If you like popular romantic fiction, you will like this book which will take you from Gallipoli to England to Turkey and to Australia. Fiona's depiction of Gallipoli and the horrors of the Great War from the perspective of an English nurse was mindfully realistic and evocative. It inspired me to watch "Gallipoli" again, the movie which I had seen in the early 80's. Even though the movie was a visual depiction of the same event, it did not match the book in the portrayal of Gallipoli's devastating carnage. I guess this is so because the book was written from the perspective of the medical profession who fought to save shattered lives and bodies. Amidst the horror of this war, a romance is born for Claire Nightingale, an English nurse and Jamie Wren, an Australian Light Horseman. Even though this story is fictional, it stands as a tribute to many real life romances which no doubt sprang up during the madness of warfare. As the reverence for life ignites the romantic notion between a wounded soldier and his nurse, this book intends to prove that love can defy most dire circumstances and endure across years of separation and uncertainty. The love component of this book, however, went beyond reality for me and I found the ending laced with over-abundance of sugar and spice. The most enjoyable part of the book was getting to know the 'enemy' beyond the ANZAC trenches of Gallipoli and learning about Turkish culture. In the end, we are all just people, with same hopes and desires going through this strange experience called life.
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