The Great War leaves many shell-shocked survivors, including four very different people attempting to raise themselves from the rubble to realize dreams of freedom and romance in peacetime Singapore
Drummond was born in a Military Hospital, as her father was a member of the British Army. She spent her early childhood in Hong Kong, where her father was stationed. She eventually married a senior British Civil Servant. She worked for a time as a WRAC (Womens Royal Army Corps). She also writes as Elizabeth Darrell, Eve Dane, Edna Dawes, and Eleanor Drew.
When Emma Drummond is on, she's on. When she's off, wow. Such a snoozer. Neither of the male leads were terribly appealing and definitely not enough angst to give this reader much interest. No war or other impending political doom waiting to rear its ugly head. Just whine whine whine whine whine from all three of time over their never ending personal pity parties.
I started out really intrigued with the book and the foreign setting. I enjoyed the build up with the characters. The book takes place after WWI and there is a lot of angst. It just never goes anywhere. I ended up not liking anyone in the book. The romance was plodding and the main characters seemed in love but not very convincingly. The book just plodded along.
I ordered this book by Emma Drummond/Elizabeth Darrell from ILL because it sounded like the miniseries Tenko (which haunted me one summer when I kept unexpectedly catching episodes not in chronological order on A&E).
The book is what my mother would call overwrought. Not one of ED's best!
What a great book! I didn't think this author could top herself, but having read more than ten of her books I see she has.
This extremely interesting and arresting story of four young people in post -WWI Singapore was impossible to put down. The descriptions of British life there during this era is well documented. Also, the meticulous description of the condition known as "shell shock" and its total lack of understanding and compassion by the general populous after the war is amazingly hard to stomach given the bravery of the soldiers who fought.
I highly recommend this romantic novel to readers of historical fiction. This author has such talent!
I loved this book. I like history and this provided a lot of insight into the effects of the First World War and the colonial conditions in Singapore just after the war. I thought the author did a masterful job of presenting attitudes and developing the characters as they went through their experiences. I never was able to predict with accuracy what was coming next, and consequently hated to put the book aside. Would recommend it to anyone who enjoys history and wants to know how situations long past evolved.
I first read Elizabeth Darrell over 25 years ago and somehow missed this book. It did not disappoint, rich in detail, beautiful romantic story, well developed character and embodying the values of a previous generation. I LOVED And In The Morning and At The Going Down Of The Sun; if you did too, this book is a must. Enjoy!
I am getting quite a collection of Elizabeth Darrell's books and so far I have enjoyed them all. I think they are likely written for women but maybe I am an old ( very) romantic at heart!
A great plot with interesting characters and some good narrative BUT the author could not link it together. I found myself reading long passages wishing for the next exciting section. Shame because it could have been good but missed the mark