Reviews

To Sing of War by Catherine McKinnon

katie_elise's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and War

mandi_m's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 

This a multi-layered novel of war, love and the struggle for individual independence in the shadow of the war in the Pacific.  Set in 1944/1945, we follow an Australian nurse in New Guinea, a team of soldiers struggling in the jungle, physicists in Los Alamos working with Oppenheimer, and a family struggling to survive on Myajima in Japan. Connections run deep. 

peita_hansen's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

gobby_gilbert's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

alma_g's review

3.0

3.75 Stars. Bookclub read. It was interesting and very well researched. It was just very wordy which made it tedious in parts. It could’ve easily been 100 pages shorter.

eklbooks's review

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

hanakow's review

adventurous challenging dark informative sad

4.5

turkleton's review

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

leemac027's review

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really enjoyed this.

It's December 1944 and we are in the jungles of New Guinea following the stresses and daily trauma witnessed by Australian nurse Lotte Wyld. While up there, she runs into an old flame, Virgil who is about to trek off into the jungle to face the mud, insects, disease and the Japanese army. Will he return so they can sort out where they really stand with each other?

On the other side of the world in Los Alamos, we are in the middle of Robert Oppenheimer's bomb project and all of the political and personal battles that are ongoing not only between the scientists, but also their families and not to mention the demands of the Army and the Government.

Concurrently we are taken to the island of Miyajima, where Hiroko is trying to look after her two daughters while her husband Kenzo is off fighting the war. She is faced with many challenges including a Colonel who is showing just a little too much interest in her small daughter. Can she find respite on the mainland?

All of these three stories intertwine to show the impacts of war from multiple perspectives and how it effects the every day.

Wonderfully written.

kazzab's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0