A very moving story based on true events. Told in two time-lines, current and 1918. A letter comes to light in Tasmania from a German father to his remaining children and the search for the family begins. Four friends go to war, fighting against the French, their colleagues calling them 'The Quartet' due to their closeness. A lot of history and mystery.
This is a beautifully written story, with sharply drawn comparisons between the horrors experienced by the soldiers and wildflowers in a field and dust motes in a cellar. The birth of a child and the death of its father. The beauty of the Tasmanian outback and the camaraderie of a group of people. The setbacks in finding someone after many years and the successes in giving someone a voice. A really good story and I look forward to reading more from this author.
CONRAD BENTLEY ENJOYS HIS RETIREMENT. By chance, he comes across a letter from WWI — a German father writes about his grief of losing a son to war — buried by his three comrades near a small French village. The letter resonates with Conrad and he commits to researching its backstory.
Months later, Conrad makes contact with the fallen soldier’s family. He falls deeper into their history and other untold stories from this era, including the fate of young Tasmanian soldiers who also fought on the Western Front.
A Soldier’s Quartet is inspired by true events, a story of perseverance and happenstance that transcends time and reaches across continents. It presents the human faces behind uniforms and battle plans, conveys love and hope set against various landscapes.
Conrad’s discovery of the letter brings the past into the present as he reflects on his own life and loss.
