In the spring of 1937, Great Britain teems with the various political energies seeking domination over one another. Esmond Lowndes, son of Sir Lionel Lowndes, indulges in a forbidden relationship at Cambridge and is expelled from the school. Both he and his best friend, Philip, are banished from England; Sir Lionel grimly sends Esmond off to Florence, Italy, where he will set up a radio broadcast system to bolster Fascist ideology. Esmond’s mother seals his humiliation by feeding a bonfire with his books, literary treasures he had cherished.

Author Alex Preston’s words flow onto the pages as near to poetry as prose can run. Written in present tense, IN LOVE AND WAR draws readers directly into the story. One drinks the seemingly endless bottles of wine, revels in appreciation of Florence’s artistic masterpieces, touches the cool glaze of priceless statues, and listens to energetic discussions in smoke-filled bistros. The Florence of the 1930s is a center for artists, poets, and writers of genres celebrating fact and fiction. But it is also a time of unrest in Italy. Mussolini has taken control of the political future of the country, and young bullies adopt terror tactics to root out those who disagree with their politics. These Black Shirts --- commanded by the brutish Mario Carita, chief of the Voluntary Militia for National Security --- delight in demonizing Fascists, Jews and Brits. 

"Alex Preston’s words flow onto the pages as near to poetry as prose can run.... IN LOVE AND WAR is Preston’s tribute to the many lives lost resisting the encroachment of evil into a beautiful culture. His descriptive mastery of language is stunning."

IN LOVE AND WAR develops in five parts. Part One introduces Esmond’s character and reveals his love of all things literary, and his determination to complete a novel, In Love and War, which fictionalizes Sir Lionel’s experiences in the Great War. Staying at the British Institute, Esmond is welcomed by Harold Goad, its director and professor, who becomes a mentor and friend. He realizes that Carita may be a threat at some point. Meanwhile, he revels in the young people he meets and with whom he shares opinions, including Fiamma, the daughter of Goad’s housekeeper.
 
In a short time, Esmond visits St. Mark’s English Church, which houses a haunting triptych of Christ’s agony that will hold a symbolism for him throughout his stay in Florence. Here, in a dusty former party room, the wireless radio station will broadcast. Already smitten with Fiamma’s fanciful personality and physical beauty, Esmond meets a second young woman, several years older than him, a Jewish girl named Ada. The exact opposite of Fiamma, Ada is cool, reserved and speaks little except with reference to the wireless. This second part expands the relationships between Esmond and the community of bohemian types he has befriended.

Part Three houses the selected correspondence both to and from Esmond, and translated by Ada. Letters from Sir Lionel, Philip, and Esmond’s sister, Anna, reflect the changing political tides in Austria, Germany and England. Anna, though sickly, has been Esmond’s soul mate in the family. Correspondence from Ada’s father reveals his deep love for his daughter and his hope that Esmond will care for her if the family is separated by reason of their being Jews. He feels that their future is menacing.

The book’s fourth part finds Esmond denouncing his fascist background and now in bed with the Resistance. The dream of having a novel published fades when his work is rejected by a British press. Esmond, though, grows into manhood with a new determination. The zest he now feels has come from finding real love, a newfound purpose. He records a personal diary of these days on the back of used wireless disks, concealing them under floorboards in the studio before leaving for a hiding place outside the city when Florence turns into a warzone for the Germans.

Finally, Part Five is a tale of youth forced to manhood by unforeseeable circumstances, and desperate actions to maintain livelihood until Allied Armies can break through German lines. Esmond morphs from lounge-about literati to a hardened warrior, fighting for a greater love than he’d ever known. 

IN LOVE AND WAR is Preston’s tribute to the many lives lost resisting the encroachment of evil into a beautiful culture. His descriptive mastery of language is stunning. Esmond’s recorded words on a wireless disk sum up his feelings: “Occasionally, at night, I hear things…. The voices of the Florentine dead?... If God is an artist, we might accept that we are preliminary sketches. Good night.”