Mumsnet Talk

I can't find a thread for this book yet. It is my September book, and I haven't started it yet, but have recieved it.

It is TPT by JYKL

I didn't start one as I assumed Simpson would <copout excuse.>

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were insightful and full of flaws which I loved. I felt the way it skipped between eras with the characters remaining so present was wonderful. The subject matter really struck a chord with me. The tales of what the soldiers did to their captives were harsh. It was interesting how Will became so separate from it all.

Another reason i liked it was it reminded me of my grandad. He was based in Macau at the end of the war. My nan never allowed him to discuss any of this in detail with me. Reading this book has made me realise how I should have listened more to him when he was around.

It's a shame the author hasn't written any other books yet as I would definitely read them.

This book took me almost the whole month to read. I didn't like the constant flipping between decades, and was totally uninterested in the piano teacher herself. (I have forgotten her name already and only finished the book last night!)

The final third of the book was more interesting, but if it hadn't been a book club book I would not have read that far.
Sorry.

I enjoyed this one. I lived in the far east for a while and am very familiar with Hong Kong and Macau but had no idea that the civillians were treated so brutally there in WW2. The flipping between decades kept me interested and I read it very quickly. Good choice

I enjoyed this one, have set it for my RL book group next week so will be interesting to see what they make of it.

Characters were vivid, although C was a little bit of a device in some ways. The wartime sections were really gripping, and shocking. Thinking about what war does to people and their relationships.

I forgot to comment on this book:

I found it slow to start and didn't like the swapping between time periods. I found the wartime story more interesting, the more modern story with the piano teacher felt a little flat in comparison.

I enjoyed it more the further I read.

I did enjoy reading this but found it all a bit rushed at the end and I didn't quite understand what had happened - perhaps I am a bit thick. I thought it was very well written and from a period & place in history that I hadn't really thought clearly about so found it very interesting. A good choice.