A Different Sky

by Meira Chand

A dazzling, sweeping novel telling the history of Singapore through the moving stories of three families whose lives become intertwined Singapore—a trading post where different lives jostle and mix. It is 1927, and three young people are starting to question whether this in-between island can ever truly be their home. Mei Lan comes from a famous Chinese dynasty but yearns to free herself from its stifling traditions; 10-year-old Howard seethes at the indignities heaped on his fellow Eurasians by the colonial British; Raj, fresh off the boat from India, wants only to work hard and become a successful businessman. As the years pass, and World War II sweeps through the east, with the Japanese occupying Singapore, the three are thrown together in unexpected ways, and tested to breaking point. Richly evocative, this novel paints a scintillating panorama of 30 tumultuous years in Singapore's history through the passions and struggles of characters the reader will find it hard to forget.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Asia, Historical, Asian Literature, War, Ebooks

488 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2010

About the author

Meira Chand is of Indian-Swiss parentage and was born and educated in London at Putney High School. She studied art at St. Martin’s School of Art and later specialised in textile design at Hammersmith Art School. In 1962 she left England to settle in Japan with her Indian husband. Although she spent several years in India in the early 1970s, she afterwards returned again to live in Japan. In 1997 she moved to Singapore, where she currently lives.

The themes of Meira Chand’s novels explore the search for identity and belonging. Five of her novels, The Gossamer Fly, Last Quadrant, The Bonsai Tree, The Painted Cage and A Choice of Evils, are all set in Japan. Contemporary India is the location of House of the Sun that, in 1990, was adapted for the stage in London where it had a successful run at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Also set in India, but in Calcutta during the early days of the Raj, A Far Horizon considers the notorious story of the Black Hole of Calcutta. Her new novel, A Different Sky takes place against the backdrop of colonial pre-Independence Singapore. The book examines an era that includes the Second World War and the subsequent Japanese occupation of Singapore, and also the rise of post-war nationalism in Malaya.

Meira Chand is an associate member of the Centre for the Arts, National University of Singapore and has been Chairperson for the Commonwealth Writers Prize for the region of South East Asia and South Pacific. She is involved in several programmes in Singapore to encourage and mentor young writers and to raise awareness in the country to the pleasures of reading. She was most recently writer in residence at Mansfield College, Oxford and also at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia.

Reviews

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took some time to get through thanks to the small print and density of the prose, but it was effort well spent. The story often lacks momentum, but the payoff for a little patience is a wealth of fascinating detail about Singapore from 1927 through 1956.

Chand explores the mix of ethnicities in Singapore and the racial hierarchy resulting from British colonial rule. She weaves together the lives of several major and minor characters representing all levels of that hierarchy, including Indian, Malay, Chinese, Japanese, Eurasian, and British.

The story begins and ends with citizens agitating for freedom from British rule. In between is World War II and the atrocities of Japanese occupation. That brutality is faithfully represented, along with the ruin Singaporeans faced when the war ended.

The author lives in Singapore and sought assistance from native sources, so her narrative has that ring of authenticity and gobs of local flavor.

If you cannot abide flaws in the mechanics of writing, this novel may try your patience. Chand dangles more modifiers than anyone I've ever read, leading to some puzzling and amusing constructions. I have to paraphrase, as I no longer have the book, but one example that made me laugh said something like "He had received a request to meet with BK in a ball of sticky rice." Hmmm...interesting choice of meeting place...

Chand is also prone to excessive use of past perfect tense, especially in the first half of the book. I confess, this did begin to get on my nerves. Just plain past tense is so much easier to read.

I was happy to overlook the writing flaws for the sake of my strong interest in the topic. I mention the errors only because some people cannot bear them.

[Annika Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories that tell of post-colonial times - I just generally love period pieces.
A different sky was great for me because Chand's illustration of 1940s Singapore in the tumultaneous times of Japanese Colonialization as a restless society rising out of the ashes in its new national spirit was truly ingenious.

Chand's portrayal of the fateful union between an affluent Chinese society girl, Mei Lan, and a simple Eurasian boy, Howard, is almost a microcosm of society at the time. Singapore before the horrific Japanese Colonialization was a society divided; Affluent Chinese traders and Merchants formed the upper class, living in lavish homes and possessing the finest of jades and jewelry. They were also influential backers in the political scenes, with extensive connections back in mainland China as well. On the other hand, Howard is a third-generation Eurasian - his mother was a Eurasian (I believe she was Portuguese-Ceylonese) married to another Eurasian.

Singapore is described to be a racial melting pot - Indians, Tamils, Chinese, Malays and Caucasians all live to be as one (well, most of the time). A Different Sky however shows the other side of the story back then; the discrimination against dark-skinned Eurasians and Singaporean Japanese ("the good guys") during the period of Japanese Occupation to how social classes were so significantly divided by race. Indians were considered uncultured merchants and Eurasians were sidelined as second class citizens.

His sister Cynthia's love story with Wilfred, a well-built and intelligent British newbie Correspondent for the Straits Times (I squealed when I read this part - we get it delivered to our house every day and seeing it in a book was pretty amazing) was also a great subplot. At the time to marry a "dusky skinned" woman was synonymous to the end of an Englishman's career - but their fight against social customs and prejudice in a time of war where Cynthia served as a nurse and Wilfred a POW was heartrending to say the least.

The great thing about this novel is that it is set in Singapore - but Singapore is a rather new country, only 50 odd years has passed since its Independance from the Japanese. That means that most of the landmarks and building referred to in this novel, set in the 1940s, still remains today. The Cathedral of Lady Lourdes to the Idyllic Belvedere House, a guesthouse Howard's mother Rose runs located near the Methodist School (where i live!); they are all locations that I'm familiar with. I don't think I've been able to place a novel in context as well as I have with "A Different Sky".

A Different Sky tells of a brand new world; Singapore embroiled by the desire for change. The rise of Feminism, Guerilla attacks against the tyranny of Colonialism and new Political voices for Independance (namely the current Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew) are to speak of the least. This is a story of Singapore in gestation - I hugely recommend it.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because it gave a history of Singapore pre, during and post WW2 so I learnt that it was a fractious place of riots, resentment of Colonial rule and communist uprising. It was interesting to me because my grandparents and great grandparents would have been there during this time, my grandmother was evacuated from Singapore before the Japanese attacked and two of my great uncles were prisoners of war. So in that respect it was interesting but I’m afraid to say I found the story slow moving and hard going. The relationships between all the characters kept it going for me but the horrors they had to endure were awful and felt unrelenting. It was an endurance to get through the book. Not to say all stories have to be happy happy joy but the emphasis on politics, violence and tragedy made it a bit of a chore to finish.

[Pam Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written, haunting yet hopeful, romantic but tragic story of a Singapore that existed not so long ago but is so very different from the Singapore of today.

Modern-day Singapore is a pristine, organized, law-abiding society; the people I met while I resided on the island did not question, did not riot, accepted the status quo. It was much more rigid than what I was used to and I often found myself frustrated with the lack of entrepreneurial, think outside the box, creative thinking and decision making that I felt the country would need to move forward. I often reminded myself, though, that it was a fairly new country and was as successful today as it was because of the straight and narrow path it was forging.

Ms. Chand, though, has introduced me to the Singapore of 50, 60, 70 years ago and has not only confirmed my thoughts of the necessity of the straight and narrow but has amazed me even more with how far this little island nation has come. The Singapore of this novel is so far removed from the Singapore I know and love so as to not even be recognizable. Brothels, gangs, opium dens, violence, riots, rats, unsanitary conditions were rampant in that Singapore. The devastating effects of the war were visible on everyone's face.

Her writing was descriptive and evocative; the story was moving and fascinating. I really enjoyed it and feel that it helped me appreciate the success of modern-day Singapore even more as it's given me a greater depth of understanding of its history.

[Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5/5

This book was nearly 500 pages of thinly disguised copy paste from sundry primary and secondary sources. If I had read the nonfiction works that Chand had drawn her research from rather than this, I likely would have been less bored, or at the very least less frustrated by nonsensical main characters and cartoonish plot dynamics. Cause look, I'm all for learning fact in my fictions, especially when it comes to countries that I still haven't engaged with much even in the literary sense, but if you're going to completely forgo sensible rhythms of character development/timeline progression/escalation and deescalation in an effort to cram in as much whining about communists while leaving Britain and co. in a rosy vacuum, don't be surprised when I have to start laughing to keep from being burnt out. Every so often there were some instances were some decent writing shown through the telling after telling after telling, and that's where the one-and-a-half stars come from. I just wish that one of the longest residents of my TBR by a woman of color hadn't ended so stultifyingly.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comparable in epic events and engagement in the characters lives to, ‘The Wild Swans’. This is a most illuminating historical novel of Singapore, I highly recommend it. Meira Chand has created such a convincing cast of characters with their complex lineage and the incredible amount of social and historical change they live through. Based in well researched work of the surges in British imperialism, the Japanese invasion, social disarray, poverty, starvation, the disposability of human lives, social unrest and the striving of an array of political groups vying for more power, so many forces at work in people’s lives. Women and students becoming more politically aware, breaking with repressive traditions to take on new oppressors, but vying for more equity, justice and power over their lives. The novel is dense but with application to enter into it initially one could be found reading at 3.30am into the morning. It raised so many fears and anxieties for me looking towards very similar situations the world over at this very moment. It’s not about then anymore than it is about now, just a different geography.

[Carole Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

With nearly 500 pages, this is an epic story with the main character being Singapore itself. It starts in 1927 with the first communist insurrection and finishes in 1956, covering WWII and the aftermath. The main people the tale centres on are Mei Lan, a young Chinese girl from an old and respected family; Howard and Cynthia, Eurasian siblings; Raj, an Indian immigrant whose aim in life is to make money - and their families and partners who all add to the vast panorama of Singapore society during those times. The war years are particularly harrowing - but this is a book of amazing scope - and although I have become very profligate with my five stars, this definitely is a novel that deserves them.

[Julie Loth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good historical fiction about the beginnings of Singapore as a nation. Much easier to read than The Art of Charlie Hock Chye as there was more character development behind the true historical events. Maybe I just understand more about Singapore history now.

[Sharlene]

“The races don’t mix here, you see. Chinese keep to themselves in Chinatown, as do the Malays in Geylang, the Indians in Serangoon Road, the Eurasians in their Eurasian pockets and we of course, being the ruling race, can’t afford to hobnob with any of them. Live apart, work apart, socialize apart. That old adage, familiarity breeds contempt, is more true than we know.”

Oh Singapore, land of my birth and residence for most of my 30-odd years of life. So I suppose I should know you well. But really, my Singapore is one from the 1980s onward, and having lived here in the US for a few years now, perhaps I don’t know Singapore as it is today anymore. It is after all a country that changes so much in such a short span of time. Buildings get pulled down and replaced, roads appear out of nowhere. Shops and restaurants pop up and fade away so quickly. I’m likely to get lost the next time I visit.

But one thing I do know, vaguely that is, is Singapore’s short history, as we were made to learn it in secondary school, although in a dull, bored-out-of-the-eyeballs kind of way. So it was with a little trepidation that I picked up A Different Sky from the library, for Indian-Swiss writer Meira Chand takes us through 1927 Singapore and the unrest stirred up by the communists, through to the horrors of WWII and the subsequent Japanese Occupation of Singapore, then to liberation and the promise of independence.

We first meet our three main characters on a trolley in Kreta Ayer, which has been stopped by communist demonstrating during the second anniversary of Sun Yat-Sen’s death. Young Howard is with his anxious mum Rose, little Mei Lan is on an outing with her amah Ah Siew, and Raj is heading back to the cloth shop in Serangoon Road where he works.

Their lives are so different, and Chand makes full use of her disparate characters to illustrate the broadness of Singapore society. Mei Lan, born into an elite Chinese family whose fortunes have now fallen. Howard, a Eurasian, furious at the way his people are treated by the colonial British. Indian-born Raj, an enterprising youth interested in working hard and making his fortune. Their lives intertwine in these tumultuous years of change, although early on, the different races tend to keep to their own kind.

Here I have to interrupt and add that Singapore was founded by the British in 1819 and became a major trade city, attracting many settlers from Malaya and the rest of Asia, especially China and India. During World War II, Singapore was occupied by the Japanese from 1942 to 1945. After the war, Singapore reverted to British control, with increasing levels of self-government being granted. It eventually became an independent republic in 1965.

“Howard found he had returned to a place of shifting landscapes, regroupigs, realignments and new beginnings. Singapore was now a place of strikes, mass meetings and general unrest, stirred up by communist activists and socialist-minded nationalists. Assassinations were commonplace, as was the sight of rioting school children proficient in mayhem as much as in study.”

While a work of fiction, Chand draws on important historical figures of Singapore such as its first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Japanese diplomat Mamoru Shinozaki (credited as the ‘Japanese Schindler’ for saving many Chinese and Eurasians during the Japanese occupation of Singapore), Singapore’s first Chief Minister David Marshall etc. Chand succeeds in bringing to life these crucial events in Singapore’s history. Perhaps if I had read this book in secondary school, I might have appreciated Singapore’s history more. Chand weaves in plenty of well-researched details about life in Singapore during those various times, perhaps the most interesting of which were the ethnic divides – Europeans vs everyone else:

“You can’t trust the Asiatics; most of the Malays are illiterate and, except for a minority of Straits Chinese who have been educated in English-medium schools, none of that lot can speak our language, and neither do the Indians, by and large. We depend upon the Eurasians to manage everything for us. They’re a dependable lot.”

The Eurasians, in particular, have a tenuous place in Singapore society, a “people of shadows”. Rose’s family, for instance, is described as such:

“Her ancestors carried the names of disparate European cultures: Pereira, Martens, Rodrigues, de Souza, O’Patrick, Thomas, McIntyre, van der Ven. Washed upon the shores of Malaya these men married local women, and their children then intermarried again and again until a hybrid people was formed.”

Yet for all it’s lush sweaty historical details, it is hard to really sink into this book. Perhaps its (too) many characters, and the way they are put together to showcase different aspects of Singapore’s history and its diversity, put me off a little. It felt a bit too heavy-handed. Still it makes a great introduction to Singapore, its history and its people.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

i visited Singapore last year, and was eager to learn more about its unusual multicultural history. i would give this book 3 1/2 stars. it provides a good overview of fairly recent history -- mid 20th century -- and includes the contributions of the Chinese, Malay, Indian, and British to the current society. Clearly the author had to include a lot of politics, to be true to actual history, but it was the personal lives of the characters that interested me more. By including main characters of all the ethnic groups, Chand is able to make the reader see and sympathize with the varying viewpoints.

The depictions of general living conditions, inequities in daily life, and the juxtaposition of the well-off British ruling class with the vast multi-ethnic population really claimed my attention. Descriptions of Chinatown, where I wandered for several hours; a reference to Holland Village and to the Cold Storage store chain, which i encountered in my search for batik fabrics; and explanation of the Peranaken culture, whose museum i visited, were especially meaningful to me.

The end of the book was still very far from the modern Singapore I visited. How did Singapore become a mecca for exorbitantly wealthy shoppers of many nations? When did the spectacular architecture spring up? I remain curious about the next stage of the country's history.

[Prionka Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meira Chand takes the readers through a journey of Singapore, through the lives of three characters, Raj, Mei Lan and Howard. The year is 1927 and the story moves from one riot filled scene to another, tracing the history of Singapore's turbulent past.
Chand's descriptions are stark and gory. The streets and scenes of Singapore, described in the book bear no resemblance to the law-abiding and peaceful city of today. Being a resident of Singapore, the story meant more to me than just the story of few fictitious characters. Chand managed to weave the story in such a way that the past continued to lurk through the streets that I walk. This book is a 'must read' for those who want to understand the Singapore of today!

[Tyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this a 3.5 rating but since I want others to read it as well, I rounded up.

I knew nothing about the history of Singapore and I still don't know that much after reading the book. It starts in the late 1920's and covers about 20 years, but it focuses mainly on WWII and the years immediately following it. Very few of the characters are historical figures, she is writing a fiction book that uses historical events as a backdrop. That said, there is enough history/real events to keep you happy.

The book focuses on three separate families: a Chinese family, an Indian family and an Eurasian family so you get to know the different issues that all 3 groups faced. The families interact with each other as well so the book is completely intergrated (in ways that make sense)

[Alesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a saga of Eurasians in Singapore, mostly around WWII, and the discrimination they've faced from various groups here. Although it's not brilliant literature, the author did tremendous research, and I learned a lot. It added great depth to my understanding of Singapore, and the way that racial prejudices are (or perhaps were) very complicated.

I started out thinking this was just going to be sort of a ho-hum historical novel. But it was much better than that. The characters were interesting. And it ended in a way I couldn't have predicted exactly, which was nice.

[Zara Rahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

One to read if you're in an emotionally stable place; this is brutal, and heartbreaking. Left me thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it, but knowing that reading it would make me sad. I'm glad I did, but it's a tough read in terms of topic matter. Beautifully written, and all too easy to establish an emotional connection with the main characters (which makes the events in the book even harder to read!)

[Anne Fenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm very glad I read this book, it's piqued my interest in Singapore. It's historical fiction, based on the period 1927-1967. While the relationship between Mei Lan and Howard drives the plot, it covers many different experiences, according to race, nationality, age, location, gender and class. Singapore during WW2 was gruelling reading. The most interesting aspect was its focus on the growing independence movement . A great book for presenting many different voices in history.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was absorbing until about three quarters of the way then it became tedious and characters lost their credibility.

[Eruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

i visited Singapore last year, and was eager to learn more about its unusual multicultural history. i would give this book 3 1/2 stars. it provides a good overview of fairly recent history -- mid 20th century -- and includes the contributions of the Chinese, Malay, Indian, and British to the current society. Clearly the author had to include a lot of politics, to be true to actual history, but it was the personal lives of the characters that interested me more. By including main characters of all the ethnic groups, Chand is able to make the reader see and sympathize with the varying viewpoints.

The depictions of general living conditions, inequities in daily life, and the juxtaposition of the well-off British ruling class with the vast multi-ethnic population really claimed my attention. Descriptions of Chinatown, where I wandered for several hours; a reference to Holland Village and to the Cold Storage store chain, which i encountered in my search for batik fabrics; and explanation of the Peranaken culture, whose museum i visited, were especially meaningful to me.

The end of the book was still very far from the modern Singapore I visited. How did Singapore become a mecca for exorbitantly wealthy shoppers of many nations? When did the spectacular architecture spring up? I remain curious about the next stage of the country's history.

[Lee Lee]

I really wanted to like this book, I love Singapore and I love history - so I was all set for a delicious read. This book promised so much: History of a rich multi-cultural society, History of WW2 set against colonial Singapore, romance, bigotry, political history and a wonderful explanation of how the various cultures in Singapore have grown up together. But then, it just didn't deliver. It was slow, laboriously long and cumbersome and every chapter was over-written. Every pinnacle of excitement that readers knew and greatly anticipated - was buried! The height of anticipation is always swallowed up in a wordy dialogue - or in a thinly veiled alternate narrative - then suddenly POP! There is it is! So annoying! I have not read her other work - so if this is her 'style' I won't be readin gmore. Add to that some sloppy editing - (shocking errors / typos there Harville Secker - you should be ashamed).

[Richard Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In fact, I finished this book some time ago (been busy since then). And I found it a very readable novel, a wide historical spread which helps, at least me, to understand more about the development of Singapore since independence. I was staying in the city-state while reading it, which always adds a lot to the interest.
I enjoyed Chand's ability to present multiple perspectives, i.e. political and racial. My only slight surprise was right at the end when she presents the protagonist's view of the competing independence leaders. Whilst appreciating that Marshall, whom the protagonist largely supports, was indeed a flawed character, it seemed (at least to me) that the author's previously critical stance towards Lee Kwan Yew suddenly became a lot less nuanced - just accepting that he was the only man for the job.
Nonetheless, a book I very much recommend.

[John B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Granted, the writing is not always as polished as one might like, but I truly appreciated it as a work of historical fiction. The author clearly did her research. Her narrative about the immediate post-WWII context in Singapore possibly reflects a positive bias in favour of Lee Kuan Yew and some readers may feel that the Communists are cast in overly critical ways. But the author does not shy away from the giving us a realistic portrait of the social hardships experienced by the Chinese working class before Singapore became what it is today. I also found the portrait of British colonialism and the attitudes of different generations of Eurasian Singaporeans (a mother and her son) to be very convincing. So, thank you, Meira Chand, for bringing Singapore’s fascinating history alive for me here in Ottawa, Canada.

[Sivasothi N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant read, featuring significant episodes of Singapore’s history from colonial times through Japanese Occupation in WW2 to pre-Independent Singapore (1927 - 1957). There are many tumultuous events which predated the birth of modern Singapore, and this novel touches on most of them..

The deprivations due to race, gender and socio-economic class are captured, some more than others obviously. Having read several non-fiction books of each episode, I’d say this would be an excellent primer for a newbie to then pick up non-fiction.

The author affirms the role of historical fiction read against a backdrop of scholarly work to provide some sense of what it was like to live in that time. The many tough bits help contextualise the difficulties folks faced then.

This was an enjoyable read as an ebook on Libby from NLB, and mostly read on my phone.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could see what this book was trying to do but it really fell flat for me. I hated pretty much all the main characters and found their personal struggles/"love story" to be very cliche. I think the book was too broad in scope yet was often repetitive as if it had been originally published as a serialized set of vignettes so the reader had to be constantly reminded what had happened in the last issue. I don't often read historical fiction and I have read hardly anything about Singapore (and making an effort to change that while I'm still living here) but dang that was a lot of riots. I would have liked this better if it had just focused on the Japanese occupation and immediate aftermath instead of shoehorning in Singapore's great savior/founding father LKY.

[Ruth Hupart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book a few weeks before my first trip to Singapore, and it truly enhanced my experience. The Singapore of 2019 is forward-looking and advanced; a first-time visitor would be hard-pressed to find signs of the city that existed during the period of this book.

And it was more than just a helpful bit of prep reading for my trip. The plot was engrossing and the characters well-developed. I would recommend this for lovers of historical fiction whether or not they are planning to visit Singapore.

[JDH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting overview of the Japanese occupation during World War II - the lead up, the occupation, and the aftermath. There were so many characters it was hard to keep them straight or really develop their stories, other than Mai Lan. So, it could have been more focused, but it was also interesting to see the different perspectives from the different ethnic communities represented. Slow to start, and slow to end but in the middle it was hard to put down.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally picked up this book because I like historical fiction and thought I'd learn some more about Singapore. Turns out, I knew ABSOLUTELY nothing about the atrocities that happened in Singapore before, during WWII and beyond. This was truly an eye-opener, and told through several different characters from different walks of life. It really helped the whole story come together. Really recommended for someone who is ready to be humbled by history, and learn while enjoying a novel.

[anna b · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this is THE Singapore story! Accurate descriptions of places and events, great characters and their personal journeys. What a fantastic read! The best historical fiction about Singapore I've ever read. Now I wished Chand would write something about post-Independence Singapore. If you think non-fiction or biographies are not your things, then read this book to learn more about colonial and post-war Singapore.

[Kim Tong Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a historical fiction based on Singapore history from 1927 to 1956. Meira Chand wrote well and captured the moods of this tumultuous era of Bristish colonialism, the terrible Japanese Occupation and the communism/socialism unrest faced by the people of Singapore. I feel for the characters of the book and were realistic.

[Gemma Ong · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A New Sky” was my introduction to the historical fiction genre, and has remained one of my favourite books till this day. I loved the plot as well as the historically accurate setting of colonial Singapore. Although the book’s content was lengthy and took slightly longer than usual to read, I would highly recommend it to any interested in historical fiction!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but due to the topic it is a very heavy read. I took my time reading it and researching on the side any of the history I did not know about. It is a great way to begin to develop an understanding of the greater effects and the impact of war on people.

[Smita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off well enough but with the onset of the war, quickly sank into too much information syndrome and lost the crispness of the main plot. The characters lost focus as the writer's attention shifted to detailing the events of the war and I quickly lost interest.