The Bungalow: A Novel Author: Visit Amazon's Sarah Jio Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0452297672 | Format: PDF
The Bungalow: A Novel Description
Review
"A heartfelt, engaging love story set against the fascinating backdrop of the war in the Pacific."
--Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author of Home Front and Night Road"Sarah Jio whips romance, history, and a page-turning mystery into one mesmerizing South Sea dream."
--Carol Cassella, national bestselling author of Oxygen and Healer"The Bungalow is my favorite book of the year!"
--Jen Lancaster, New York Times bestselling author of If You Were Here"Seasoned with mystery and awash in the glory of the South Pacific, this stirring wartime romance explores the uncompromising power of long-lost love. Readers pack your bags and set sail for enchantment in Sarah Jio's
The Bungalow!"
--Sarah McCoy, author of The Baker's Daughter"[
The Bungalow is] extraordinarily real ... a true page-turner."
--WomansDay.com"In this rare piece of historical chick lit, a sweeping love story unfolds between a young nurse and a mysterious soldier."
--Marie Claire "This book had the perfect mix of adventure, mystery, romance and sorrow."
--First for Women"The Bungalow is a story as luscious as its exotic setting. Ms. Jio has crafted a wartime story of passion and friendship, loss and mystery. It's also a story of discovery-discovering one's own heart, and of finding a second chance long after all hope is gone. You'll remember the sparkling water and yellow hibiscus long after the last page is turned, and will want to start searching for your own lost bungalow and the parts of yourself you've long since forgotten."
(-Karen White, author of
The Beach Trees)
About the Author
Sarah Jio is the author of The Violets of March and Blackberry Winter. She is also the health and fitness blogger for Glamour.com, and her articles have appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine and Real Simple, among other publications. She lives in Seattle with her three young boysand a geriatric golden retriever.
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- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Plume; 1 edition (December 27, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0452297672
- ISBN-13: 978-0452297678
- Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
- Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
The year is 1942 and the country is at war. Twenty-one year old, Anne Calloway is about to marry a man she has known all her life. As Anne prepares to walk down the aisle, she begins to question the life set before her. Her best friend Kitty announces she has enlisted to serve as a nurse and is headed to the Pacific island of Bora-Bora to serve. Anne believes this is her chance to make sure she is about to choice the right life for herself. So Anne heads to Bora-Bora with Kitty.
Shortly after arriving, Anne meets a handsome soldier named Westry. Anne and Westry find an abandoned bungalow on the beach and they begin the processes of repairing it. While repairing the bungalow, they would leave each other little notes in and over time their friendship turns to romance. Then one evening everything changes when a shocking crime occurs. Anne's tour is over and Westry is being redeployed. Yet the mystery of what happened that night is still lingering. Will they find each other again, was their love the sort of love that stands the test of time and war? You need to read it yourself to find out, but I promise you will be glad you did.
I'm not sure about anyone else, but when I read I see the story in my head. Some books are more real than others. Sometimes they are even a little hazy and I get moments of focus. For me, The Bungalow was an old black and white movie straight out of my grandparent's generation. I was swept away by Jio's vivid descriptions and I loved every minute of it. I honestly could visualize the entire book! Once again, I couldn't put Sarah's book down! Thank goodness I mostly read after the kids went to bed because I was so engrossed in the story I lost track of time. I finished The Bungalow in a day.
I read Sarah Jio's debut novel The Violets of March last year - and loved it. (my review) I had no doubt that I would enjoy her latest book, The Bungalow, as much. But I was wrong - I actually enjoyed it more!
Anne Calloway is ninety when her granddaughter Jennifer brings her a letter - one that asks questions about a murder in 1943 and so Anne begins to finally tell her story...
Anne has already gone against her well to do family's expectations for her. She and her friend Kitty both added nursing qualifications to their college degrees. "What we'd do with these credentials was of great concern to our parents. Heaven forbid we actually use them."
Anne's future is already planned for her - marriage to Gerard Godfrey, the local banker's son. "Mother and Mrs. Godfrey had planned the union since I was in infancy, of course. Calloways would marry Godfreys. It was as natural as coffee and cream."
But, it is 1942 and the War is on. When Kitty announces that she has enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps and is shipping out for the South Pacific, Anne does the unimaginable - she follows her heart and signs up as well.
Kitty and Anne land in Bora Bora. Kitty sees it all as a grand adventure, while Anne is more reserved. But Anne is inextricably drawn to Westry, one of the soldiers on base. Together they discover an abandoned beach hut and it is here that they fall in love - and plan for a life together when the war ends. But the locals say the hut is cursed. And it may well be - a horrific event puts an end to their sanctuary - and their plans for the future.
Jio has again woven the past and present together to create an absolutely addicting story. But it is the past that captured me the most.
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