This book was beautifully written and the characters were really well developed. It really allows you to immerse yourself within the novel.

I was drawn to this novel by its beautiful cover. Also, while I had never read a book by this author, his name was familiar to me.

This is a novel about people who are trying to find meaning in their lives. They survived WWI when many others did not. This has left them with questions about what life should be like.

Each character in this story is well described and filled out. Readers will have empathy for Rosie, Daniel and the others as they struggle.

This novel has been called ‘sweeping’ and I think that is an apt description. Immerse yourself in this one. Note that it is the second in a trilogy although it can be read without having read the first novel. Readers may well want to read all three titles though.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group | Pantheon for allowing me to read an eARC of this. Unfortunately, I got to it very late.
The good news is that I really enjoyed it. I read it in one day, and couldn't seem to put it down. It is the second book in the series, but I didn't seem to have trouble with that. I may even pick up the first one just to see if I actually missed anything.
You follow a cast of characters, which are developed quite well. The main ones are Rosie, Daniel, and their daughter. They try to move on from the first World War, and fix their marriage, which seems impossible at this point. You also follow Rosie's sisters, who are also dealing with their own challenges.
I didn't go into this novel expecting to like it as much as I did. It's definitely dark, and heartbreaking. It has its moments though. The children in the story were so innocent, and you just want to give them a hug. The family dynamic in this is very hard to follow. It's hard to read about. There is cheating involved, and the guys often have multiple children from other women. I would think it was actually like that during that time.
This is a war novel, and it talks about Hitler more toward the middle/end, but it doesn't just focus on that. That's what I love about it. I wasn't sad the entire time. I do tend to get a little bored of a novel JUST talks about war, and fighting. I'm not saying that war is boring, so please don't take it that way. It's just not something I tend to enjoy reading about, obviously.
This was such an interesting read. It probably won't be a novel everyone would want to read, but I highly recommend giving it a shot. I will say that there is quite a bit of talk about suicide, and hating ones life. If you are triggered by that, then maybe stay away from this book. I could see myself buying this one in the future! Solid read.

Do not miss this book! Multiple voices tell a story of intermingled lives between WWI and WWII in Ceylon and England. Mr. de Bernieres writes each voice in believable prose, telling their stories and tying them all together. I wanted to keep reading and didn't want the book to end. The ending was unexpected and I LOVED it! Thank you, Mr. de Bernieres for a wonderful book.

Brilliant, I feel privileged to be able to read this advanced copy. I loved the story, the telling of the story and the characters. Thank you so much for allowing me to read an advanced copy

This novel follows the turbulent marriage of Rosie and Daniel during the time period between World Wars. The author did a great job of writing about how the war affected both of these characters and others. This was a great read and I hope there is another book in this series, as I think there is more story to tell.

Life After the Great War

WWI changed the lives and expectations of many people. This novel takes place during the long vacation between WWI and WWII. Those people who survived now have to decide how to live the remainder of their lives.

Daniel Pitt, a flying ace, didn’t expect to live through the war. Now he’s married to Rosie, a nurse during WWI, living on in Ceylon. They have a luxurious life that should make them happy, but not everything is easy. When they experience the death of a newborn, their marriage starts to unravel.

Daniel is happy in Ceylon, but Rosie insists that they move back to England where they are surrounded by family. The family consists of amusing and unusual characters: Archie, Daniel’s brother, who feels like he can never escape his demons: Rosie’s three sisters, a spinster, a bohemian, and a minister’s wife; and the parents, Daniel’s mother and Rosie’s eccentric parents.

The book tells the story of the period between the two wars. I found the characters rather flat. They go about their business, have problems, fall in love, and betray their loved ones, but it all seems at a bit of a remove. I’m reminded of one of the themes of War and Peace. During war, the characters go beyond themselves and accomplish great things. During peace, they sink back into mediocrity. Perhaps it’s survivor’s guilt; perhaps it’s that the thrill is gone.

This book is the second book in a trilogy. The first, The Dust That Falls From Dreams, tells of the characters during the war. I assume the third book, yet to be published, will follow them into WWII. This book can be read as a standalone, but I think a more in depth understanding of what the author is trying to say can be gained by reading both books. I’m looking forward to the third book.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Loved it! I requested it for background reading for a promotion we will be running on BookBrowse. In addition to the promotion, if our member reviews continue to come in as strongly as they are now, we will also be giving it featured editorial coverage as well from time of sale.

Daniel was a legendary WWI Flying Ace, a survivor of the war now facing an immensity of endless days filled with trivialities. As a tea manufacturer in Ceylon, he has the company of Hugh who was also a pilot in the war, and a bright future in an exotic land. Daniel's wife Rosie is pregnant with their second child.

After the war, Daniel's brother Archie went to India, He is a risk taker and a drunk, in love with Rosie who married Daniel after her fiance died in the war. Rosie's sister Otillie in England is in love with Archie, but he distrusts anyone who could love him. He prefers his hopeless and unrequited love for Rosie. He writes to Otillie,"You could not have have been my salvation, because no one ever will be. I am one of the damned..reconciled to my fate here in this most godforsaken and lunatic corner of the Empire."

Daniel and Archie also lost two brothers in South Africa.

'I used to have three brothers," he said fiercely, 'and now I only have one. Two brothers lost to the Empire. Both killed in South Africa. My father is dead. Archie is the only brother I have left.'

Rosie's sister Sophie married a clergyman who writes novels; they have been unable to have children. And then there is sister Christabel, a Bloomsbury Bohemian living with Gaskell, two women artists who long for a child. Gaskell tells Daniel, "We are looking for a new way to live...There must be a better way of doing things." They later involve Daniel in their 'new way.'

The war haunts Daniel and Rosie. For the moment they are living on the tea plantation like kings in paradise, expecting a second child. But happiness is elusive, and their marriage is imperiled by tragedy. Rosie retreats into religion leaving Daniel to find love elsewhere. Daniel dearly loves his children, especially his eldest, Esther. But as the marriage falls apart the children become pawns.

Their generation fought to save civilization. Louis de Bernieres writes that returning to civilian life, some men became drunks while others turned inward, some embraced the new world while others returned to their old life repressing the war into distant memory. Each character has been scared and altered by the war.

"Mr. Wragge was content in his modest paradise. After the death marches, and the months of tunneling in the mountains with a pick, this English garden was indeed a dream of Eden...Oily Wragge was determined to salvage his sanity out of the purgatorial experience of captivity."
So Much Life Left Over was a wonderful read, with gorgeous writing and interesting, conflicted characters. Daniel and Rosie and their families were wonderfully drawn. There are moments of humor and scenes of great sorrow. Even the minor characters, like Rosie's mother Mrs. McCosh and Oily Wragge are memorable.

Daniel and Mr. Wragge go to Germany to start a motorcycle business with former POWs Daniel had captured and befriended. Daniel witnesses firsthand the rising anti-Semitism that fuels the rise of Hitler. The dynamics are eerily familiar and disturbing. Nearly 100 years later, and we seem to be repeating history.

The novel continues the story in The Dust that Falls From Dreams, which I had not read and which one does not need to have read to enjoy this book. So Much Life Left Over has an open ending, with Daniel making a momentous decision. I felt I knew what he decides, but I am sure there is going to be another volume to continue his story. In the meantime, I do want to read more by de Bernieres, who also wrote Corelli's Violin.

I received a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.