Of Love and Other Wars

London, 1937. The profoundly moving story of a Quaker family and a Jewish family in love and at war during WWII. At a rally in the Royal Albert Hall, two Quaker brothers, Paul and Charlie Lamb, sign a pledge of peace that only one of them will honour. Meanwhile, in a draughty Victorian mansion in Hampstead, Mr. Morningstar wonders why his wife, a crystallographer from dynasty of diamond cutters, turns into a cursing somnambulist at night, while their daughter, Miriam,...
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London, 1937. The profoundly moving story of a Quaker family and a Jewish family in love and at war during WWII.

At a rally in the Royal Albert Hall, two Quaker brothers, Paul and Charlie Lamb, sign a pledge of peace that only one of them will honour. Meanwhile, in a draughty Victorian mansion in Hampstead, Mr. Morningstar wonders why his wife, a crystallographer from dynasty of diamond cutters, turns into a cursing somnambulist at night, while their daughter, Miriam, comes home from her shifts at the munitions factory with her stockings inside out.

As the streets throng with khaki, the Lambs and the Morningstars must decide how to do good in a world transformed by evil. Should a scientist use her skills to maximise civilian casualties? Should a Quaker stand by as millions are murdered? And is it possible to love someone if you hate their convictions?

When the two families are torn apart by war, Paul is forced to choose between his conscience and the woman he loves.

Of Love and Other Warsis a profoundly moving tale of faith, longing, and decisions made in the split second of silence between bullets, whose repercussions last a lifetime. With distinctive flair and dazzling creative energy, Sophie Hardach pulls us into lives upended by betrayal, violence and passion.

'Tender and absorbing. An intriguing glimpse into the pacifist's world' Esther Freud

'Poignant without ever being sentimental, morally complex and deftly woven - this is a book that gets better and better with every chapter' Gavin Extence, author of The Universe versus Alex Woods