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Elephant Moon
As the Second World War rages, the Japanese Imperial Army enters Burma and the British rulers prepare to flee. But the human legacy of the British Empire will be left behind in the shape of sixty-two Anglo-Burmese children, born to local women after affairs with foreign men. Half-castes, they are not acknowledged by either side and they are to be abandoned with no one to protect them. Their teacher, Grace Collins, a young Englishwoman, refuses to join the European evacuation and instead sets out to deliver the orphans to the safety of India. She faces impossible odds because between her and India lie one thousand miles of jungle, mountains, rivers and the constant, unseen threat of the Japanese. With Japanese soldiers chasing them down, the groups chances of survival shrink - until they come across a herd of fifty-three elephants who, with their awesome strength and kindness, quickly become the orphans only hope of survival. Based on a true story, Elephant Moon is an unforgettable epic tale of courage and compassion in the midst of brutality and destruction.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 8, 2012
275 people are currently reading
2230 people want to read
About the author
John Sweeney
18 books135 followersJohn Sweeney is an award-winning journalist and author, currently working as an investigative journalist for the BBC's Panorama series. Before joining the BBC in 2001, Sweeney worked for twelve years at The Observer, where he covered wars and revolutions in more than sixty countries including Romania, Algeria, Iraq, Chechnya, Burundi and Bosnia.
In 1996, He was sued for criminal defamation in France by the Barclay brothers, owners of the Daily Telegraph, but the claimants lost their case. At the time, Sweeney worked for the rival newspaper The Observer, and had given an interview on BBC Radio Guernsey alleging that they had been involved in corruption. Since the broadcast could also be heard in northern France, the claimants were able to bring their claim in the French courts. Sweeney was ordered to pay €3000 by the appeal court in Rennes, France
Sweeney spent four years investigating the cases of Sally Clark, Angela Cannings and Donna Anthony, three women who had been falsely imprisoned for killing their children. Sweeney's investigation helped to clear their names, and led to Sir Roy Meadow, the expert witness whose testimony had proved decisive in their convictions, being temporarily struck off the General Medical Council's medical register. Sweeney received the Paul Foot Award in 2005 in recognition of his work.
He has won several awards throughout his career, including:
1998: What the Papers Say Journalist of the Year prize for reports on human rights abuses in Algeria.
2000: an Emmy Award and a Royal Television Society prize for programs about the Massacre at Krusha e Madhe, Kosovo.
2001: the Amnesty International prize for "Victims of the Torture Train," about human rights abuses in Chechnya.
2003: a Sony Gold award (2003) for Best Radio News program.
2004: a Royal Television Society prize (2004) for "Angela's Hope," a BBC One documentary about a woman wrongly convicted of murdering her three babies.
2005: The Paul Foot Award.
"Scientology and Me", a Panorama investigation into Scientology written and presented by Sweeney, was aired on BBC One on Monday, 14 May 2007. Prior to its airing,video footage filmed by the Church of Scientology was released that showed Sweeney shouting at Scientology representative Tommy Davis during a visit to CCHR's "Psychiatry: An Industry of Death". The clips were sections of a documentary the Church of Scientology's Freedom Magazine TV produced about the BBC Panorama programme. Sweeney remarked that he lost his temper due to days of harassment by Davis and the Church, and a strong personal reaction to the psychiatry exhibit. He had been visited at his hotel by Davis, despite not having shared the address with the Church, and had been followed on several different occasions. Sweeney labelled the clips "attack videos" and others say they were produced to discredit himself and the documentary. The BBC in response aired its own full recording of the incident. Panorama's Editor Sandy Smith explained what happened and how the BBC dealt with the incident in a post on the BBC's Editor's Blog. An internal BBC investigation found that Sweeney's conduct at one point in the filming was clearly inappropriate, but also noted that Sweeney had apologised for his outburst and concluded that as a whole, filming of the documentary had been performed in a proper and fair manner. Later on that same year in the BBC Panorama year in review Sweeney said “..a new generation is making up its own mind, and for that I make no apology”. Only a month and a half later Project Chanology began. This time as a part of a rehearsed joke, Sweeney goes into a similar outburst in January 2009 when being interviewed on Radio 4 about the Tom Cruise film Valkyrie—clearly referring to the episode two years previously. A follow-up Panorama programme also hosted by Sweeney, which at an hour is twice the length of the original one was aired on the 28 September 2010. This documentary contained int
In 1996, He was sued for criminal defamation in France by the Barclay brothers, owners of the Daily Telegraph, but the claimants lost their case. At the time, Sweeney worked for the rival newspaper The Observer, and had given an interview on BBC Radio Guernsey alleging that they had been involved in corruption. Since the broadcast could also be heard in northern France, the claimants were able to bring their claim in the French courts. Sweeney was ordered to pay €3000 by the appeal court in Rennes, France
Sweeney spent four years investigating the cases of Sally Clark, Angela Cannings and Donna Anthony, three women who had been falsely imprisoned for killing their children. Sweeney's investigation helped to clear their names, and led to Sir Roy Meadow, the expert witness whose testimony had proved decisive in their convictions, being temporarily struck off the General Medical Council's medical register. Sweeney received the Paul Foot Award in 2005 in recognition of his work.
He has won several awards throughout his career, including:
1998: What the Papers Say Journalist of the Year prize for reports on human rights abuses in Algeria.
2000: an Emmy Award and a Royal Television Society prize for programs about the Massacre at Krusha e Madhe, Kosovo.
2001: the Amnesty International prize for "Victims of the Torture Train," about human rights abuses in Chechnya.
2003: a Sony Gold award (2003) for Best Radio News program.
2004: a Royal Television Society prize (2004) for "Angela's Hope," a BBC One documentary about a woman wrongly convicted of murdering her three babies.
2005: The Paul Foot Award.
"Scientology and Me", a Panorama investigation into Scientology written and presented by Sweeney, was aired on BBC One on Monday, 14 May 2007. Prior to its airing,video footage filmed by the Church of Scientology was released that showed Sweeney shouting at Scientology representative Tommy Davis during a visit to CCHR's "Psychiatry: An Industry of Death". The clips were sections of a documentary the Church of Scientology's Freedom Magazine TV produced about the BBC Panorama programme. Sweeney remarked that he lost his temper due to days of harassment by Davis and the Church, and a strong personal reaction to the psychiatry exhibit. He had been visited at his hotel by Davis, despite not having shared the address with the Church, and had been followed on several different occasions. Sweeney labelled the clips "attack videos" and others say they were produced to discredit himself and the documentary. The BBC in response aired its own full recording of the incident. Panorama's Editor Sandy Smith explained what happened and how the BBC dealt with the incident in a post on the BBC's Editor's Blog. An internal BBC investigation found that Sweeney's conduct at one point in the filming was clearly inappropriate, but also noted that Sweeney had apologised for his outburst and concluded that as a whole, filming of the documentary had been performed in a proper and fair manner. Later on that same year in the BBC Panorama year in review Sweeney said “..a new generation is making up its own mind, and for that I make no apology”. Only a month and a half later Project Chanology began. This time as a part of a rehearsed joke, Sweeney goes into a similar outburst in January 2009 when being interviewed on Radio 4 about the Tom Cruise film Valkyrie—clearly referring to the episode two years previously. A follow-up Panorama programme also hosted by Sweeney, which at an hour is twice the length of the original one was aired on the 28 September 2010. This documentary contained int
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 307 reviews
June 13, 2021
Don't judge a book by it's cover! This cover is absolutely beautiful but the book is a hot mess.
This is historical fiction. A very bad account of the men and elephants that helped the refugees flee Myanmar after the British abandoned the country during WW2 and the Japanese invasion.
This account is as flat as a pancake. I've seen puddles with more depth than the characters here and please, this author should be legally banned from ever writing a female lead again. While I appreciate the authors journalist achievements, this is a terrible novel.
Terminology like half caste, half breed and the N word live here and is unnecessary, it adds absolutely nothing to the plot or characters.
And sentences like this ... Emily is a whole woman now she has made love to a man ... bore off. I'm not here for this nonsense.
Having been to Myanmar a few times I was interested in understanding more about the British occupation but this author is not the guy to enlighten anyone on the subject in a fictional format. I'd potentially check out his journalist articles.
At time of posting this book is available on Kindle Unlimited.
This is historical fiction. A very bad account of the men and elephants that helped the refugees flee Myanmar after the British abandoned the country during WW2 and the Japanese invasion.
This account is as flat as a pancake. I've seen puddles with more depth than the characters here and please, this author should be legally banned from ever writing a female lead again. While I appreciate the authors journalist achievements, this is a terrible novel.
Terminology like half caste, half breed and the N word live here and is unnecessary, it adds absolutely nothing to the plot or characters.
And sentences like this ... Emily is a whole woman now she has made love to a man ... bore off. I'm not here for this nonsense.
Having been to Myanmar a few times I was interested in understanding more about the British occupation but this author is not the guy to enlighten anyone on the subject in a fictional format. I'd potentially check out his journalist articles.
At time of posting this book is available on Kindle Unlimited.
February 19, 2014
Set in Burma during World War II, Elephant Moon focusses upon the plight of an orphanage populated by the children of mixed parentage at a time when tension was rife between the Burmese and their British colonisers.
The topic of this book is interesting, then - I would go so far as to call it a page-turner - and John Sweeney's prose is fluent and descriptive, so it's a shame that his dialogue and characterisation lets him down so much. The protagonist, Grace Collins, seems to be unable to do any wrong, and the rest of the characters tended to be rather two-dimensional. The dialogue is rather stilted and also lacks characterisation.
I didn't dislike this book, in many ways it was very interesting, and it kept me reading right up to the last page, but I wanted more out of it: it could have been better.
The topic of this book is interesting, then - I would go so far as to call it a page-turner - and John Sweeney's prose is fluent and descriptive, so it's a shame that his dialogue and characterisation lets him down so much. The protagonist, Grace Collins, seems to be unable to do any wrong, and the rest of the characters tended to be rather two-dimensional. The dialogue is rather stilted and also lacks characterisation.
I didn't dislike this book, in many ways it was very interesting, and it kept me reading right up to the last page, but I wanted more out of it: it could have been better.
September 30, 2014
This is a cracking tale, apparently based on a true story, but unfortunately John Sweeney doesn't manage to fully do it justice. The characters are very weak, with heroine Grace too good to be true and a bad guy who is 100% villain. Out of sixty-odd children in the school, only a few are even honoured with names and they fade into the background when not needed to push the plot along. Too much is told, not shown - with a lot of interesting back stories glossed over - and the relationships don't always ring true. Grace very easily casts aside her upbringing to fall deeply in love with an Indian man, these feelings developing from first glance to sleeping with him to 'love of her life' in a surprisingly short amount of time. Yes, wartime and all of that, but it's quite the display of brazenness. She follows this up by falling for the geeky fellow she had dismissed out of hand earlier in the book.
That said, there are some beautiful descriptions of the terrain this odd party of refugees is passing through. Once the action got going, after they left Rangoon, I did get more immersed in the story. It just felt to me like a good first draft, rather than the finished article.
That said, there are some beautiful descriptions of the terrain this odd party of refugees is passing through. Once the action got going, after they left Rangoon, I did get more immersed in the story. It just felt to me like a good first draft, rather than the finished article.
August 8, 2021
I have mixed feelings about this book. It is such a curious blend of good and bad writing. Elephant Moon is a novel I initially couldn't put down, but I got disappointed with it quickly enough. I don't remember when I liked an introduction to a novel more. Unfortunately, the book doesn't live up to its potential. The descriptions of pre-war Burma were fascinating and the author added a lovely dose of humour to his initial writing. However, as the story progressed the quality of writing dropped significantly.
As the story progressed, the author opted for writing solutions that while entertaining on some levels, lacked any depth and relied on cliches and stereotypes too much. Moreover, the author didn't develop any of the characters well, they are often two dimensional. Sweeney devoted very little attention to the orphans. While I understand that Grace is supposed to be this strong female protagonist in the centre of it all, I don't understand why her relationship with the orphans wasn't elaborated on and why it took so little space in the actual writing. Moreover, there are definitely too many convenient and lazy plot solutions in Elephant Moon.
In an effort to avoid spoilers completely, I won't reveal exactly what moments ruined the credibility of the narrative for me, but let us just say that the cardboard villain was a major dislike. Honestly, the whole subplot with a psychopath murder villain was unnecessary and felt like it belonged in some cheap third rate film, not in this promising novel. Not only did this cardboard villain add nothing to the novel, he also took the attention from the story about the elephants and the children. I felt that was a wasted potential to say the least. That being said, I'm still grateful to this book for introducing me the subject of elephant guerrilla fighting in World War II and encouraging me to read more about it, so I'll throw in another star for that. While it didn't live up to its potential, Elephant Moon was still an interesting read.
YOU CAN READ MORE ON MY BLOG:
https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2...
As the story progressed, the author opted for writing solutions that while entertaining on some levels, lacked any depth and relied on cliches and stereotypes too much. Moreover, the author didn't develop any of the characters well, they are often two dimensional. Sweeney devoted very little attention to the orphans. While I understand that Grace is supposed to be this strong female protagonist in the centre of it all, I don't understand why her relationship with the orphans wasn't elaborated on and why it took so little space in the actual writing. Moreover, there are definitely too many convenient and lazy plot solutions in Elephant Moon.
In an effort to avoid spoilers completely, I won't reveal exactly what moments ruined the credibility of the narrative for me, but let us just say that the cardboard villain was a major dislike. Honestly, the whole subplot with a psychopath murder villain was unnecessary and felt like it belonged in some cheap third rate film, not in this promising novel. Not only did this cardboard villain add nothing to the novel, he also took the attention from the story about the elephants and the children. I felt that was a wasted potential to say the least. That being said, I'm still grateful to this book for introducing me the subject of elephant guerrilla fighting in World War II and encouraging me to read more about it, so I'll throw in another star for that. While it didn't live up to its potential, Elephant Moon was still an interesting read.
YOU CAN READ MORE ON MY BLOG:
https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2...
January 10, 2022
John Sweeney’s book adds to the genre that I call war for grownups. These are books that look at the horrors of war without sepia-tinting and war-mongering. While Fires on the Plain and the film The Burmese Harp are dark and disturbing (for avoidance of doubt, I think those a great works), books like this one, Empire of the Sun and A Town Like Alice bring out the horrors of war while still telling engaging stories. Elephant Moon is not a classic, but it could easily have been one because of its story device and context.
This is one of the few books that has as context (not always with a lot of depth) the shameful flight of the representatives Raj from Burma in 1942, the formation of the Indian National Army (whose soldiers were called Japanese Indian Fighting Forces, JIFFs, by the British Indian Army and also treated badly by independent India), the racism of the Raj, and the horror of the forced migration of Indians from Burma. It also features a very sympathetic portrayal of elephants . It might be the only novel that brings all these elements together.
The story, for all its brilliant conception, has its flaws in execution. A big flaw – as other reviewers have pointed out – is the cardboard characters and the simplistic resolution.
A bigger one is historical accuracy. That the book is based on a true story is quite incredible, and I found some details – the theory being expounded by a British official that the Japanese couldn’t fly planes, for example – super interesting. On the other hand, there were some examples of history bloopers.
The treatment of Bose compounds the injustice that history has done him, in my view. The first reference to Bose mentions his title of Netaji and likens it to Fuhrer, which is accurate, but would leave people with an impression of Bose that is wrong in my opinion. While this is a fraught topic, and Bose did fight with the Japanese and seek help from the Nazis, it has to be said at the very least that he did not share their views; he demonstrated a commitment to secularism and gender equality that was far ahead of his times. In particular, he was a staunch enforcer of Hindu-Muslim unity. His objections to Nazism were expressed in writing. As his daughter put it in a documentary (Between Gandhi and Hitler), who else was willing to help him in his vision of armed resistance? Not the Americans or French, for sure. It had to be his enemy’s enemies. . In the one argument that I recall for the INA in the book, there is mention of its fighting for Indian independence, which make sense. But what is left out is that the forces of the INA put on uniforms and swore loyalty to a Provisional Government of India, based in Singapore. This was also the argument used in the Red Fort Trials, and one that sounds that common sense to me. Why all this matters is that while Bose and the INA first got a raw deal for decades in independent India, they have now been half-hijacked by the Indian extreme right who stand for the exact opposite of everything that Bose stood for.
I liked the idea of the book immensely, and I would like to be able to recommend it just for that. Unfortunately, the problems on the story and history side of things weighed me down too much.
This is one of the few books that has as context (not always with a lot of depth) the shameful flight of the representatives Raj from Burma in 1942, the formation of the Indian National Army (whose soldiers were called Japanese Indian Fighting Forces, JIFFs, by the British Indian Army and also treated badly by independent India), the racism of the Raj, and the horror of the forced migration of Indians from Burma. It also features a very sympathetic portrayal of elephants . It might be the only novel that brings all these elements together.
The story, for all its brilliant conception, has its flaws in execution. A big flaw – as other reviewers have pointed out – is the cardboard characters and the simplistic resolution.
A bigger one is historical accuracy. That the book is based on a true story is quite incredible, and I found some details – the theory being expounded by a British official that the Japanese couldn’t fly planes, for example – super interesting. On the other hand, there were some examples of history bloopers.
The treatment of Bose compounds the injustice that history has done him, in my view. The first reference to Bose mentions his title of Netaji and likens it to Fuhrer, which is accurate, but would leave people with an impression of Bose that is wrong in my opinion. While this is a fraught topic, and Bose did fight with the Japanese and seek help from the Nazis, it has to be said at the very least that he did not share their views; he demonstrated a commitment to secularism and gender equality that was far ahead of his times. In particular, he was a staunch enforcer of Hindu-Muslim unity. His objections to Nazism were expressed in writing. As his daughter put it in a documentary (Between Gandhi and Hitler), who else was willing to help him in his vision of armed resistance? Not the Americans or French, for sure. It had to be his enemy’s enemies. . In the one argument that I recall for the INA in the book, there is mention of its fighting for Indian independence, which make sense. But what is left out is that the forces of the INA put on uniforms and swore loyalty to a Provisional Government of India, based in Singapore. This was also the argument used in the Red Fort Trials, and one that sounds that common sense to me. Why all this matters is that while Bose and the INA first got a raw deal for decades in independent India, they have now been half-hijacked by the Indian extreme right who stand for the exact opposite of everything that Bose stood for.
I liked the idea of the book immensely, and I would like to be able to recommend it just for that. Unfortunately, the problems on the story and history side of things weighed me down too much.
December 24, 2014
One if the best books I've read the year. A surprising page turner which had me hooked from the first page. I'm not going to do an in-depth review, if you have not read this book then please do, you may just love it as much as I did.
August 7, 2019
The book lacked a novel’s depth and detail. It hurried through the plot and made escaping to India seem quite easy, throwing in a quick love scene along the way for good measure. I was expecting a lot more.
May 30, 2015
I found most of this book to be pretty basic or boring. Though I did enjoy the parts with the children and elephants. The children discovering the elephants was pretty magical.
August 11, 2019
Prekrasna priča o ulozi slonova u Drugom svjetskom ratu, o odnosu Britanaca kolonijalista prema pripadnicima drugih naroda.
January 7, 2015
It's a shame that I could only give this 3 star's as the book held promise, but had so many downfalls.
Whilst the book picks up in the middle and really saves the experience, the beginning is a massive drag. As others have said, once you put the book down its hard to pick up again. Several times I almost gave up, but kept going out of curiosity and it was much easier once you meet the Jemadar.
I really enjoyed the middle of the book. I found many of the characters unlikable in the beginning, and felt like the adding of several characters (Jem, Havildir and Sam) really helped the story along.
The ending of the book also really let it down. The beginning was a massive drag, and the end turned out to be horrifically rushed. Towards the end, several massive subplots are wrapped up all in the space of a chapter, and yet the author can happily drag out English elite life in Burma and trekking through a jungle into numerous chapters without any end in sight. this was one of the biggest disappointments. I almost felt like I had stuck with the book for nothing.
Additionally, the writing is, for the most part, very pretentious and clunky. Sentences can go on forever, kept going by random commas instead of starting a new sentence. This is particularly obvious in the beginning and Something which I found difficult to get over.
I only paid a pound for this in the Amazon sale, and I do feel like it was worth it foe that small amount of money. Once I got over the pitfalls, I really did enjoy it and became fascinated by some of the characters (including a soft spot for the elephants). Based on an incredible event, it really is worth a read if you can stick with it
Whilst the book picks up in the middle and really saves the experience, the beginning is a massive drag. As others have said, once you put the book down its hard to pick up again. Several times I almost gave up, but kept going out of curiosity and it was much easier once you meet the Jemadar.
I really enjoyed the middle of the book. I found many of the characters unlikable in the beginning, and felt like the adding of several characters (Jem, Havildir and Sam) really helped the story along.
The ending of the book also really let it down. The beginning was a massive drag, and the end turned out to be horrifically rushed. Towards the end, several massive subplots are wrapped up all in the space of a chapter, and yet the author can happily drag out English elite life in Burma and trekking through a jungle into numerous chapters without any end in sight. this was one of the biggest disappointments. I almost felt like I had stuck with the book for nothing.
Additionally, the writing is, for the most part, very pretentious and clunky. Sentences can go on forever, kept going by random commas instead of starting a new sentence. This is particularly obvious in the beginning and Something which I found difficult to get over.
I only paid a pound for this in the Amazon sale, and I do feel like it was worth it foe that small amount of money. Once I got over the pitfalls, I really did enjoy it and became fascinated by some of the characters (including a soft spot for the elephants). Based on an incredible event, it really is worth a read if you can stick with it
August 2, 2015
As somebody on Amazon said, this book can be described as "very put downable". It would have been great had the characters been expanded upon and the story not sensationalised. To me, it read like a screenplay, where they take a story and "flatten" it out so that only the biggest events take place in the film. It was meant to be a fictional testament to the struggles refugees in Burma had to face, but I felt as if it disrespected the genuine history by adding gore, violence and unlikable characters.
Having said that, if the writer invested more time into character development, the story as a whole would have improved. I generally enjoyed the story, but I felt as if I was only reading the headlines. So much more could have been done to create a novel. Instead, the author created a work of simple pop fiction which I struggled to enjoy.
Having said that, if the writer invested more time into character development, the story as a whole would have improved. I generally enjoyed the story, but I felt as if I was only reading the headlines. So much more could have been done to create a novel. Instead, the author created a work of simple pop fiction which I struggled to enjoy.
June 8, 2014
I loved this book and read it in less than two days-I couldn't put it down! Brilliantly written and would highly recommend!
December 5, 2019
Osrednja knjiga, prilično loše pisana, ali s jako lijepom pričom djelomično baziranom na istinitim događajima. Drugi svjetski rat, Brintanci bježe iz Burme od Japanaca. Učiteljica i 60-ak djevojčica miješane krvi pokušavaju pobjeći u Indiju kroz džunglu i pritom doživljavaju različite pustolovine. Najljepši dio priče bio mi je onaj o slonovima. Zaista izvanredna bića.
Ukoliko vam stil pisanja nije previše bitan, priča je zanimljiva, na momente čak i napeta. Da se pročitati.
Ukoliko vam stil pisanja nije previše bitan, priča je zanimljiva, na momente čak i napeta. Da se pročitati.
December 27, 2023
Jedino što me privuklo da pročitam ovaj roman je to da je pisan prema istinitom događaju. Ocjena 3
November 5, 2019
My grandfather used to ask me why I was so keen on travel.
"I went away once," he'd say, "but I didn't like it much".
That wasn't surprising. His trip was World War 2 and he ended up in Burma with the Military Police fighting the Japanese. My mother recently handed me a copy of 'Elephant Moon' and said she'd read it because of grandad, to try and get a sense of what it might have been like.
He didn't get there until after the events of the book but it does paint a great picture of just how inhospitable the Burmese jungle was, and how complicated the circumstances were.
The book is interesting but there are bits that will make readers feel uncomfortable. The casual (and not so casual) racism of the era is reflected in a vocabulary that will make the 21st century reader cringe. "Half-caste bastards" may well be one of the less offensive terms that crops up multiple times but it's still pretty nasty.
At first I thought this was a kid's book as the style seemed quite primitive. But once the sex, violence and racist language kicked in, I was left wondering who the author wrote this for. Its mix of childlike innocence with far from childlike themes sat uncomfortably together. I read a LOT about the Indian Independence Movement but it's rare that the life and times of Subhas Chandra Bose creeps into fiction set in that era and for that alone, it's worth a read.
"I went away once," he'd say, "but I didn't like it much".
That wasn't surprising. His trip was World War 2 and he ended up in Burma with the Military Police fighting the Japanese. My mother recently handed me a copy of 'Elephant Moon' and said she'd read it because of grandad, to try and get a sense of what it might have been like.
He didn't get there until after the events of the book but it does paint a great picture of just how inhospitable the Burmese jungle was, and how complicated the circumstances were.
The book is interesting but there are bits that will make readers feel uncomfortable. The casual (and not so casual) racism of the era is reflected in a vocabulary that will make the 21st century reader cringe. "Half-caste bastards" may well be one of the less offensive terms that crops up multiple times but it's still pretty nasty.
At first I thought this was a kid's book as the style seemed quite primitive. But once the sex, violence and racist language kicked in, I was left wondering who the author wrote this for. Its mix of childlike innocence with far from childlike themes sat uncomfortably together. I read a LOT about the Indian Independence Movement but it's rare that the life and times of Subhas Chandra Bose creeps into fiction set in that era and for that alone, it's worth a read.
April 1, 2016
At the hands of a gifted novelist this could have been a 5-star read because of the captivating premise.
As it is, the lovingly portrayed elephants and some brilliant descriptions of scenery are the only saving graces of this story. Without Mother and Oomy the book would have lost another star.
What makes it so mediocre are the human protagonists who are cleanly divided into a lot of noble goodies and one evil baddy and the stereotypes are all there : the plucky, stunningly beautiful, golden-haired, blue-eyed young teacher that no man can resist, the dashing, tiger-eyed, mysterious Jemadar with a dark secret, the old spinster headmistress of the orphanage, the boring and pompous British colonel, the slightly ridiculous, awkward lieutenant who turns into a hero, etc. etc. etc. The dialogues are often terrible, there are some cringeworthy romantic scenes, some wild coincidences and the last chapters are predictable and ridiculous, pure Hollywood !!
(Also, from all I’ve read about the British raj, I find the degree of familiarity which Grace and the Jemadar share from the first highly implausible.)
As it is, the lovingly portrayed elephants and some brilliant descriptions of scenery are the only saving graces of this story. Without Mother and Oomy the book would have lost another star.
What makes it so mediocre are the human protagonists who are cleanly divided into a lot of noble goodies and one evil baddy and the stereotypes are all there : the plucky, stunningly beautiful, golden-haired, blue-eyed young teacher that no man can resist, the dashing, tiger-eyed, mysterious Jemadar with a dark secret, the old spinster headmistress of the orphanage, the boring and pompous British colonel, the slightly ridiculous, awkward lieutenant who turns into a hero, etc. etc. etc. The dialogues are often terrible, there are some cringeworthy romantic scenes, some wild coincidences and the last chapters are predictable and ridiculous, pure Hollywood !!
(Also, from all I’ve read about the British raj, I find the degree of familiarity which Grace and the Jemadar share from the first highly implausible.)
April 23, 2018
I really enjoyed this from start to finish.
Part 'The King and I', part 'Sound of Music', part war adventure, part feminist coming of age drama, part war-time romance - it has a little of everything including a good dose of war history about the contrution of the elephant companies that will be unknown to many.
When I finished I straight away bought Elephant Bill - recommended by the author in the note at the end. That is a fabulous read and has been used as the basis (inspiration?) for much of novel.
It is a shame the the Author's Note is hidden away at the end of the book and that the historical background is not clearly explained at the start. I like to know which parts of historical fiction are history and which are fiction, and having this information upfront would have saved me from wondering the whole way through.
I'm glad I found the link and being able to read the primary source material increased my enjoyment of the story.
Part 'The King and I', part 'Sound of Music', part war adventure, part feminist coming of age drama, part war-time romance - it has a little of everything including a good dose of war history about the contrution of the elephant companies that will be unknown to many.
When I finished I straight away bought Elephant Bill - recommended by the author in the note at the end. That is a fabulous read and has been used as the basis (inspiration?) for much of novel.
It is a shame the the Author's Note is hidden away at the end of the book and that the historical background is not clearly explained at the start. I like to know which parts of historical fiction are history and which are fiction, and having this information upfront would have saved me from wondering the whole way through.
I'm glad I found the link and being able to read the primary source material increased my enjoyment of the story.
January 11, 2015
The war in Asia seems to be the theme of the month. The first third of the book is very well written with nice touches of detail in the descriptions. Things seem to have gone wrong in the middle and then completely cracked up in the end. I hate when writers abdicate responsibility for writing the ending of a story and just tie things up in a page. I kept waiting for terrible things to happen but it is all sort of too easy breezy. Still worth reading if only to stimulate an interest in more reading on the Burma campaign. I went looking for some of the little known story this was based on and found this interesting film from Cambridge University http://ww2today.com/featured/burma-br...
November 6, 2017
Is it a romance hidden in a war story, or a war story hidden in a romance? There's a lot of drama and intrigue, almost too much; the weight is a bit heavy for this little story to bear. There are more than a few cliches weighing the book down, and its characters labour under laughable and predictable story mechanics. It seems that in trying to include too many story avenues, the book falls short in conveying the full menace of the situations. The dynamics and personalities of the elephants are well described, at least as much as those of the humans. There's also a singular event in this story after which everything else that happens is an anticlimax. The cover art design is weak, and the ending is very abrupt and clunky.
July 12, 2021
The characters are mainly caricatures, but three stars because elephants.
April 13, 2023
This book was fine. Many reviewers said that the first part was boring while the second one picks up momentum, to me however, it was the opposite. I kinda liked the beginning; the life in the city, the bombarding, the victims, the endless refugees and the arduous trek on the bus. Once they meet the elephants the book kinda becomes boring and I was struggling to pick it up.
The characters were all flat and two-dimensional. The main heroine, Grace is a perfect woman; kind, smart, funny all the while flaunting the body of a Playboy model. Our main villain is completely opposite and he actually reaches comic-book villain status which kinda makes him absurd. Also, the moment he shows up I immediately knew how he was gonna die . I also don't know why we spent so much time on his villainous backstory but almost none on our heroine, Grace. I guess villains are more fun.
There is also our young Indian soldier in which Grace madly falls in love even though they knew each other for only a week. There are also about 60 young school children traveling through jungle with our heroes but 90% of them are not even mentioned and the remaining 10% are all kinda similar which made me often forget that they were even there. Then there are also the elephants, the main pulls of the story but again, they don't do much. They could have as well been horses or dogs and it wouldn't have made much difference.
In this novel, the author weaves politics, adventure, romance and war but I don't think he succeeds in any of these topics particularly well. The ending is also so abrupt that for the moment I thought somebody teared the last few pages. It's ridiculous.
Anyway, I wouldn't really recommend this book, but then again, there are worse things you could be doing with your time.
The characters were all flat and two-dimensional. The main heroine, Grace is a perfect woman; kind, smart, funny all the while flaunting the body of a Playboy model. Our main villain is completely opposite and he actually reaches comic-book villain status which kinda makes him absurd. Also, the moment he shows up I immediately knew how he was gonna die . I also don't know why we spent so much time on his villainous backstory but almost none on our heroine, Grace. I guess villains are more fun.
There is also our young Indian soldier in which Grace madly falls in love even though they knew each other for only a week. There are also about 60 young school children traveling through jungle with our heroes but 90% of them are not even mentioned and the remaining 10% are all kinda similar which made me often forget that they were even there. Then there are also the elephants, the main pulls of the story but again, they don't do much. They could have as well been horses or dogs and it wouldn't have made much difference.
In this novel, the author weaves politics, adventure, romance and war but I don't think he succeeds in any of these topics particularly well. The ending is also so abrupt that for the moment I thought somebody teared the last few pages. It's ridiculous.
Anyway, I wouldn't really recommend this book, but then again, there are worse things you could be doing with your time.
September 24, 2014
DNF at 25%.
Here's the proof that getting the free sample from Amazon doesn't guarantee you won't waste your money.
I thought that sample was good enough to warrant buying the book, reviews are very good. But for me, to get to a quarter of the way through a book and still not be engaged with any of the characters means it's time up. Too descriptive on the scenes and settings and zero character development. Massive disappointment.
Here's the proof that getting the free sample from Amazon doesn't guarantee you won't waste your money.
I thought that sample was good enough to warrant buying the book, reviews are very good. But for me, to get to a quarter of the way through a book and still not be engaged with any of the characters means it's time up. Too descriptive on the scenes and settings and zero character development. Massive disappointment.
June 3, 2015
A novel centred around the fall of Burma during the Second World War. Grace is a young teacher at an orphanage for abandoned half-Burmese children. When news comes that the Japanese are invading she sets off with all 63 to try and escape to India. What follows is a nail biting trek that includes trials, tribulations and elephants. This was heart stopping in parts and had me totally gripped throughout.
January 7, 2021
It took me so long to get through this, book. I was finding myself not looking forward to reading it (i'm the type of person who can't just give up on a book half way through; I have to read it right to the end to find out what happens, regardless of how much I like/dislike the story). I just found that the story just dragged and i was looking forward to finish reading. Over all a good story line.
December 10, 2014
I struggled through this book to a certain point - until the phrase 'love of her life' made me groan and fling my kindle at the wall. Huge disappointment - one dimensional characters, stilted set pieces all a bit hard work really for very little reward. I rarely put a book aside but I just felt this one simply wasn't worth finishing.
June 17, 2015
Oh dear. I am sure there is a fantastic story to be told about the escape of Burmese orphans during WWII, unfortunately this isn't it. The author just didn't handle it well. The characters were one dimensional, melodramatic and unbelievable, even the elephants didn't fare well. But I finished it, which is a plus, isn't it?
October 10, 2018
Should stick with non fiction. Badly written story, 2D characters, really stereotyped, unbelievable liaisons and terrible dialogue. Had it been a straight NF account of the elephant men and their charges I think it would’ve been so much better.
January 31, 2020
An interesting read. A fictional story of escape from Burma in the Second World War. I read this after reading Paul Scott’s Jewel in the crown, and perhaps unfairly I found the Elephant Moon is a much lighter read without the same depth in the character descriptions.
A good read nevertheless.
A good read nevertheless.
July 3, 2017
I loved the concept with the elephants but the writing style did not appeal to me, especially when from the point of view of the bad guy, too overly evil.
November 17, 2025
This book felt like it had a lot of potential. The concept is amazing but the payout just wasn't there. Even so, it's very readable but looking back I have some criticisms. There are a lot of racial slurs, and I get that sometimes it's necessary to have them but it did start to get excessive and at a certain point you have to ask is it really necessary or is it just racism. And also the author shouldn't be allowed to write female protagonists because he clearly can't. At all. Apart from that the characters were all passable and the plot was interesting enough. I also can't really understand who this book is meant to be for. On the one hand, the prose feels a bit simple at times, the characters are pretty basic and the conflicts feel very easily resolvable, and laughably forced at times suggesting it's for kids. On the other hand, there is a lot of swearing, the aforementioned slurs and a weird amount of sex for a book set during a war, suggesting it's for adults. So you kinda just get a book that isn't really for anyone in particular and just makes you feel unsatisfied after reading it.
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