This was a wonderful novel covering a whole swath of Singaporean and Malayan history from the 1920s to the late 1950s, with a varied cast of characters from British planters, Chinese businessmen, ruthless Chinese guerrillas, heroic Malayan peasants, and various double agents of dubious provenance. This description may make it sound though this is a story of stereotypes, but it is anything but, covering difficult issues in relations between national and ethnic groups sensitively and from different viewpoints. Events inevitably focus mostly around the build up to the Second World War and its duration and aftermath, including the Communist insurgency of the late 1940s and 50s. Our central characters are Johnny Dexter, an English planter, who has grown up in Singapore in the eponymous house (which means "red earth" in Malay), built by his grandfather, and a Chinese girl Julie Soong, daughter of his father's business partner. They defy racial conventions of the time (on both English and Chinese sides) by becoming seriously involved, meeting with anger and rejection from their respective families. After a lot of vicissitudes, both romantic and war-related, they of course end up together.

As well as the central romantic narrative, the changing relations between the British and Malayan communities are obviously an ongoing theme. The Dexters are comparatively liberal and come to realise that independence is both inevitable and, ultimately, desirable. Before this all the communities in Singapore must go through the horrors of war, having until almost the last moment refused to believe that Singapore can truly be vulnerable to the Japanese. The sense of shock and dislocation is total. At the same time, despite horrific Japanese treatment of the Chinese in particular, the invaders have at the same time shown that the "yellow" man can overcome the white man. The final main sequence shows Julie and another woman being kidnapped by Communist guerrillas, including one who has a personal vendetta against Johnny. There are some quite horrifying and shocking scenes in this book, but also some beautiful descriptive passages, and a narrative drive that never flags. A great read. ( )

First published in 1981,I thought I had read this book years ago, when I read other Noel Barber novels, but I think not now. I found this book to be a wonderful read, the story, at times conveying intimacy, was told in an honest but careful manner. Johnnie matures into a strong character, and it is he who tells the story of his life, and his relationship with his parents, and with the woman he takes as a lover, the family he has, the family business he is involved in, and World War 2, which is central to the story and the location. Having visited the modern day Singapore and Malaysia I felt I could visualize the landmarks and locations through the book, and this gave the novel authenticity for me. A delightful read for me! ( )

I expected this 1980s book to be a little dated - a tale of cross-racial sex and marriage in Singapore in the early and mid 20th century has the potential to anchored in the time of the telling. But, against the odds, I found myself thoroughly enjoying it.
The son of a wealthy self-made British trading family in Singapore, born around the time of WW1, falls in love with the daughter of a wealthy self made Chinese trading family, around the time of WW2. The plot hangs on the fact that such cross-racial liaisons were only acceptable if they were temporary and/or paid for. An enduring relationship was beyond the pale. The lovers in this book treat their relationship as completely normal, and perhaps because such relationships are no longer anything other than routine, the effect wasn't jarring as the author intended to portray.
I also found the background of life in Singapore and the history of the island to be fascinating and apparently well researched. Not so the mention of the hero owning a pre-war Morris Minor - a car not produced until after WW2,.
Red Dec 2017 ( )

This is the book that introduced me to the site. A friend recommeneded that I read it, and so I reserved it online from my local library; at the foot of the information page for the book was a was mentioning this site, and out of curiosity, I followed it. Five minutes later, I joined.

Writers don't seem to write books like this anymore, which is a very sad thing. This was a fantastic book with just enough history without the history detracting from the characters in the book. I have always been interested in Singapore and this book made me want to learn even more. If you like the new trilogy from Ken Follett you will enjoy this book. I intend to seek out other books from this author. ( )