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phateddie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.5
nikki_daire's review
5.0
I read 'A Bastard of a Place' first, so I already know who would die when. What I loved about this one, is although in didn't have as many facts and numbers (this company was here and then there - perfect if you are wanting to track a family member but a bit dry otherwise), this story had a narrative structure. Told mostly from the Australians' perspective, it also included insights into the Japanese and the Generals. It was at times difficult to read, with one briefly mentioned point of view from a Korean "comfort woman" raped 20-30 times a day by the Japanese soldiers.
After reading this book and 'A Bastard of a Place', I have a better understanding of what my Grandad experienced and why he came out of the war with an extreme dislike of authoritative figures and Americans. Surprisingly, in my entire life, I only ever heard him say one thing against the Japanese who were his enemy in this conflict.
Anyway, I'd better go pack my bag, because I'm off to tackle the Kokoda Track myself.
After reading this book and 'A Bastard of a Place', I have a better understanding of what my Grandad experienced and why he came out of the war with an extreme dislike of authoritative figures and Americans. Surprisingly, in my entire life, I only ever heard him say one thing against the Japanese who were his enemy in this conflict.
Anyway, I'd better go pack my bag, because I'm off to tackle the Kokoda Track myself.
waynewaynus's review
4.0
A really wonderful account of Australian involvement in WW2. So much of Australia's military history has withered away from our collective memories. Books like this keep the experience and the memory of the sacrifices made by so many of our forebears alive and appreciated. I ended up buying this book after a chat in kmart with a another customer who said that it was a riveting read, turns out he was right!
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