Description
Book SynopsisThe Tottenham family is falling apart. There is no money to maintain the crumbling house and farm in County Westmeath, so decisions have to be made. Brothers Nick and Tony, with no prospect of a future in rural Ireland, make the long journey to their uncle’s ranch in Australia. As World War Two looms, the entire family signs up to fight: mathematician mother Eleanor calculates flight paths; sister Rose repairs radar masts in Lincolnshire; Nick and Tony, like thousands of others, enlist in Australia; even their ageing father Gerald signs up for duty in the Far East. Little does each foresee what terror, starvation and heartache lay ahead, and what it would take to survive. In a gripping narrative that spans four generations and encompasses the battlefields of Syria and Egypt, the Australian outback, night sorties over Germany, English airfields and the horrors of a Sumatran prison camp, this is a harrowing story of hardship and heroism, based on an Irish family’s experience.
Trade Review‘Beautifully written, fast-paced … The ending was particularly poignant and uplifting.’ – Jilly Cooper OBE ‘A story of heroism, it is beautifully told.’ – Sue Leonard, Irish Examiner ‘Preston’s moving tale … gives an affecting insight into the sacrifices and resilience of both men and women involved in the Second World War.’ – Louisa Carroll, The Sunday Times
Her scope is commendable, with the various narrative strains offering diverse perspectives that bring the conflict to life. -- Sarah Gilmartin * The Irish Times *
