldier from France to London.Three women and their losses and their grief because of World War i are portrayed in a somewhat disjointed way, but their stories are somewhat connected. The focal point is the celebration of the Unknown Soldier in London, with loose plot resolutions. Certainly a strong indictment of war.
    • 5/5
      Wake is the story of three women set over five days in 1920. There seems to be no link between Hettie, Evelyn and Ada apart from what they have suffered as a result of the First World War, but they are connected and this becomes clear as the story progresses. However, the real link is that they are all awaiting the arrival in London of the body of The Unknown Warrior from France, which ultimately gives everybody who lost a loved one a focus, particularly those who never had a body to mourn.I had never given a thought to the Unknown Warrior really, and how he came to be buried in Westminster Abbey so the parts of the story relating to that were really interesting to me. And I found each woman's story to be very moving. Ada in particular, and her struggle to come to terms with the loss of her son, was a character written with a lot of emotion. Anna Hope has written a brilliant debut novel. It's obviously very timely with this year being the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WW1 and it's also a look at how difficult the nation found it to get back to normal afterwards. Descriptions of injured former soldiers selling pegs and dusters door to door because there's nothing else for them to do and shell-shock being two examples of the challenges faced.I loved every minute reading this book and highly recommend it.
    • 4/5
      A nicely done story about how the residual effects of WW1 haunt, in one way or another, the lives of three women two years after the armistice. One has lost a son in the war and the others lives are changed by the veterans that they meet. The book is in reality a mystery about what really happened at the front several years before. I really think that first time novelist Anna Hope has done a wonderful job bringing her characters to life. The only drawback that I found was that some of her flashbacks were confusing. All in all this is a very strong debut.
    • 5/5
      Wake review:I was initially interested in reading this book (and requested it from LibraryThing Early Reviewers) because of its WWI setting. With 2014 being the centenary of the start of the "Great War", I'm fascinated by that cataclysm which seemed to spark all the other cataclysms of the 20th century. In its description of life and sentiment and outlook, "Wake" did not disappoint. The author did a great job of including quotidian details that made the book a rich account of a life that is very different from ours now!What a pleasant surprise, though, to find that it was also a powerful lesson in the need to tell one's story and the redemptive power of having been heard and acknowledged! As a social worker who makes a living by listening to peoples' stories, this need to talk and the value of simple acknowledgement was especially meaningful. As an example, the scene between Mrs Kempton and Ada, the grieving mother, is brilliant.Each of these lessons - what life was like post-WWI and the need to talk about one's experiences - is contained within a compelling narrative plot that drove me to read the book almost in one setting.Highly recommended!
    • 4/5
      A fantastic novel. Very moving inclusion of a range characters showing the aftermath of the war. The novel's ending is a little controversial. It is dramatic, highlighting the awful disparity of experiences for women, some come so close to a better life.I learned things from this book, it is eye opening about , wait for it, dancing. Hettie is a character who makes her living from it. You can only be compassionate about the plight of those involved.
    • 5/5
      I love finding new authors, and Anna Hope's debut novel is one that will keep her readers wanting more. This novel came to me highly recommended by the publisher and now I am highly recommending it to you. WAKE takes you through just five days in 1920. World War I is over and we are introduced to three women living in London, who are all dealing with the trauma the war has left behind. In the novel, each section is focused on one day ending on the fifth day, which is Armistice Day and the ceremonial burial of the unknown solider. We begin by reading about this unknown soldier being dug up from his grave in the middle of France and follow his trip back to London each day. During these five days, we also follow along with the lives of three separate women whose connection isn't immediately clear until later in the novel. Evelyn, whose boyfriend was killed in the war, works in the benefits office for wounded soldiers. Her brother whom she has long admired has become an alcoholic after his time in the war. The stories and struggles she hears daily from soldiers as well as the pain of no longer being close with her brother has left her bitter and angry. Hettie, lives with her mother and brother who is no longer able to communicate or work after his time serving in the war. Hettie works as a dance instructor and must turn over half her wages to her family which makes her angry and jealous of her fellow dancers clothing and freedom. One night Hettie meets a man and becomes quite smitten, but his secrets and his past could change everything.Ada's son Michael was killed in the war. Ada and her husband, Jack, live separate lives in the same house due to Ada's overcoming grief. Jack has moved on and Ada still insists that she sees Michael everywhere she goes. One day a salesman stops by and utters Michael's name and Ada is even more consumed with finding the truth about his death. Her overwhelming desire to find him could be the last straw for Jack and their marriage.Since the novel tells the story of the women and the unknown soldier during each day, the story can at times be a little choppy. We are told each of their stories in pieces both from the past and the present. We learn the horrors of the war and how each of them and their loved ones were affected by the devastation. It is a heavy novel with much sadness and pain. All of the women are hurting, bitter, and mostly miserable. But, you become quickly wrapped up in their lives and each time you are given a glimmer of hope, you push through another day in the story. What binds them together is the war, but their other connections will surprise you. One of my favorite lines from the story that really shares the feeling of many during this time and honestly, as well as many of us in the present:" War wins." He says. "And it keeps on winning, over and over again.". "War wins," he says bitterly, "and anyone who thinks any differently is a fool." The years after the war were a sad and desperate time for many and even though not everything in this story is neatly tied up, it definitely ends with a faith that there will be better times ahead for each of these women.
    • 3/5
      A sad story, but a good read anyway!
    • 3/5
      Wake by Anna HopeThis book is a LibraryThing Early Reviewers book. Thank you.This story, or I should perhaps say these stories, take place in the days leading up to the second anniversary of Britain's Armistice of the First World War. The war that we have come to know as the Great War. It follows three women unknown to one another, their lives, their loves, their losses and their hopes for a future in the aftermath of the war. There are also many underlying characters and story lines. The major story line of the book I found to be the finding, the preparing, and the returning of 'the unknown warrior' from the French battlefields. All of the stories in the book are built around and culminate with this event. In fact the 'warrior' becomes a character of the book in his own right.We have Hettie who works at a dance hall with her friend Di, where gentlemen are charged sixpence a dance. She lives at home with her mother and her brother John, giving them half her earnings. John suffers from shell shock. He sits like a zombie all day and at night in his sleep screams out the names of the other lads he was with in the war.Then there is Evelyn who, though her family is moneyed and she needn't, works at a job in the local pensions exchange helping returning soldiers who are in need of medical, financial or other aid fill out their paperwork. Her boyfriend/lover was killed in the war and she lives in a flat with her friend Doreen.And finally we have Ada, married to Jack, who is a homemaker and has lost her son Michael in the war. But apparently there never was a body found and Ada is not convinced that he is dead. She 'sees' him in the streets and follows only to find that it is not him or she will follow and turn a corner to find no one there. Her husband finds it very difficult to deal with this changed wife.Throughout the book we are taken to the position of the 'unknown warrior' and kept up with that storyline which begins and ends the novel.This is not a bad first novel. The author shows promise but the book at times seemed unbalanced to me and the storyline transitions could have been much smoother. However all in all it was a good read and I would guardedly recommend it to lovers of the Great War era.
    • 2/5
      Wake by Anna Hope is a novel set in the aftermath of World War I, intertwining the stories of three women who were affected by the war: Hettie, Evelyn, and Ada. All three women had men in their lives who were either killed, injured or emotionally affected by the war. As they all attempt to move on with their lives, it is obvious that though the war may be over, its effects will last for a very long time.There were moments when I thought this could be a really good novel. At times, pieces of each woman's story would draw me in and keep me reading. But overall, the novel felt disjointed and the plot was ambiguous and slow. I had a little trouble keeping Evelyn and Hettie's stories separate as their characters seemed fairly similar. As I was reading, I was really waiting to judge this book until I read the ending. I kept wondering if the story was leading anywhere, and if it did lead somewhere good at the end, then I might have liked it more. But here's the problem...the story didn't lead anywhere at all. It just stopped mid-sentence. I had an advanced reader's copy of this novel, and I am really hoping that perhaps my copy just wasn't finished yet. Because the other option is that the author actually chose to end the book this way. Perhaps she thought this was a clever literary device. But if that was the case, I didn't get it. At all. I usually enjoy an ending that is left a little open without wrapping everything up into a neat bow. But this book left everything completely unwrapped and strewn about everywhere. I was not a fan.
    • 5/5
      "War wins! And it keeps on winning, over and over again" War wins and anyone who thinks any differently is a fool." This quote from Wake shows the attitude of one of the characters in the story whose life has been irrevocably changed by WWI.The story takes place in London over a five day period that leads up to the Armistice Day celebration two years after the end of the war. The highlight of this remembrance is the procession of a coffin bearing the body of an unknown soldier. Each of the characters in the story has suffered loss in some way and is attempting to pick up the pieces since the war's end. Some are more successful than others, but none is unchanged. The author choses to write various seemingly disconnected stories and gradually intersect them as the book progresses. I really enjoyed this way of telling the story. I found myself moved by each of them and their response to the changes created by the war. Their emotions are powerfully portrayed and actually upsetting at times to read. This though, is the triumph of the book as the characters face their fears and inadequacies. This is not always an easy book to read, yet I found it almost impossible to put down. I connected with these people and cared about them. Although there is much to lament, the book shows the resilience in people as well and holds out a sense of hope at the end.Day five,the Armistice remembrance, is the culmination of the book and each of the characters brings their own circumstances and situations to this moment. A quote from the book indicates how important this event is for each of them. "Bearing witness. This is what they are doing. They are witnessing one another, all of them. This is why they are here."I highly recommend this story to anyone interested in WWI and its results in the lives of those who lived through it. It is a good character study showing how difficult experiences can have different effects on people. It will appeal to readers who appreciate an emotionally-charged read.I thank the publisher, author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title.
    • 3/5
      In London, during the aftermath of WWI, the city is preparing for Armistice Day and the burial of the unknown soldier. This book tells the story of three women, Hettie a dance instructor, Evelyn a rich woman working at the pensions office and Ada, a mother who lost her son in the war.I'm not entirely sure whether or not I liked this book. The characters were interesting, but the story seemed to go nowhere. It was just an odd book, something quickly read and quickly forgotten.
    • 4/5
      Three women who kept the London home-fires burning while their loved ones fought in World War I cope with the aftermath of the war: the loss of those who didn't return, the lingering effects of combat and military discipline on those who did, and the ways in which the women themselves have changed. Their stories entwine over the course of five days in November 1920, the run-up to the second anniversary of the Armistice and the entombment of the Unknown Warrior. The technique of meshing the stories of several seemingly unrelated characters works well here, executed thoughtfully and creatively, with occasional flashes to the Unknown Warrior's advance to his final resting-place. Believable characters and a fast-paced plot, sped along by the cuts from one story to another, contribute to the reader's enjoyment of a memorable novel. By the time I was halfway through, I couldn't put it down and stayed up very late to finish it. Readers of historical fiction and those who seek novels populated mainly by women or set in England will particularly enjoy Wake.
    • 5/5
      Reviewed for Library Thing Early ReviewersWAKE is a deeply compelling first novel by Anna Hope. Set in the second year after the end of WWI, it follows the lives of three very different women and the moment of change for each of them as they grapple with the loss visited upon them by war. In each of the three stories, it is the experience and sense of loss that the reader is swept into and the hollow void created by loss. When that atmosphere has become our reality, then and then only, are we introduced to the specifics of that loss. A son, a lover and a brother's mind. Hope develops this world with subtlety and depth where human-scale detail depicts the loss of war. Scenes viewed from a passing train or a lone figure standing lost in the doorway of a building become the constant elements of a country struggling to recover its soul after a most barbaric war. The stories of Hettie, a dance palace instructor; Evelyn, a worker at the Pensions Exchange who faces former military men everyday; and Ada, a homemaker whose only son died in the war, all intertwine with each other as the Unknown Soldier is brought back to England from a desolate field in northern France. Through their stories the reader is ushered into the inner workings of loss; the unspoken pain, the soul-crushing monotony of busy work meant to protect us from facing that pain. Hope draws us into a thorough experience of the aftermath of war, the divisions war creates between those who were there and those who weren't, between men and women, the classes and the generations. The disruption of shared experience. We witness the poignancy of married couples pretending to be asleep just to avoid talking to each other, the anger of women deserted, raped and used; the men, broken in every way and the guilt of those who survived and their families who got them back while their friends and neighbors regard them with confusion, wondering at their luck. The saddest loss of all is the loss of faith in God and the complete emptiness it engenders. In the end, no one wins. War wins. But in WAKE, hope never dies, and its faint glimmer shimmers in the soul of each character and her story. The surprises are very satisfying and skillfully rendered. This novel was a pleasure to read.
    • 4/5
      The lives of three women touched in different ways by the devastation of the Great War intersect in the days leading up to Armistice Day 1920, and the burial of the Unknown Warrior in London.This was beautifully written, touching and compelling. I would recommend this novel to friends and book groups.Lately, it seems, I've encountered the Great War in novels and movies more than in the past. As we approach the 100th anniversary of the beginning of WWI, there is a recognition of its centrality to the century. This novel brings it home in an emotionally true way.
    • 4/5
      This was a beautifully crafted book that is one of those reads that just "sneaks up" on you and makes you sit back and say wow. The book is about three women post wartime and their stories of recovering from the effects of war. It is built around the events over the course of a few days when they are bringing home the body of the unknown soldier and dedicating a monument to all of the unknown soldiers. Seemingly unrelated in the beginning, these women's stories are weaved together in an intricate and interesting manner. Without giving away the story, I will just say that as things start to come together, you cannot put this book down. I must also admit I was somewhat disappointed in the ending; however, as I have thought more about it, I think it might have been the best ending given the story.
    • 4/5
      The story takes place in England approximately two years after WWI. What made it pretty interesting was that it is told from the perspective of three women, rather than men and how they are still coping with the aftermath of war. One girl has had a brother who served, another had a lover and the third, a son.Throughout the book, their lives are intertwined. Hettie works as a dancer and keeps waiting for something important to happen to her life and sweep her away from her current life. Evelyn lost her lover in the war and has never allowed herself to enjoy life again. Ada is the grieving mom who keeps hoping her son will return from the war and his death was a mistake. In the meantime, her husband grows ever more distant from her. In the background of the story is the preparation for the Body of the Unknown soldier ceremony which the country hopes will help heal a scarred nation. This was a sad, haunting tale, but it had my interest from beginning to end. Although the men did the fighting, it was an eye opener to see how affected by war everyone is, especially those left behind. It was a bit confusing at first to keep all three characters straight, but after a bit, it was fine.Well written and powerful book.
    • 5/5
      On the back cover is Wake: 1) Emerge or cause to emerge from sleep. 2) Ritual for the dead. 3) Consequence or aftermath. All the definitions of the word are revealed in this wonderfully written book. I am fond of this First World War era and the historical fiction leading up to, during and after the war with Anne Perry, Charles Todd and the Jacqueline Winspear books. The feeling of being pulled from the beginning in the opening chapter in Northern France to the gradual understanding of events five days later as the body of the unknown soldier moves to its final resting place is felt thoughout. This is the story of the women whose lives were altered by the war. Hettie the hopeful dancer, the embittered Evelyn and the the grieving mother Ada have all been changed by that war. I won't go into more detail as other reviewers have done it better than I could. I loved this book and would recommend it highly. Do I think it is written more for women, likely yes. Is that a bad thing? No. For the criticism that for the most part the male characters were not rounded out or damaged ...I think that was the point or that was how it seemed to me.
    • 1/5
      This novel takes place in England two years after the end of The Great War. It details a few days in the lives of three women, as well as detailing the transport of a body from the war fields of France to London--a memorial of the unknown soldier.In this book, the multiple storylines disrupted the flow of the narrative. None of the characters felt fully fleshed out. I did not enjoy this book and had to force myself to finish it.
    • 5/5
      Wake is set in London, right after the end of WW I and still suffering from the aftermath. The soldiers have returned, damaged physically and mentally. But the women who stayed at home were also damaged and this is what the author looks at. She traces the lives of three women, Evelyn, who has lost her fiance, Ada, who has lost her son, and Hetty, whose brother is unable to leave the house due to post-traumatic stress. Their three stories touch each other briefly and culminate in the ceremony for the Unknown Soldier. One ex-soldier says that England has not won the war. War has won and always does. This is a very well-written and very moving story.
    • 4/5
      I love stories about the women and children left behind when their husbands and sons go off to war, particularly Britain in WWII. So I was happy to receive Wake from the Early Reviewers program, and intrigued about reading a story set in the British post-WWI timeframe.This is the story of three women, from different social classes, each of whom has been deeply affected by the loss they suffered as a result of WWI. --Ada has lost her son, Michael, and can't seem to move on.--Evelyn is dealing not only lost her boyfriend, but with the changes the war has wrought in her brother, who was a captain in the British army--Hettie's father never came home from France, her brother came home but isn't the same, and now she's a hired dancing girl at the Hammersmith Palais, who sees the impact of the war in the boys who come to dance with her each night.The story started slow for me, and as the storyline jumped from woman to woman, it was sometimes difficult to keep track of who was who. And as a previous reviewer stated, it was hard to feel a connection to any of the women - they each seemed to have a wall up. But perhaps that was done on purpose, to emphasize how these women were feeling. About halfway through, however, the story picked up speed and I was hooked. While the ending left me somewhat frustrated and wanting more, by the end of the novel, each of the women were awakening from their sorrow, and you could sense the seeds of hope and renewal in their lives.
    • 5/5
      I received this book through the Library Thing Early Reviewers. This book was so uniquely written in 5 chapters depicting 5 days in the lives of three women who had lost a loved one in WW I. There are flashbacks that are extremely well interweaved into the story without losing the story line. Although this is fiction, it is definitely about a part of history that is little known and Anna Hope does a wonderful job of letting feel what is going one in the lives of these very different ladies that are connected by their grief. The only thing that bothered me was that I didn't like the ending. Somehow, it just left me wanting to more of a closure.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading this book. Following the lives of three women after WW1 in England, the writer helps us understand the loss that people experienced during this time. I was particularly interested in the stories and the setting as my ancestors lived in London during this time.This book is well written and worth recommending to friends.
    • 3/5
      I received this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.The stories of three women in London are cleverly woven together in this historical fiction novel. The common denominator was that their lives were all changed by World War I, but they all have a story of their own. The seemingly unrelated threads eventually all come together as the story unfolds over a period of five days and the characters struggle to cope with the difficult realities of grief and the aftermaths of World War I. Hettie is a dance instructress at Palais and gives half her weekly wages to her mother and her useless brother, Fred. She has her own personal heartaches to get over.Evelyn, my favorite character, is from a wealthy family, but works in a pension office. She has a brother, Edward, to whom she was very close at one time, but now they barely speak. The war has hardly seemed to scar Edward and he has a limitless ability to dispense his charm. Ada has been married to Jack for 25 years. They have a son who is lost at war, but Ada is convinced he is alive. One day a young man appears on her doorstep selling notions and mentions her son's name, but quickly disappears. Ada also thinks she sees her son on the street. There were some interesting historical details brought to light as an unknown warrior is brought to London for burial. This part of the story is well done and really draws you in. The three stories are slow to pick up momentum and as a result the storyline fell a bit flat for me, not being as compelling as I had hoped. In many ways the story was touching and poignant, but the stories of the three women felt unnatural - a bit forced. Also, the characters failed to capture my heart and I didn't feel a satisfying conclusion to the storyline - just being lukewarm. But, on a positive note - the author cleverly evoked the flavor of this time in history. An interesting storyline, but not one I'd enthusiastically recommend. 3 stars.
    • 3/5
      This book is set in the aftermath of WW I and gives a sense of the impact of the war on the lives of the characters. The three intertwined stories are very readable.
    • 3/5
      A mediocre novel which centers around wartime and loss. It just did not read easily, although there were sections and characters who were engaging. Keep writing Anna Hope!