Joan Mather

Though a bit slow in the beginning, this was necessary to do some overviews of the women’s processes and customs. I was drawn into the characters as well as the plot gradually and the cadence of the dialogue was beautifully done. The simplicity of their lives against the back drop of war and invading Japanese was clearly depicted and the brutality was stark and real followed by the thread of their lives being picked up again. There was a cultural stoicism through out which was calming and lovely to see. I enjoyed the book very much and will now pursue the historical back ground more deeply.