War Flower follows the lives of twins, Poppy and Rosemary. The girls were wall flowers, growing up in a strict Catholic family, often bullied by the cool girls at school. However after graduating high school and moving to University campus they discover a new life in a blur of alcohol, drugs and parties.
Ben comes from a well to do family with a long line of military men. He knows that duty comes before anything, even love.
Angus is the worry wart whilst his brother Spike is spontaneous and often reckless. The brothers drive across the dusty Australian outback from WA to Surfers Paradise Qld. A trip that will change their lives forever!
War Flower is as much an ode to the 60’s as it is an overwhelming account of how the Vietnam War had a far reaching impact on everyone’s life.
O’Connor holds no bars as she vividly describes life in the 60’s. Music, drugs and politics are a major part of the book as the story slowly brings the reader into the true feel of the sixties. The first half of the story takes place over a six month period and endears the reader to the main set of characters. The remaining half is much faster paced and spans a seven year period.
Overall Wall Flower was an engaging read with well drawn characters showing a true depiction of life in the 60’s around the time of the Vietnam War.
The writing was a bit flowery at times and I feel this wasn’t really necessary. However my congratulations and admiration go to O’Connor for writing a compelling story befitting the topic without the gore, explicit sex and bad language. ( )