Review of 'The jacaranda tree' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
The book was written in 1949 and set at the beginning of the second world war, but as I read it the headlines kept coming in about the coup in Myanmar and I couldn't help but wonder how much of the problems that that country is now experiencing is due to their history of occupation and repression by the British and then the Japanese. As you would expect from its date and author, it is written from the perspective of the colonists. The two local people in the group are not presented as being the equals of their British, though having said that the British are on the whole presented pretty negatively as well, with the exception of Paterson, a 'normal man'. The narrative is gripping, well told, and I'm sure gives a flavour of what it was like to be a colonialist fleeing the country at that time. The …
The book was written in 1949 and set at the beginning of the second world war, but as I read it the headlines kept coming in about the coup in Myanmar and I couldn't help but wonder how much of the problems that that country is now experiencing is due to their history of occupation and repression by the British and then the Japanese. As you would expect from its date and author, it is written from the perspective of the colonists. The two local people in the group are not presented as being the equals of their British, though having said that the British are on the whole presented pretty negatively as well, with the exception of Paterson, a 'normal man'. The narrative is gripping, well told, and I'm sure gives a flavour of what it was like to be a colonialist fleeing the country at that time. The characters are interesting and how they respond (sometimes flowering, sometimes withering) in response to their change in circumstances is very nicely done. Definitely worth reading.