The Dust That Falls From Dreams - Louis de Bernières ****

Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières is one of my favourite novels, so I was happy to find this at the Panama City Library, even though I knew Imight not be able to finish it before leaving. I had to do some skimming near the end, but I did finish it.

It's the story of three families - McCosh, Pendennis, and Pitt- who are neighbours in Edwardian England. The children of these three families are all Pals- close, lifelong friends. Some of the boys grow up to fight in WWI, the girls to work as nurses and volunteer aides. There are romances, heartbreak, tragedies and triumphs, all described so vividly and beautifully by the author.

Bernières is really at his best describing the hash realities of war- life in the trenches, in the planes, in the hospitals. He especially enjoys describing battles in the air, real ones and the ones in which the men let off steam in air shows. He also describes how the war is fought back home in England, and how people like Mrs. McCosh never recover from what she saw during a bombing raid.

He also describes the aftermath of war- how relationships build and break down- how men who were masters of their planes now have nothing to do.

There are some wonderful characters, too, especially Hamilton McCosh, the tradesman who is for ever trying to perfect his golf game and invent various contraptions to enable him to play better and maybe ger rich in the meantime. His Scottish burr comes through, his soft spot for down and outs, his love of his four daughters, plus his patience and charm  with his wife, who is not easy to get along with.

This is an old- fashioned novel, the kind I love to burrow down with. So glad I read this!