I was totally engrossed in this book from the very beginning. I don't really consider myself a fan of historical fiction from any period, but the human elements of this book won me over. All the characters are so well drawn and have such depth that I was experiencing things alongside them, as if they were my friends. Focusing on the impact that situations have on the people involved opens up historical stories to anyone who loves reading.
The book is about a boy (Phil) and his grandmother (Emma) taking a trip across Europe as Emma revisits people and places she knew before and at the beginning of the Second World War. She wants to share her story with Phil as she has a brain tumour and doesn't want it to die with her. She is one of the most amazing characters I have encountered for a while, she had an exhilarating life and was dead set on tying up some loose ends before it was too late.
I have to take a moment to also mention the geographical descriptions that Ridpath includes - they were like the verbal equivalent of photos, so very evocative that I now want to visit all the places that are in the book!
The book is about a boy (Phil) and his grandmother (Emma) taking a trip across Europe as Emma revisits people and places she knew before and at the beginning of the Second World War. She wants to share her story with Phil as she has a brain tumour and doesn't want it to die with her. She is one of the most amazing characters I have encountered for a while, she had an exhilarating life and was dead set on tying up some loose ends before it was too late.
I have to take a moment to also mention the geographical descriptions that Ridpath includes - they were like the verbal equivalent of photos, so very evocative that I now want to visit all the places that are in the book!