itibaren Ichum Keirap, Manipur 795146, Hindistan
This book was interesting on a number of levels. Told from the perspective of a civilian bureaucrat in the early years of the Vietnam war, this book discusses some aspects of Vietnamese history that are generally lacking in typical "war stories." I learned quite a bit about the complex relationship between France and Vietnam, and about Vietnam's relationship to most of the world. There are some terrific insights into Vietnamese culture as well. I've rated the book three stars because the writing style wasn't that appealing to me and the book was pretty slow. This is one of those books that is worth reading once you get to the end, but the final destination really is better than the trip itself ...
I thought this was a very captivating story. You could tell that most of the characters were not the people they portrayed themselves to be. This kept me wondering and wanting to find out more and especially what was true. The only disappointment was not really ever learning the whole truth at the conclusion of the novel. I enjoyed the writing style and felt that it really captured the times, post World War II and the setting, Palm Beach, Florida. I liked the main character, Evie, but I was hoping she would take a stronger stand at the end of the novel.
While only just having read a few of the short stories so far, I have been pleasantly surprised. I bought it at Half Price for 50 cents, on a whim. I'm enjoying it much more than I thought I would. I can relate to some of the knitting tales of woe and found solice knowing I'm not the only one with several half finished projects tucked away in the back of my closet!!