Photography and war are the central themes of this small book, only 212 pages. Master Georgie of the title is introduced as a teenage son, then becomes the head of the family and, later, a surgeon in the midst of war. Photography was his hobby and each chapter is named after a photograph that gives it inspiration. The photographs are taken by different people - the first by Georgie himself and the last by a friend of his, Pompey Jones.
The time period for the story is from 1846 to 1854 during which the life of the Hardy family in Liverpool is played out up to the Battle of Inkerman in the Crimean War. Each chapter is told from a different narrative perspective - the first from that of Myrtle, an poor orphan taken in by the Hardy family, and the last from Pompey Jones who had similar lowly origins.
The horrors of war are described in an almost matter-of-fact way during which men and horses are despatched with increasing regularity. Various attitudes to women and their place in society are displayed - most of the men in the book allow the women to occupy only a small part of their consciousness apart from Dr Potter, the family doctor, who is always thinking about his wife Beatrice. The actual role that Myrtle plays in the family is hinted at later in the book. Not all of the characters survive the war and those who survive physically are scarred in other ways.
An engrossing read with plenty of historical detail.
