The Manic Mommies Book Club read and discussed The Violets of March with Sarah Jio last summer. Click here to listen/download our discussion.
Synopsis: In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiancé, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world-until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war.
A timeless story of enduring passion, The Bungalow chronicles Anne's determination to discover the truth about the twin losses-of life, and of love-that have haunted her for seventy years.
Type: Historical Fiction
Quick Take: I'm so happy that I was sick last weekend... creating time to read this novel in two days. I was completely absorbed in Anne's story. It's a love story at it's core but it's also a reminder of the sacrifices many made during WWII.
Jio's storytelling is brilliant, it felt like I was in Bora Bora watching lives change. Friendships are tested, love is found and lost (sometimes by death) and there is plenty of heartbreak. Ultimately this is a story of love and perseverance in tough times. There's so much I want to share... but I don't want to ruin the story. Let me just say that I couldn't put this book down.
Read it!
Rating: 5/5 stars
Country: Tahiti (Bora-Bora)
Source: NetGalley