Favel Parrett

Bleak, depressing, short sentences, minimal character development, not sure how this book got such high praise.

Boring. Missed opportunities to build in drama. Arithmetically challenged

I liked Parrett's first book, but this was a disappointment. I quit after 100 pages, finding the story too disjointed and not interesting enough. The characters were shallowly drawn, and I didn't find any emotional connection. I imagine people who had similar experiences to those of the book characters might see it differently.

All of our book club members found this to be a quick and easy read. All members enjoyed the familial themes woven throughout the book, and the simplistic but innocent viewpoints of the children. However most members found the book to be lacking in plot. Some expressed that more insight into the World War context (more detail about the incidents, experiences etc.) would have fleshed out the story better. Overall, this book was given 3 stars out of 5.