Monsoon

by Di Morrissey

Monsoon

by
Di Morrissey

book data

5 ratings, 3.60 average rating, 4 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		20%
4		40%
3		20%
2		20%

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published

January 11th 2007 by Pan MacMillan Australia

binding

Paperback

url

http://books.boomerangbooks.co...

setting

Vietnam, Australia

isbn

(isbn13: 9781405038188)

description

Synopsis by Pan MacMillan Australia

Monsoon... is a journey into the hearts and memories of those caught in a certain time in a particular place....more

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other reviews (showing 1-8 of 8)

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deLille rated it:

07/06/08

Read in June, 2008

recommended to deLille by: Doreen
recommends it for: Anyone interested in traveling to Vietnam

I recently returned from Germany where I met a woman from New Zealand who was reading this book and she gave it to me to read after she was finished with it. Since it was the only book I had to read in English while I was in Germany, I read it, and my feelings on it are mixed. The writing style is very simplistic -- it seems as though the author, Di Morrissey is deliberately trying to write to a mass market audience -- which is rather disappointing because I feel that she is capable of so much...more I recently returned from Germany where I met a woman from New Zealand who was reading this book and she gave it to me to read after she was finished with it. Since it was the only book I had to read in English while I was in Germany, I read it, and my feelings on it are mixed. The writing style is very simplistic -- it seems as though the author, Di Morrissey is deliberately trying to write to a mass market audience -- which is rather disappointing because I feel that she is capable of so much more. This book is set in Vietnam and I think Morrissey describes well the feeling and mood of the place; it is in her ability to capture a few little images so that the whole scene comes alive that hints at her true writing ability. I enjoyed this book for its ability to transport one to another place... she is a good "travel writer". If you have any interest in traveling to Vietnam, I would recommend this book.

Morrissey's plot line also delivers enough adventure to keep one turning the pages, but it's a bit predictable and in some cases, a little unbelievable. I kept feeling like I was reading a book targeted to the "young adult" (teenager) demographic, but upon further reading about the author, I've come to understand that she is a best selling fiction writer among adults in Australia. She is not a "young adult" writer, although if she were, I would have probably given this book four stars.

Oh, well, I'd rate this book in the same manner as I rated "The Red Tent", which was all the rage in the US a few years ago, but I personally thought was very poorly written. (No one else seems to agree with me on that point, though!) However, I give "Monsoon" a higher star rating than "The Red Tent" just for its ability to evoke the feeling of present-day Vietnam.

This book was not in Amazon's or Good Reads databases so I had to enter it in manually. Here is a synopsis of the plot by Pan MacMillan Australia:

"Monsoon... is a journey into the hearts and memories of those caught in a certain time in a particular place.

Sandy Donaldson has been working for a volunteer organisation in Vietnam for the past four years. As her contract nears it end, she is reluctant to leave so she invites her oldest friend, Anna, to come for a holiday and discover its beautiful tourist destinations.

Both girls have unexplored links to this country. Sandy's father is a Vietnam vet and Anna's mother was a Vietnamese boat person.

During their travels, they meet Tom, an old Australian journalist who covered the war and plans to report on the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. It is Tom who tries to persuade Sandy's father to return to Long Tan and settle the ghosts that have haunted him for 40 years, and suggests that Anna should delve into her mother's past.

But the girls are reluctant, swept up in their own concerns, relationships, and a business deal that has the potential to go horribly wrong. However, it is the near-blind Buddhist nun living alone in the pagoda atop one of the karsts in Halong Bay who might hold the key."

Okay, my opinion is that the "near-blind Buddhist nun living alone in the pagoda" was a weak attempt to interject some Buddhist spirituality into the novel, but the description of traveling to her pagoda was quite interesting and you could almost feel yourself actually being there....less

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Toni rated it:

(review of isbn 9781405038)

08/20/08

Read in August, 2008

A book that I just started reading, full of Australian jargon, that I'm enjoying.

It's about two girls in Vietnam each discovering something about themselves, and the lives of lots of Aussies who fought there and are now trying to do something good.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and one I would recommend to anyone.

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Lisa rated it:

(review of isbn 9781405038)

01/23/08

Read in January, 2008

Because I have recently been to Vietnam I enjoyed reading this book, I also learnt about the war....one piece of information that really stuck in my head is that all the 18 soldiers that died at Long Tan were under 21 years of age! Morrissey's descriptions of Vietnam were spot on.

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Beth rated it:

(review of isbn 9781405038)

05/21/08

A great story set in Vietnam - lots of history, keeps you wanting to read

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