This is excellent historical fiction. It was a bit of a slow burn but as a novel progressed, I became more invested in the character stories. The ending was both satisfying and sad.

A truly beautiful book. Incredible plot, wonderful characters, brilliant research. Raw and honest, unflinching and brutal but also remarkable. I can’t wait to read another by this author.

Firstly loved the cover, so beautiful!
Sheer escapism, beautifully written, I will look for more of this author’s work.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title. I highly recommend it.

This is a well researched historical novel set in Burma during World War 2 during the Japanese invasion.
Kate is a strong female character who has come to Burma to escape her demons. When she meets Edwin, a work colleague, she forms a strong connection with him as he also has a difficult past which is the reason he too has decided to come half way round the world to live in Burma. They are just getting to know each other when the war arrives on their doorstep and they have to flee before the Japanese arrive.
The description of Kate’s journey cross country is very moving, particularly the way in which she joins up with other people who are brought together through their shared plight. Kate’s strength of character shines through as she tries to help the others during their escape. Their suffering is immense and it is difficult to see how any of them will recover, even if they survive.
Edwin’s story is equally heartbreaking. His time in the prison camp is horrific but accurately portrayed as these camps were renowned for their brutality towards civilians.
The ultimate question is whether Kate and Edwin will ever meet up again and the reader does not find this out until the very last pages, Their stories are cleverly told in flashbacks and with different timelines so it is difficult to guess the final outcome.
It is a story of how the human spirit can finally triumph, even in dark times and is ultimately uplifting..
My only disappointment is that the ending did feel slightly rushed and left me wanting to know more about Kate’s story.
This book will appeal to readers who like well researched historical fiction with strong, well described female characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Was it a page-turner? It was, 100%. The alternating storylines following Kate and Edwin were both truly engaging. Every time the point of view shifted, I missed the other, and then again, and again and again. In addition to catching up with one character or the other, the perilous nature of their journey added speed to my reading experience. I just needed to know they’d both be fine at the end. But that’s for you to find out…

Did the book meet my expectations? Anything that mentions India, even vaguely, draws my attention so this is how I got attracted to the book in the first place. Other than expecting some descriptions of India, I didn’t know where the book would lead me. Wow. This is the story of an epic journey. The characters are beautifully alive, the locations so craftily described that I felt like I was there, and the emotions… oh, the emotions. My heart was all over the place. This is a magnificent, well-researched novel.

Three words to describe it. Evocative. Epic. Sad.

Do I like the cover? I do. It is a beautiful image and I love the colours.

Have I read any other books by the same author? This is the author’s debut novel and I would definitely be happy to read what she writes next.

The long journey home told showed us the strength and determination that Kate had to find her way through war torn Burma to India and safety. Her journey was written with compassion and thought the descriptions of the situations that they were in enabled you to feel how hard it must have been and how scared people must have felt, but they knew that had to carry on to get to safety, the horror of the situations were not sugar coated so you did feel the emotions of the characters such as Edwin and what he must have endured. I liked all the characters and wanted to know about their lives.
It was nice to see how Kate ended up in Burma before the war and through the letters exchanged with her sister and mother we could see how their relationships were being mended and strengthened as time went by.
A good read.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This is the story of Kate and Edwin, English people living and working in Burma before the Japanese invasion.
It is the story of how they escape Burma and make the long trek to India as the Japanese sweep through Burma. It is the story of the people they meet, whose lives touch theirs, change them indelibly. It is the story of how they both come to terms to who they really are and what they really want from life. It is as they face the past that they can make peace with it and themselves and face the future.

This book was a bit of a slow burner for me, but the more I read, the deeper I got into Kate and Edwins stories. The ending is delightful yet sad but at the same time life affirming.

A soaring saga that will touch the reader and leave footprints on your heart.

Well written with great detail... Historical fiction which has been researched very well.

What a great writer Cecily Blench is.

A real page turner from the very beginning. descriptive writing transports you to another world. Historically and geographically correct in every detail, well researched. Cecily Blench is an excellent writer. I look forward to reading her work again in the not to distant future. Fiction that has you believing and wanting more.