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Concerto
1941. The British colony of Hong Kong thinks it is immune from the chaos engulfing the rest of the world. Amid so much suffering, the talented pianist Sarah Channing, fresh from war-ravaged England, is disgusted by the shallow concerns of her father’s social set. Rod Durman, an Australian doctor trapped in a toxic marriage, wants only to advance his career and help his patients, whoever they may be. Alex Tennant is a notorious playboy, happy to fritter away his youth in the pursuit of pleasure ... until he meets the passionate and principled Sarah Channing. All three lives become irreversibly intertwined. But when the Japanese army takes Hong Kong by surprise all personal happiness must be put aside in order to survive. Elizabeth Darrell’s richly evocative tale of love and the realities of war sweeps from the fall of Hong Kong to the London Blitz and the D-Day landings. What kind of love can survive the chaos and anguish of war? Praise for Elizabeth ‘A wonderful story, compellingly told...the authenticity - both emotional and historical - really shines through’ - Sarah Harrison Elizabeth Darrell is the penname of Emma Drummond, born in 1931. Her father was a member of the British Army stationed in Hong Kong, where Drummond spent the early years of her life. As well as writing books, she worked in the Women’s Royal Army Corps. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.
464 pages, Paperback
First published May 9, 1994
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About the author
Elizabeth Darrell
39 books24 followersA pseudonym used by Edna Dawes and Emma Drummond.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 4, 2015
3.5 stars
The girl: Sarah Channing, daughter of a wealthy banker, she's been raised in England by her grandmother since the age of four until her father summons her to join him in Hong Kong and it's not a loving reunion by any stretch. Especially with his female 'assistant' running the household. What hold do those two have on each other?
Guy #1:Rod Durman, Australian doctor and married to one witch of a wife who just wants to party, buy and wear pretty clothes and spend all of Rod's money. Rod meets Sarah by chance, and they form a pretty strong connection before she realizes he's married. Rod hopes for a divorce until that nasty Celeste drops a bombshell on him.
Guy #2: Alex Tennant, son of a filthy rich industrialist, with a very scandalous past, but what does he care? He has his airplane, his women, and plenty of money, booze and parties in Hong Kong. Sarah hates him on sight.
Oh, and the year is 1941 and there's all kinds of ominous signs that the Japanese are saber rattling, but the Brits don't believe they'd dare...
"The Japs’ll never attack. They’d be taking on the whole British nation and the Commonwealth. They’ve enough to do trying to conquer China without joining our war. No, this is a case of yet another crackpot old military buffer crying “wolf”."
Let's say things get complicated and our trio has long separations and there's a presumed death or two. A long harrowing journey over China's mainland to get to a British Embassy and safety. Some brutal moments in the POW camp, and a harrowing escape at sea and another near capture. Whew, then when everyone's back in England it gets more complicated when...oh heck - I can't tell you all that, but I did like getting our two heroes involved in the D-Day invasion, plus some real nail biting moments during air attacks on the Germans.
Now, they always teach us about Pearl Harbor in school in the US, but I don't recall any mention of other attacks in the Pacific, especially not Hong Kong. And I don't recall much talk about how brutal the attack was, especially against innocent civilians (shudders), but I can certainly understand why the previous generation felt so strongly about it. Also learned a few new things about the D-Day preparations and training that went into it for the advanced forces.
All in all a good solid read, and one I'd recommend for WWII buffs. I just didn't connect with the characters like I usually do with Drummond, so I'm knocking off a half star, 3.5 rounded up to 4.
The girl: Sarah Channing, daughter of a wealthy banker, she's been raised in England by her grandmother since the age of four until her father summons her to join him in Hong Kong and it's not a loving reunion by any stretch. Especially with his female 'assistant' running the household. What hold do those two have on each other?
Guy #1:Rod Durman, Australian doctor and married to one witch of a wife who just wants to party, buy and wear pretty clothes and spend all of Rod's money. Rod meets Sarah by chance, and they form a pretty strong connection before she realizes he's married. Rod hopes for a divorce until that nasty Celeste drops a bombshell on him.
Guy #2: Alex Tennant, son of a filthy rich industrialist, with a very scandalous past, but what does he care? He has his airplane, his women, and plenty of money, booze and parties in Hong Kong. Sarah hates him on sight.
Oh, and the year is 1941 and there's all kinds of ominous signs that the Japanese are saber rattling, but the Brits don't believe they'd dare...
"The Japs’ll never attack. They’d be taking on the whole British nation and the Commonwealth. They’ve enough to do trying to conquer China without joining our war. No, this is a case of yet another crackpot old military buffer crying “wolf”."
Let's say things get complicated and our trio has long separations and there's a presumed death or two. A long harrowing journey over China's mainland to get to a British Embassy and safety. Some brutal moments in the POW camp, and a harrowing escape at sea and another near capture. Whew, then when everyone's back in England it gets more complicated when...oh heck - I can't tell you all that, but I did like getting our two heroes involved in the D-Day invasion, plus some real nail biting moments during air attacks on the Germans.
Now, they always teach us about Pearl Harbor in school in the US, but I don't recall any mention of other attacks in the Pacific, especially not Hong Kong. And I don't recall much talk about how brutal the attack was, especially against innocent civilians (shudders), but I can certainly understand why the previous generation felt so strongly about it. Also learned a few new things about the D-Day preparations and training that went into it for the advanced forces.
All in all a good solid read, and one I'd recommend for WWII buffs. I just didn't connect with the characters like I usually do with Drummond, so I'm knocking off a half star, 3.5 rounded up to 4.
January 25, 2019
Intense!
This is an intensely deep wartime love story. It is also a triangle love story.
This WWII plot figures mostly in Hong Kong, and I learned so much about what it was like living there prior to and during the Japanese invasion there. The inhumanity of war is startling! And this author brings it all to life with great detail.
Again, Elizabeth Darrell has painted love and war with stark realism. I highly recommend!
This is an intensely deep wartime love story. It is also a triangle love story.
This WWII plot figures mostly in Hong Kong, and I learned so much about what it was like living there prior to and during the Japanese invasion there. The inhumanity of war is startling! And this author brings it all to life with great detail.
Again, Elizabeth Darrell has painted love and war with stark realism. I highly recommend!
February 5, 2021
What a Wonderful Book!
Elizabeth Darrell's World War II books are in a class of it's own. This book takes you into the horror of the fall & early occupation of Hong Kong, as well of wartime England. You feel as if you are part of D Day & it"s early days. The story of Sarah, Rod, & Alex is heart wrenching. By far, Concerto is one of the best books I have ever read
Be sure you have plenty of tissues handy. Ms Darrnell's research for this book was superb.
Elizabeth Darrell's World War II books are in a class of it's own. This book takes you into the horror of the fall & early occupation of Hong Kong, as well of wartime England. You feel as if you are part of D Day & it"s early days. The story of Sarah, Rod, & Alex is heart wrenching. By far, Concerto is one of the best books I have ever read
Be sure you have plenty of tissues handy. Ms Darrnell's research for this book was superb.
February 9, 2018
I too like the idea and scope of the book. It did tend to go on and on abit in parts. The heroin didn't seem to know what or who she wanted! But it was a good read.
July 6, 2019
Excellent read
A fast moving story with loads of history backing it up. Hong Kong and and the story of the Japanese invasion.
A fast moving story with loads of history backing it up. Hong Kong and and the story of the Japanese invasion.
June 29, 2015
Hmmmm. I liked the subject matter and the scope, but I disliked the heroine and one of the two main male characters (namely, Rod) immensely. The only one I truly liked was Alex, the 'wrong' man, which as you can imagine made for a frustrating reading.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews