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A review by katethebooknerd
The Leonard Girls by Deborah Challinor
3.0
Set during the Vietnam War, this is the story of sisters, Jo and Rowie. Jo is an anti-war protesting University student who falls in love with Sam, a career soldier, Rowie is a military nurse who goes to Vietnam to care for wounded ANZAC soldiers. As the story progresses, whilst remaining vehemently anti-war, we see Jo slowly see and understand differing thoughts regarding what was taking place in Vietnam.
Whilst I enjoyed the free-flowing writing style and found it an easy read, I was left wanting more. Rowie’s story needed bulking out for me, the book is called The Leonard Girls, yet the relationship between Jo and Sam was definitely the central story, with other side stories and characters, including Rowie, playing second fiddle to them.
I really enjoyed the scenes between Sam and his cousin Eddie, and their experiences in Vietnam and I appreciate the research that the author put into this. And I was wholly absorbed by the chapters where Rowie was central, her time as a nurse in Vietnam, and the horrors that she saw.
And then there was the epilogue, to me this was far too long. It felt rushed and concluded the lives of some of the side characters which I didn’t think was necessary.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, I’m glad that I read it and it was great to be part of a fun Kiwi readalong! A big thank you to @tandemglobalcollective and @harpercollinsnz for inviting me to be part of #theleonardgirlsreadalong
This was a ⭐⭐⭐
Whilst I enjoyed the free-flowing writing style and found it an easy read, I was left wanting more. Rowie’s story needed bulking out for me, the book is called The Leonard Girls, yet the relationship between Jo and Sam was definitely the central story, with other side stories and characters, including Rowie, playing second fiddle to them.
I really enjoyed the scenes between Sam and his cousin Eddie, and their experiences in Vietnam and I appreciate the research that the author put into this. And I was wholly absorbed by the chapters where Rowie was central, her time as a nurse in Vietnam, and the horrors that she saw.
And then there was the epilogue, to me this was far too long. It felt rushed and concluded the lives of some of the side characters which I didn’t think was necessary.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, I’m glad that I read it and it was great to be part of a fun Kiwi readalong! A big thank you to @tandemglobalcollective and @harpercollinsnz for inviting me to be part of #theleonardgirlsreadalong
This was a ⭐⭐⭐