Lovely War

I have an established grudge against World War historical romance. I don't like when a horrific setting is included primarily to raise the stakes of a relationship. If you need to invoke images of mass violence to make your love story that much sweeter, that much more agonizing, frankly, I think your love story sucks. Romance shouldn't need held up by whitewashed war. All this is to say, I went into Lovely War with trepidation. And while it wasn't my favorite, I concede that it was better than I thought it would be. The writing is lyrical. Though it's long, I couldn't put it down. And, fine, it made me tear up more than once.There is a lot of instalove—characters go quickly from seeing each other for the first time to being sure they want to spend their lives together. Berry justifies this with Aphrodite. See [b:Exit West 30688435 Exit West Mohsin Hamid https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1477324680l/30688435.SY75.jpg 51234185] for a more realistic (and, I think, compelling) depiction of love in times of political turmoil.Unfortunately, the aspect of the story that interested me most—the mythology—added nothing. If anything, it detracted. The gods' commentary about the Power of Love™ was painfully trite. I kept waiting for more. The historical note at the end was a pleasant surprise. It even includes a bibliography. It's apparent Berry worked to understand WWI's impact on people like her characters: younger generations, women, and Black Americans. I still have my hang-ups about the genre—the title is Lovely War, for one—but I appreciate the clear efforts to be thorough and sensitive.