2nd Chapter, part 3.....Cyanarasamba's book

[Jas]

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Just finished this. I really found it a book of two halves -- the first half of the forced march through Malaya was really gripping and dramatic.

However, the second half (without giving too much away) really left a sour taste in the mouth -- its old-fashioned morality could be put down to the era when it was written, I suppose, but I found the overt, casual racism very off-putting.

It had been on my to-read list for years and I did enjoy the story, but wouldn't hurry to read anything by the author again.

I agree with Meg's sentiments, but still enjoyed the book, given the age of it and that it was written in the 50's. I did think there was a marked difference between the first third and the rest of the book. The last part was a bit too far fetched for me - but is that seeing it through year 2009 eyes - such as the ability of one young woman to single handedly built a new town and essentially change the way of the locals of that area - it just wouldnt happen. Then I did question whether it was because it was a woman - would I have thought of that if it had been a blaze trailing man. Maybe that was the modern (for its time) twist.

Anyway - a great choice - thanks!

Ooh I love this book! Not read it for years so looking forward to reading it again.

I loved this one.
The two halves were very different, but I enjoyed them both, and would definitely seek out his other books.

I am really sorry, but I read this on holiday, and lost the paper with people's thoughts on it whilst I was there.