What do you think?
Rate this book
Evan's Gallipoli
The gripping story of an incredible journey behind enemy lines - told in diary form.
Fourteen-year-old Evan Warrender travels with his father to the Dardenelles, where they intend to provide succour to the Allied soldiers. When they are captured by the Turks, they are launched into an epic journey, living on their wits and the kindness of strangers as they escape and travel through Turkey, back to Greece and finally home to Australia. Along the way they meet unlikely friends and companions, some of whom have deep secrets. And when Evan's own secret is revealed, we realise just how incredible the journey has truly been.
Evan's fascinating survival story takes readers beyond the frontline and creates an all-encompassing account of this significant time in our military history. Impeccably researched, this is an eye-opening adventure story that cleverly explores both sides of the war.
Fourteen-year-old Evan Warrender travels with his father to the Dardenelles, where they intend to provide succour to the Allied soldiers. When they are captured by the Turks, they are launched into an epic journey, living on their wits and the kindness of strangers as they escape and travel through Turkey, back to Greece and finally home to Australia. Along the way they meet unlikely friends and companions, some of whom have deep secrets. And when Evan's own secret is revealed, we realise just how incredible the journey has truly been.
Evan's fascinating survival story takes readers beyond the frontline and creates an all-encompassing account of this significant time in our military history. Impeccably researched, this is an eye-opening adventure story that cleverly explores both sides of the war.
216 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
12 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Kerry Greenwood
86 books2,540 followersKerry Isabelle Greenwood was an Australian author and lawyer. She wrote many plays and books, most notably a string of historical detective novels centred on the character of Phryne Fisher, which was adapted as the popular television series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. She wrote mysteries, science-fiction, historical fiction, children's stories, and plays. Greenwood earned the Australian women's crime fiction Davitt Award in 2002 for her young adult novel The Three-Pronged Dagger.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 7, 2016
Fourteen year old Evan Warrender had travelled with his father since he was eight years old. His mother had passed away and Evan hadn’t left his father’s side since. When his father - a gentle and compassionate man of the cloth - was to travel to the Dardenelles to provide comfort and supplies to the Allied troops, he asked Evan to accompany him; Evan didn’t hesitate.
The journey across the vast ocean where Evan’s father was terribly sea sick meant Evan could explore the ship – the soldiers were friendly; there was much to see. Evan also read The Illiad which he loved. The storage of their supplies on arrival was a challenge but soon they were on the beach where horrors assaulted Evan’s every move. His daily travelling among the troops with lice powder and many other supplies was welcomed – Evan’s father was ill but with a supply of lime juice he slowly improved.
But their capture by the Turks was fraught with danger – their supplies were stolen, they had nothing but the tattered and filthy clothes on their backs. But salvation came from an unexpected quarter – suddenly Evan and his father were journeying across the country, hiding, living rough and scrounging for food. Evan cared for his father completely as he seemed to have lost his mind; he had no idea where he was, even who Evan was…
What would happen on that epic journey across war torn countries? Could they survive and return to Australia? Evan’s courage and fortitude, as well as his love for his father was what kept him going.
What a unique and fascinating book Evan’s Gallipoli has turned out to be! Narrated in Evan’s voice and told in day by day diary entries, it is a wonderful story which tells a different side of the Great War. Evan’s Gallipoli is cleverly written by Aussie author Kerry Greenwood; facts of war are included, with Evan’s meeting of Simpson and his donkey one of them. With thanks to my GR friend who recommended this book to me, I pass her recommendation forward.
The journey across the vast ocean where Evan’s father was terribly sea sick meant Evan could explore the ship – the soldiers were friendly; there was much to see. Evan also read The Illiad which he loved. The storage of their supplies on arrival was a challenge but soon they were on the beach where horrors assaulted Evan’s every move. His daily travelling among the troops with lice powder and many other supplies was welcomed – Evan’s father was ill but with a supply of lime juice he slowly improved.
But their capture by the Turks was fraught with danger – their supplies were stolen, they had nothing but the tattered and filthy clothes on their backs. But salvation came from an unexpected quarter – suddenly Evan and his father were journeying across the country, hiding, living rough and scrounging for food. Evan cared for his father completely as he seemed to have lost his mind; he had no idea where he was, even who Evan was…
What would happen on that epic journey across war torn countries? Could they survive and return to Australia? Evan’s courage and fortitude, as well as his love for his father was what kept him going.
What a unique and fascinating book Evan’s Gallipoli has turned out to be! Narrated in Evan’s voice and told in day by day diary entries, it is a wonderful story which tells a different side of the Great War. Evan’s Gallipoli is cleverly written by Aussie author Kerry Greenwood; facts of war are included, with Evan’s meeting of Simpson and his donkey one of them. With thanks to my GR friend who recommended this book to me, I pass her recommendation forward.
July 9, 2015
4.5★s
Kerry Greenwood is one of my favourite authors. I’m lucky to have met her and talked for some time about her work. At that time she was actually working full-time as a legal aid lawyer in the Melbourne court system. She would take annual leave and immerse herself in the creation of her latest novel for several weeks, then go back to the courtroom. She is seriously brainy, with a voracious appetite for all sorts of information and ideas, be they contemporary or arcane. Her social milieu is stacked with similarly minded people, including the remarkable Dennis Pryor (1925-2008), lecturer in Classics at Melbourne University, to whom this book is dedicated, and who no doubt provided the inspiration for the classical references in Evan's Gallipoli.
Greenwood is famous for her Phryne Fisher murder mystery series, all meticulously researched and thus redolent with authenticity of that 1920s era. I have no doubt that the background material for Evan’s Gallipoli received the same level of dedicated research in its preparation. The afterword includes a bibliography of her sources. The reason why I elaborate on this point is because the remarkable story told about Evan’s experience of Gallipoli and the Balkans in the midst of World War 1 has such a strong feeling of veracity.
Evan’s father, Abraham Warrender, is a wealthy businessman who travels round the Victorian countryside, selling luxury items to people living in small towns and remote homesteads. He is deeply religious, and at the outbreak of WW1 is moved ‘by God’ to go to the Gallipoli campaign to provide small comforts for the soldiers. Always the reliable assistant, Evan takes ship with his father at the tender age of 14. He is plunged into a totally alien world, of violence, brutality, blood and death at ANZAC Cove in mid-1915.
After several weeks of supplying the heroic ANZAC troops, bogged down in their trenches by Turkish defenders, Evan and his father are taken captive by the enemy. Making their escape, they embark on a trek over many miles of enemy territory, in the company of a Turkish boy, Abdul, and, at times, a wise old Jew called Isaiah. Their goal is to walk across the western border of Turkey into Thrace, and then make their way to a major port like Athens, where they will be safe and able to return to Australia.
Not many Australians know that the Gallipoli campaign did not occur in a vacuum. There had been war in the Balkans, particularly in the area of northern Greece, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire in 1912-13, and an uneasy peace was holding in 1915 when this tale takes place. Winston Churchill decided to embark on the Darnanelles campaign to put pressure on the Germans in the eastern Mediterranean, by waging war against the German ally, Turkey. Greenwood’s impeccable research draws on all these elements to create a context for the Warrenders’ walk which is historically accurate. As another example, not many Australians know that there were many nationalities fighting on the Allied side at Gallipoli, including the British, French and Indian Armies, plus battalions drawn from colonial outposts, such as Senegal and Somalia. With effortless ease, Greenwood weaves these snippets of information into her narrative, and it is into this Balkan chaos that our heroes walk so innocently. What an amazing story of endurance!
Suffering shell shock from his visits to the trenches, the father has become mentally incompetent, and the burden falls to Evan to shepherd his dad on the long journey. His strengths lie in his ability to focus, his dogged determination and his understanding of the consequences if they don’t get out from behind enemy lines. The father is oblivious, wrapped up in his Bible, expounding Christian dogma to all he meets in a country of Muslims - very dangerous indeed. Evan hustles for food, clothing, shelter and transport with a remarkable degree of skill, while building a strong friendship and connection with the equally resourceful Abdul. His story is told in a series of daily diary entries, which are generally short and economical in their language. There is very little direct dialogue, as this is Evan recording on paper what has been said earlier that day. Despite the lack of first-hand speech, the format works well I think.
The small party, disguised as Turks initially, then as Bulgarians, makes a long journey around the top of the Gallipoli peninsula, then across the Evros river into the province of Thrace. After taking ship for Timos, the group ends up in Athens, where both father and son become involved with the military field hospital, to which so many of the casualties from the front lines are shipped for treatment. Evan adopts a new role as interpreter and assistant to the nurses who are caring for badly damaged soldiers. So, despite travelling hundreds of miles away from the theatre of war, Gallipoli comes to them, in all its bloody spectacle, yet again.
Once more Abraham Warrender hears God’s word that he must stay and look after the evacuated casualties, and it takes all Evan’s strength of will to ensure that they don’t give away all their money and do indeed book passages home to Australia. Having performed beyond the capacity expected of any 14 year old boy, Evan just wants to go home, rest, eat good food and get back a normal life.
There are a few twists in the tale of this book, which I did not anticipate. One of them just stretched credibility a bit too far for my liking. There is one glaring chronological error towards the end. Both of these have robbed my rating of a half star. However, these minor niggles should not detract from what is a fascinating story, and a very powerful message about the ugliness and futility of War. Well done, Kerry Greenwood.
Kerry Greenwood is one of my favourite authors. I’m lucky to have met her and talked for some time about her work. At that time she was actually working full-time as a legal aid lawyer in the Melbourne court system. She would take annual leave and immerse herself in the creation of her latest novel for several weeks, then go back to the courtroom. She is seriously brainy, with a voracious appetite for all sorts of information and ideas, be they contemporary or arcane. Her social milieu is stacked with similarly minded people, including the remarkable Dennis Pryor (1925-2008), lecturer in Classics at Melbourne University, to whom this book is dedicated, and who no doubt provided the inspiration for the classical references in Evan's Gallipoli.
Greenwood is famous for her Phryne Fisher murder mystery series, all meticulously researched and thus redolent with authenticity of that 1920s era. I have no doubt that the background material for Evan’s Gallipoli received the same level of dedicated research in its preparation. The afterword includes a bibliography of her sources. The reason why I elaborate on this point is because the remarkable story told about Evan’s experience of Gallipoli and the Balkans in the midst of World War 1 has such a strong feeling of veracity.
Evan’s father, Abraham Warrender, is a wealthy businessman who travels round the Victorian countryside, selling luxury items to people living in small towns and remote homesteads. He is deeply religious, and at the outbreak of WW1 is moved ‘by God’ to go to the Gallipoli campaign to provide small comforts for the soldiers. Always the reliable assistant, Evan takes ship with his father at the tender age of 14. He is plunged into a totally alien world, of violence, brutality, blood and death at ANZAC Cove in mid-1915.
After several weeks of supplying the heroic ANZAC troops, bogged down in their trenches by Turkish defenders, Evan and his father are taken captive by the enemy. Making their escape, they embark on a trek over many miles of enemy territory, in the company of a Turkish boy, Abdul, and, at times, a wise old Jew called Isaiah. Their goal is to walk across the western border of Turkey into Thrace, and then make their way to a major port like Athens, where they will be safe and able to return to Australia.
Not many Australians know that the Gallipoli campaign did not occur in a vacuum. There had been war in the Balkans, particularly in the area of northern Greece, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire in 1912-13, and an uneasy peace was holding in 1915 when this tale takes place. Winston Churchill decided to embark on the Darnanelles campaign to put pressure on the Germans in the eastern Mediterranean, by waging war against the German ally, Turkey. Greenwood’s impeccable research draws on all these elements to create a context for the Warrenders’ walk which is historically accurate. As another example, not many Australians know that there were many nationalities fighting on the Allied side at Gallipoli, including the British, French and Indian Armies, plus battalions drawn from colonial outposts, such as Senegal and Somalia. With effortless ease, Greenwood weaves these snippets of information into her narrative, and it is into this Balkan chaos that our heroes walk so innocently. What an amazing story of endurance!
Suffering shell shock from his visits to the trenches, the father has become mentally incompetent, and the burden falls to Evan to shepherd his dad on the long journey. His strengths lie in his ability to focus, his dogged determination and his understanding of the consequences if they don’t get out from behind enemy lines. The father is oblivious, wrapped up in his Bible, expounding Christian dogma to all he meets in a country of Muslims - very dangerous indeed. Evan hustles for food, clothing, shelter and transport with a remarkable degree of skill, while building a strong friendship and connection with the equally resourceful Abdul. His story is told in a series of daily diary entries, which are generally short and economical in their language. There is very little direct dialogue, as this is Evan recording on paper what has been said earlier that day. Despite the lack of first-hand speech, the format works well I think.
The small party, disguised as Turks initially, then as Bulgarians, makes a long journey around the top of the Gallipoli peninsula, then across the Evros river into the province of Thrace. After taking ship for Timos, the group ends up in Athens, where both father and son become involved with the military field hospital, to which so many of the casualties from the front lines are shipped for treatment. Evan adopts a new role as interpreter and assistant to the nurses who are caring for badly damaged soldiers. So, despite travelling hundreds of miles away from the theatre of war, Gallipoli comes to them, in all its bloody spectacle, yet again.
Once more Abraham Warrender hears God’s word that he must stay and look after the evacuated casualties, and it takes all Evan’s strength of will to ensure that they don’t give away all their money and do indeed book passages home to Australia. Having performed beyond the capacity expected of any 14 year old boy, Evan just wants to go home, rest, eat good food and get back a normal life.
There are a few twists in the tale of this book, which I did not anticipate. One of them just stretched credibility a bit too far for my liking. There is one glaring chronological error towards the end. Both of these have robbed my rating of a half star. However, these minor niggles should not detract from what is a fascinating story, and a very powerful message about the ugliness and futility of War. Well done, Kerry Greenwood.
April 14, 2013
What a delightful book. It is written for teen readers but I found myself unable to put this down. Greenwood follows Evan and dad behind enemy lines in Gallipoli. Some incredible fiction grounded in fact and a lovely payoff at the end.
September 22, 2013
Highly recommend this stirring tale of The First World War. It's full of compassion, adventure and intrigue, and has a twist at the end. Written and well-researched by a wonderful author, it's one of those books for young adults that is a great read for anyone.
April 22, 2015
I read this book as part of an Anzac Day initiative of our secondary school library. If it weren't for the fact that I had committed to reading this book, I never would have finished it. For a start, the cover leaves a lot to be desired. It's clumsy, boring, and has no appeal to students (the intended reader age group), which might perhaps explain why it rarely gets borrowed from our Library. Secondly, the thin plot line is far-fetched, unbelievable, and very very s-l-o-w. There is no build-up of tension or suspense to entice the reader to continue to read and want to find out what happens. Characterisation is shallow. Finally, to make matters worse, the 'twist' at the end is, indeed, twisted, and completely unnecessary. Nor is it believable. It seems a little like it was tacked on at the end as an afterthought, without enough substance throughout the book to support the ending. I wouldn't recommend this book.
June 20, 2019
I have heard that Greenwood wrote several young people's novels; this must be one of them. If it's a sample of her work for young people, I am unimpressed. The blub calls it "gripping". It is not. If you've read the Phryne Fisher novels, it reads like a mishmash of scraps, a poorly made patchwork quilt composed of leftover bits and bobs. The writing is somehow superficial; not that I wanted more horrid details of the conflict, but it just wasn't terribly engaging. This probably wasn't helped by the "diary" format instead of straightforward narration. Perhaps for today's youth who aren't used to reading much, it helps to have every chapter be a single page (or a few lines) or at the most two, but for me it made the narration very choppy.
And then there's the idiotically unbelievable, hackneyed "twist" at the end that made me want to throw the book across the room. Evan is supposedly 14 when the book starts, and spends over a year wandering across the face of Turkey and Greece and Bulgaria and wherever, which makes said "twist" even more unacceptable.
A shaky two stars. I'd like to have my three hours back, please.
And then there's the idiotically unbelievable, hackneyed "twist" at the end that made me want to throw the book across the room. Evan is supposedly 14 when the book starts, and spends over a year wandering across the face of Turkey and Greece and Bulgaria and wherever, which makes said "twist" even more unacceptable.
A shaky two stars. I'd like to have my three hours back, please.
May 17, 2020
Very moving, realistic fictionalized account of the trauma of the Gallipoli campaign - seen from the Turkish as well as the Australian perspective. A surprising twist at the very end. This is a beautifully-crafted novel, that feels realistic. Young readers who enjoy this book might also enjoy 'Goodnight Mister Tom' and Michael Morpurgo's writing.
September 27, 2018
This is a neat little YA story of one young Australian's experience of Gallipoli. Written in the form of Evan's diary, it offers comment that we are all alike beneath the layer of clothes and different coloured skin. I enjoyed it.
October 25, 2024
I read this book on a whim after seeing it in a library and having recently visited the Dardanelles/Galipolli region.
The diary entry style makes it an easy light read - perfect for the young readers it is intended for.
The diary entry style makes it an easy light read - perfect for the young readers it is intended for.
April 29, 2013
This historical fiction offers fourteen year old Evan's perspective on World War I as he and his father cross over from the Allied camp at Gallipoli to the Turkish side. With the help of Evan's new friend Abdul, they escape from a Turkish commander who held them captive. The three try to lie low while travelling through Turkish villages in the hope of eventually making their way back to safety.
They meet many locals and experience the war first hand from the other side. When his father's clarity of mind wavers due to illness, Evan takes on the role of guide and protector. His first person journal entries tell of their experiences with clarity and directness; though constantly encountering new and unusual sights, he knows he must keep his wits about him. This lack of embellishment lends authority to Evan's account, though the absence of dialogue in the journal format may make it more arduous for younger readers.
There are many topics for discussion around the issue of war:
- Evan and his father are far away from home. How did Evan find this hard? What do those in Australia think the war is like?
- The Turkish villagers lived very close to the battlefield; how did the war impact their daily life?
- Many soldiers were injured in the war; what were the different ways some of them reacted to their injuries?
- Evan mentions books and reading several times in his journal. Why were books important to Evan? How do you think his reading helped him write his journal?
- How has Evan's view of romances and exotic stories changed by the end of his trip? Why do you think he changed?
Other things to notice and explore:
Why were Simpson and his donkey noted in particular for their work?
Find out more about Edith Cavell.
For Parents and Teachers to be aware, these themes may need further discussion:
Prostitutes are mentioned several times as a fact of life in Turkey, without much detail. At one time Evan and his father take a room in a hotel which turns out to be a brothel, noted as such only for its sweet smell, the noise, and the many women.
Evan is tempted to kill an injured German soldier who has threatened to turn in Evan and his father as traitors unless Evan helps him escape. Not believing there was anyone else he could turn to, and not wanting the German to escape, Evan decides to carry it out by bringing the German morphine in orange juice. He is stopped at the last minute by an adult who, unknown to Evan, understands his predicament and solves it for him. Evan is remorseful for his sinful intention, but also questions what else he could have done.
An injured soldier commits suicide on the ship home to Australia, fearing to face his family and sweetheart with his injury. Evan thinks the soldier is happier now in heaven, though is father thinks the suicide was a sin.
At the end Evan finds a book called Does God Exist?, and he considers that if he did not it would explain much about the world. He also notes that that would rule out heaven, which he thinks is 'too much to bear'.
Reviewed for www.GoodReadingGuide.com
They meet many locals and experience the war first hand from the other side. When his father's clarity of mind wavers due to illness, Evan takes on the role of guide and protector. His first person journal entries tell of their experiences with clarity and directness; though constantly encountering new and unusual sights, he knows he must keep his wits about him. This lack of embellishment lends authority to Evan's account, though the absence of dialogue in the journal format may make it more arduous for younger readers.
There are many topics for discussion around the issue of war:
- Evan and his father are far away from home. How did Evan find this hard? What do those in Australia think the war is like?
- The Turkish villagers lived very close to the battlefield; how did the war impact their daily life?
- Many soldiers were injured in the war; what were the different ways some of them reacted to their injuries?
- Evan mentions books and reading several times in his journal. Why were books important to Evan? How do you think his reading helped him write his journal?
- How has Evan's view of romances and exotic stories changed by the end of his trip? Why do you think he changed?
Other things to notice and explore:
Why were Simpson and his donkey noted in particular for their work?
Find out more about Edith Cavell.
For Parents and Teachers to be aware, these themes may need further discussion:
Prostitutes are mentioned several times as a fact of life in Turkey, without much detail. At one time Evan and his father take a room in a hotel which turns out to be a brothel, noted as such only for its sweet smell, the noise, and the many women.
Evan is tempted to kill an injured German soldier who has threatened to turn in Evan and his father as traitors unless Evan helps him escape. Not believing there was anyone else he could turn to, and not wanting the German to escape, Evan decides to carry it out by bringing the German morphine in orange juice. He is stopped at the last minute by an adult who, unknown to Evan, understands his predicament and solves it for him. Evan is remorseful for his sinful intention, but also questions what else he could have done.
An injured soldier commits suicide on the ship home to Australia, fearing to face his family and sweetheart with his injury. Evan thinks the soldier is happier now in heaven, though is father thinks the suicide was a sin.
At the end Evan finds a book called Does God Exist?, and he considers that if he did not it would explain much about the world. He also notes that that would rule out heaven, which he thinks is 'too much to bear'.
Reviewed for www.GoodReadingGuide.com
April 7, 2015
A sweet little book which give you an idea of what Australia's experience was like in Gallipoli. Evan and his father go to help distribute comforts (small items that are not stictly needed for combat preparedness) but his father, who is a minister, leaves the front lines and "surrenders" to the Turks. From then on, it's a battle for Evan and his new friend Abdul to get out of Turkey, and, for Evan and his father, back to Australia. His father suffers from shell shock and Evan, who is 14, is totally responsible for making sure his father survives the journey.
The story is told in a series of what are sort of diary entries by Evan. This increases the reader's understanding because it mirrors the way actual participants would have experienced the same things. Because this is basically a children's book, the journey isn't quite as long or dangerous as it would be for adults.
Evan and his father manage to reach safety and get passage on a transport ship filled with wounded soldiers going back to Australia. Having seen about everything war has to offer, Evan is rather surprised at the reaction the soldiers receive when they reach home. As the first of the wounded walk down the gangplank the crowd becomes still. Then they break out in cheers and celebration again.
It struck me at this time that, not only was WWI an extremely brutal war, but Australia had, until that time, been sheltered from the horrors of war. They did not have a Revolution against Britain or a bloody Civil War. Nor did they have a horrific French-type Revolution, or anything mirroring constant wars over territory that rocked Europe for most of its history. So the appearance of the horrifically wounded men WOULD have been quite a shock.
My favorite character in the book is William the Wombat. He had been taken to Egypt by an officer who thought he would do well in the hot, barren climate, but that did not work out. So William is taken back to Australia on the same transport ship with Evan when they make a stop at South Africa. William has a "thing" for the carrots the cook is trying to use for soups and usually sits happily under the table in the kitchen, chomping away. After such a heavy event as Gallipoli and the escape, it's a real treat to have our comic relief.
The ending is also totally unexpected and delightful. Even though the book is directed at children, adults who are interested in WWI will get a lot of information from Evan' Gallipoli.
The story is told in a series of what are sort of diary entries by Evan. This increases the reader's understanding because it mirrors the way actual participants would have experienced the same things. Because this is basically a children's book, the journey isn't quite as long or dangerous as it would be for adults.
Evan and his father manage to reach safety and get passage on a transport ship filled with wounded soldiers going back to Australia. Having seen about everything war has to offer, Evan is rather surprised at the reaction the soldiers receive when they reach home. As the first of the wounded walk down the gangplank the crowd becomes still. Then they break out in cheers and celebration again.
It struck me at this time that, not only was WWI an extremely brutal war, but Australia had, until that time, been sheltered from the horrors of war. They did not have a Revolution against Britain or a bloody Civil War. Nor did they have a horrific French-type Revolution, or anything mirroring constant wars over territory that rocked Europe for most of its history. So the appearance of the horrifically wounded men WOULD have been quite a shock.
My favorite character in the book is William the Wombat. He had been taken to Egypt by an officer who thought he would do well in the hot, barren climate, but that did not work out. So William is taken back to Australia on the same transport ship with Evan when they make a stop at South Africa. William has a "thing" for the carrots the cook is trying to use for soups and usually sits happily under the table in the kitchen, chomping away. After such a heavy event as Gallipoli and the escape, it's a real treat to have our comic relief.
The ending is also totally unexpected and delightful. Even though the book is directed at children, adults who are interested in WWI will get a lot of information from Evan' Gallipoli.
February 8, 2017
Evan's Gallipoli is the story of Evan Warrander and his father as they go to Gallipoli to offer comforts, such as lice powder, to the soldiers. They then have an adventure to return to Australia. The story is told in Evan's diary.
This was an interesting story and another look at the events of Gallipoli. I quite enjoyed it.
This was an interesting story and another look at the events of Gallipoli. I quite enjoyed it.
May 4, 2013
A series of diary entries tell the tale of Evan and Father at Gallipoli; meeting Simpson and Murph; mixing with Australians, Turks, Greeks and more, whilst Father tries to spread the word of God to all and sundry.
Clever weaving of historical events into the story. The twist at the end is supported by several clues throughout.
Key themes include - WWI, evangelism, children carrying the responsibility of caring for a parent, friendships that extend beyond (and despite) culture and religion.
Clever weaving of historical events into the story. The twist at the end is supported by several clues throughout.
Key themes include - WWI, evangelism, children carrying the responsibility of caring for a parent, friendships that extend beyond (and despite) culture and religion.
June 2, 2013
Evan's Gallipoli by Kerry Greenwood is a story of an incredible journey through World War 1 through the diary entries of Evan, a 14 year old who travels with his father on a mission. His experiences give the reader an excellent immersion into the squalor, fear and intensity of war. Evan is a brave soul and also deals with the many challenges along the way including having to look after his father, who becomes mentally unstable.
June 15, 2013
I was so angry at Evans father for freely taking a child to a war zone that I wasnt at all sure I was going to finish this book. Glad I did. It is very different from any of Kerry Greenwoods other books that I have read but it was good. The reveal at the end was a surprise.
January 9, 2016
I wanted to read a Kerry Greenwood what wasn't a Phryne Fisher or a Corrine Chapman (read all those) and stumbled across this in my Bolinda Borrow Box.
Like all Kerry Greenwood books there seems to be quite a ring of truth. The ending was a complete surprise, did not expect that!
Like all Kerry Greenwood books there seems to be quite a ring of truth. The ending was a complete surprise, did not expect that!
July 3, 2013
Excellent writing as always. An antidote to the propaganda of the glories of war. I wasn't surprised by the reveal at the end.
October 6, 2013
A different view of the disaster that was Gallipoli. Evan helps her mentally ill father escape what she believes can be called treachery. Good anti-war book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews