A Town Like Alice in Pick-a-Shelf

Feb 16, 2011 Sam rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, proper-books

This books tell the story of Jean Paget, through her talks and letters to her lawyer Noel Strachan. The two meet after the Second World War when her elderly uncle dies and leaves her an extensive estate to be kept in trust until she is 35. During their meeting Jean tells Noel of her time in Malaya during the War and the hardships she and a group of other women and children had to endure as they were marched for hundreds of miles, passed from one Japanese Captain to another as none wanted the res ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 15, 2014 Stormy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: at-the-library, book-club

So...this book started really slow for me. And for nearly half of it, I was exhausted trying to drag myself through it. And then things started looking up, except for me, the piece that I love about reading stories - the relationship, the connection between characters - it was short-circuited by the weird point of view of this book.

I mean, by the end, I guess I felt like I had made a long journey...and that it was one of substance, but overall, not the kind of story I would typically pick up and ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 12, 2011 Amy rated it really liked it

A very enjoyable audio book with a reader who did an excellent job with accents.

Like · see review

Mar 16, 2009 Nicole rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-book, 1001-list, 2009, favorites

This book was a slow start for me, but I ended up loving it. Part of it is based on a true story of a group of women that were captured by the Japanesse Imperial Army during WWII, but the Army didn't know what to do with them, so forced them to march all over the country side. It turns into a story of love and adventure, and I really enjoyed it. ...more

Like · see review

Jul 10, 2008 Lindsay rated it really liked it

Shelves: bookcrossing, fiction, australian, z2007, 1001

A beautifully written book, I fell in love with Jean and Joe, with their strength, determination and love for each other.

The one problem I had with the book was the racist attitude to aboriginals, an attitude which didn't seem to extend to the Malayans or Japanese which made it even more prominent. ...more

Like · see review