Julie

Pieced together from journals, letters, military records, and pictures, Zuckoff’s book places us squarely in wartime New Guinea, 1945. A sight-seeing “joy ride” into the most remote area of the island was supposed to have been a treat for twenty-four American enlisted men and WACs. Their destination was a recently discovered lush valley in the interior that was almost inaccessible by plane, impossible to land in, and populated by legendary giant cannibals. The crash survivors were stranded in the most isolated and dangerous jungle on earth. Zuckoff’s research and richly descriptive prose make for an incredible tale of survival, courage, and good old American ingenuity. ~ Julie

Gregson’s third novel delivers the same gritty narrative that highlights her previous works, East of the Sun and Band of Angels. Beautiful Saba Tarcan, daughter of a Turkish merchant marine and an English mother, is a talented singer who performs before the troops in North Africa during World War II. She meets and falls in love with a handsome RAF pilot, and her high profile connections and multi-lingual abilities lead to her recruitment by the British Secret Service. Gregson’s novels—great adventures from the opulent past, wondrous journeys of women from history—are well-researched, with gutsy protagonists. One can almost sense the flavors of the exotic marketplace or the smell of the desert in the evening as she describes them.
~ Julie