Maureen Mansell

This is a disappointing book. It is a headlong rush through the Spanish Civil War and the evacuation of two thousand survivors to Chile after the war. Lots of characters are introduced but none are fleshed out with the result that it's not possible to have any real connection with them. They are like cardboard cut-outs. If this story was narrated it would be a breathless this happened, then this happened, then this etc etc. The two stars reflect the historical content but reading a history book would be preferable to reading this novel.

This is an interesting book and well written, but I feel the story of the war waged by the Italians in Ethiopia in the 1930s was somewhat lost amid all the lyrical descriptions. The writer also used other devices such as describing the photos taken during the war by one of the main characters, an Italian soldier and this also detracted from the story. I learnt something about a period of history about which I knew little but the book was overlong and did not really grip me.

I so agree with the one star review below. This book has no literary merit and is poorly written. It seems to be an attempt to justify all the character's poor choices to the colour of her skin. People of all colour have to deal with predatory men and life chances that have been limited by experiences in early years. Having to deal with depression bears no relation to colour. I didn't find it funny - more of a diatribe.