Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 Richard and Judy clouded my judgement! September 1, 2008
It sounded so good when they discussed it - but actually this novel is confused and confusing, without a central character with whom the reader can empathise.
I was really disappointed and ask myself who chooses these R and J titles?
If you are really interested in the war then you might find it tolerable, but as a rollicking good read - it fails.
 Something my mum didn't enjoy... August 18, 2008
...but I thought it was quite enjoyable. Nothing earth-shattering but it did keep my interest all the way through.
The Welsh slant to a WWII story was something that I hadn't really considered before but I'm afraid I really didn't see the point of the Hesse storyline, I didn't feel that it added very much to the plot.
I borrowed this book from my Mum who said that she didn't enjoy it at all, but then we do tend to have completely opposing taste in books!
Overall recommendation - good beach / tube read!
A bit of a mish mash August 10, 2008
This book was recommended to me but I found it very disappointing! It reads like some of the detective series on TV - five or six subplots with little initial connection - you have to have the patience to get two thirds of the way through to make the connections. Unfortunately this requires an act of faith.The characters in the first chapter are like cardboard cut outs and once we get into the story proper the dialog is cliche ridden and unconvincing. I have known Wales well, including during the period covered by the story, and it does not ring many bells for me.For a real feel of Wales try "Come Home Charlie by Delderfield.
Pleasant read August 6, 2008
This was a nice pleasant read, but that's it..... just nice. I liked the characters and it was nice to read the effects of WW2 from another perspective. Again, like other reviewers I found the book description on the back cover slightly misleading. I think the stories of the 3 main characters could have been meshed more together. Would have liked more scenes with Karsten and Esther.
It was a nicely told story with characters you could believe in.
 Sad and poignant August 3, 2008
I found the novel slow-moving at first and it never really picked up speed, rather, I became more and more in tune with the slow progress of the narrative. I appreciated the novel more and more as I read it. It is not to be read if one feels melancholy or depressed as it would not cheer you up, but there is an undeniable beauty to the writing and real feeling so that we come to care a lot about the characters, especially ,as far as I am concerned, about Karsten, the young German who has surrendered so as not to be burnt alive in his bunker and who feels guilt and shame because he survived and in so doing lost his honour.I liked the character of Esther as well, the way her life evolves around the secret she has to keep, and I found her story convincing. The way once she is trapped in her lies, she goes in deeper and deeper seems true to life. The only part I felt hard to credit was her rape. I just can't imagine how any girl, even a young Welsh girl in the 40's, could kiss a soldier for a whole month, be his sweetheart, then consent to go alone with him, at night, somewhere she doesn't know and expect him not to take advantage of the situation. I can't believe that someone brought up on a farm ,who knows a lot about the facts of life would have been naive enough to think for one moment that her honour would be safe with a man of whom she knew absolutely nothing.
I also wish there had been more scenes between Esther and Karsten, as they were really well-written, in fact I wish the novel didn't finish as it does, but I suppose that if it were otherwise it would have been romantic and would have lost some of its appeal.
A good, melancholy read that stays with you after you have finished.
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