The First World War casts its shadow over seventeen-year-old Rosalie Wilkes' idyllic life. Unwilling to sit idle, Rosalie lies about her age and signs up as a voluntary Red Cross nurse. Stationed at a hospital in Rouen, France, she has to face the consequences of modern warfare. Meanwhile, her fiancé and her brother are risking their lives on the ground and in the air. Charles D'Aboville is forced to abandon his studies in Paris and become a junior officer. As such, he must lead men into battle and watch death reap more than its due. When Charles is wounded in an explosion, he is sent to Rouen to recover. There, a secret relationship begins to form. The war threatens to tear Charles' and Rosalie's lives to shreds. But might it instead make freedom possible? A Generation of Poppies is the story of two young people navigating through horror, longing, and doubt. It is also a story of persistent hope. Saga Hillbom is the author of four historical novels. Her other works include Today Dauphine Tomorrow Nothing (2019), City of Bronze, City of Silver (2020), and Princess of Thorns (2021).
