Day 11 of the April A to Z Challenge, my these is characters from books I’ve read plus some audience participation.
Letter K is for Kate Wolseley from The Orchid Tree by Siobhan Daiko
The Orchid Tree is a historical drama set in Hong Kong. The First part is from 1941 – 1945 during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during WWII. Fifteen year old Kate Wolseley is British and lives with her parents on The Peak. When the Japanese invade and the governor surrenders no one can quite believe what happens.
Once the Japanese have taken over, Kate and her family are moved to the Stanley Internment Camp, an ex-prison. Conditions are poor and food soon runs very short. Kate makes friends with Charles Pearce a half Chinese boy as they queue each day for water and attend lessons together. The descriptions and imagery are very thought provoking as everyone waits to be rescued by either the British or the Americans.
Across the water in Macau we meet Sophia Rodrigues and her family who are from Portuguese descent. During the war, Macau was neutral, yet Japanese people still arrived in the area. Sophia’s father is head of the Macau gold consortium and befriends the Japanese Kimura family. Sophia is half Chinese and is close to her Uncle who is involved with smuggling. During the war he smuggles medicines into the POW camps.
As the recapture of Hong Kong drew nearer, situations on both sides got very desperate, Charles is arrested one day when the prison guards learn of a radio that the prisoners are listening to. News comes that Charles was on a ship heading for a Japanese labour camp when the boat as torpedoed and everyone fears the worse.
A heart-broken Kate and her father go to Australia after the war, but both return to their home in Hong Kong later. Part two of the book covers the years 1948-1949. Hong Kong rebuilds itself and there are many opportunities to make money for enterprising individual’s. The population is growing fast with the spread of communism in China and people fleeing the fighting. Sophia and Kate are both young ladies now and their lives and loves link them in more ways than one.
I enjoyed this book, it was a very good insight into the war years and how Hong Kong expanded in the post war years.
Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
For my audience participation piece I’m asking readers to think up book titles using the letter K for the picture below
A book title and cover picture can often make or break a book sale. Is a book cover eye-catching? Does the book title appeal to the reader?
Have fun creating book titles from my own pictures, you might even think about a genre they could fit.
Leave your answers in the comments below and I’ll be choosing my favourites
Today, I’ve lined up the following fellow challengers for you to visit.
http://www.colindsmith.com/blog/
https://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com/
http://www.desertcanyonliving.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.melanieschulz.blogspot.co.uk/
As part of the challenge we are asking readers to leave comments, thank you.
Reblogged this on Barrow Blogs.
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This sounds fascinating. The first part reminded me of Tenko.
(Title: Going Over!!)
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Thanks June, yes I remember Tenko too.
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Like the sound of this one. And Tenko! That takes me back….
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I have visited Hong Kong several times since 1967 so I must read this book. Another book which is set in HK & Macau during WW2 is The Fan Tan Players by Julian Lees.
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Thanks Liz, sounds like a book to add to the book shelves list.
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‘Knockout Falls’ the touching though sometime heart breaking memoir of a boxer forced into the ring whilst living under a brutal dictatorship but who’d always dreamt of a life spent white water rafting… Welcome to Monday 😉
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Great book bio, so what’s in your coffee this morning?
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Ahh…only good things Rosie, only good things 😉
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Reblogged this on Siobhan Daiko Author and commented:
Kate is featured on Rosie Amber’s blog today. Thanks for hosting me, Rosie!
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The Orchid Tree has BEAUTIFUL cover! ❤
I'll be back later with my book title! 🙂
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Book title: Kayaking King Of The Roaring Rapids.
Memoir. A humorous yet heart-warming story of a paraplegic’s quest to conquer the raging waters.
(This was quite difficult.)
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Thanks Michelle, the letter K is a hard one and my random picture quite a challenge, which you rose brilliantly to.
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The history of Japan in those years is so interesting. I enjoyed reading the review thank you.
This is difficult title: Knife’s Edge
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Thanks Susan, yes I thought this letter might prove a bit tricky.
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I believe I have another for my TBR list – unusual locale. For a mystery book, the photo might lend itself to Killer Falls.
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I think they would be killer Falls if you fell in.
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Sounds intriguing! I’m trying desperately for a book title but without success..
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Hi Rosie – Very interesting book. Don’t think I’ve heard of it before, but sounds like a nice historical fiction. 🙂
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Thanks Diane.
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This sounds a fascinating story, Rosie. I don’t read a lot of historical novels, but I am interested in history and the potential novels have to make history come alive. The cover would put me off a bit since it looks like a romance novel, and I don’t usually read romance novels. From your description of the story, it seems like there’s lots of romance potential, but the real story is the War and how it affected the characters. That I find interesting. Thanks for sharing the review! 🙂
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Thanks for dropping in Colin, yes there is a romantic theme within, more a love interest. We’ll have to find something else more up your street for review.
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Hi Rosie … the book does sound very interesting and informative about the war in the east and how Hong Kong coped etc …
Kittling Fish and their journey … the shadow reminds me of a shoal …
Cheers HIlary
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Thanks Hilary, and what a journey in that water they would have.
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This sounds like a fantastic read. Another title for my TBR list. 🙂
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Thanks Tess.
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You are welcome, Rosie. ❤
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Wow, another great book to add to my TBR list. 🙂 Thanks Rosie!
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Thanks Mrs N.
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You’re welcome! 🙂
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Reblogged this on theowlladyblog.
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Thanks!
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