My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Not being able to put a book down is a sure sign of how enjoyable it is. It really is a perfect weekend/holiday read.
There is just enough real struggle and pain in this story for it not to be chick lit. And it's vast historical setting certainly helps. It flows beautifully through time and place. I found the end most interesting. The earlier sections set in China were a little to exotic at times to be believable. The refugee camp and 1950s Australia struck a cord with me. It's a perspective on Australian history much talked of, but never properly identified. What was life really like for these strange immigrants from Europe in post war Australia? An Australia only just finding its own identity, as it struggled to grow and move out of the shadow of The 'motherland'.
Alexandra is a wonderful storyteller and her books are among my favourites.
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