About the Book
Tommy's War is a story of speculative fiction. Or is it historical fiction? It's certainly a careful blend of detailed history and personal story. Real-life characters ranging from Charlie Chaplin to Josef Stalin feature in authentic situations. Or is this a love story crossing the rigid social barriers of the early 20th Century? Is it ultimately the story of a family, told over more than two centuries? Is it a story of adventure?
It is all of those things, told from the perspective of Tommy Green, a disaffected shopkeeper-craftsman living in Greenford, Middlesex. This is now a busy suburb of London but at that at that time it was still a semi-rural village. At the beginning of July, 1914, Tommy receives a mysterious visitor, who tells him that he, and only he, can alter history, bring sanity to the World for the future, and save millions of lives, including those of his as yet unborn son and his best friend. To do this he has to go to Paris to carry out a difficult and dangerous mission.
But Tommy has just learned that his life in the village, both romantically and in business, is set to improve in dramatic ways. If he goes to Paris his hopes for a new life in the village may be dashed. He is placed in an impossible conflict as his life is pulled in different directions. How can he even begin to resolve his dilemma?
Table of Contents:
One chapter for each day in the month of July, 1914
About the Author :
The latest publication from Tom East is the ELDRITCH novel, THE KA OF STEPHEN CHARLES. This is now available. Thirteen books are currently available in paperback from TOM EAST or as eBooks. Apart from the latest, these include the controversial novel THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO St JUDAS and the unsparing non-fiction of LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE, about recovery from two brain haemorrhages, Earlier Tom was the writer of many works of fiction, commercial features, essays, reviews, 'other prose' and poetry. He was also the author of six (print) books. He was born in London, although of Welsh family and has lived in Wales for many years. Still available as paperback and ebook are THE EVE OF ST ELIGIUS, THE GREENLAND PARTY, TOMMY'S WAR: July 1914, SCENES FROM SEASONS, THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT VERSE BRIGADE, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST JUDAS, LYRICS, POLEMICS AND POETICS, WISH MAN'S WOOD, A FIFTIES' CHILDHOOD, LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE, WHY WRITE HAIKU? and THE LOWELL LETTERS
Review :
Tom East's recent books, THE EVE OF ST ELIGIUS and THE GREENLAND PARTY, were always more than entertainment. However, in comparison with his latest offering they are lightweight reading, requiring not too much in the way of intellectual engagement. I found them ideal for commuting, lounging and relaxing. Reading TOMMY'S WAR: JULY 1914, I found myself emotionally engaging with the characters, liking, disliking, sympathising and being frustrated by them. The storyline is gripping throughout and the explanations of the mysterious visitations were convincing, as well as moving the narrative along. ;I felt particular sympathy and frustration for and with Tommy Green, the protagonist. He is portrayed as a suppressed talent, brought back to what was then the village of Greenford in Middlesex by a sense of obligation to take over the struggling family business. His heart was never in the task. The month of July 1914 finds him finally beginning to turn his business fortunes around while being mesmerised by an alluring but seemingly unobtainable and unpredictable local girl from a higher social class. This girl, who glories in the unusual name of Mazod Betham, feels at liberty to pass quick judgement at a critical point on Tommy's seemingly inexplicable actions. My personal reaction was that he would have been wiser to give that one a wide berth. Still, there are suggestions that she may come good in the `after story'. ;As with East's other recent books, the descriptive work was thorough but unobtrusive. This one captures the dreariness and pettiness of pre-war village life so well that I could feel myself becoming annoyed by the suffocating etiquettes of the period. The character constructions are a credit to his writing and bring to life the parochial folk of pre-WW1 Greenford. If this was village life across Britain then it can surely be no surprise that men flocked to the recruiting stations on the declaration of war, drawn by expectations of excitement and adventure. Anything to escape the frustrations of rural life! ;This is a story with an entirely unexpected ending. It leaves the reader wanting to hear more of Tommy's war - and, perhaps, his peace. Great value. JW on Amazon. ;I'd heard this novel was based on history and had a strong family history strain. Both things are true and there is indeed much for the family historian: 10 generations of the Green family are named; we learn that Green is probably an adopted name anyway; a crucial part of the story is the fate of the protagonist's descendants, and so on. ;There is far more to this book. The author has an intuitive mind and understands people; this shows particularly in the dialogue and actions (even at the level of characters' gestures) throughout. ;`Tommy Green' is diverted by the beautiful, though `unobtainable' girl of a higher social class, Mazod Betham.;This is shown at the very beginning with the opening words: `She smiled at me. Yesterday, she smiled at me!' But events we now think of as milestones in history intervene. These flow naturally with the storyline and aren't a disguised history lesson. Whether this is through a chance meeting, or via the interactions of old friends, the characters are believable and not stereotypical. ;There is a wholly unexpected conclusion. The people, narrative and dialogue make for fascinating reading. The author writes tightly; there are no surplus lines. He is a master at drawing the reader into a world where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, right up to the ending where the central dilemma is addressed in a way that will surprise most. ;Published by Benybont Books in paperback, RRP GBP9.99, and ebook, GBP2.99.
