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5.0 out of 5 stars
Got time? Fill it with this..., August 18, 2000
This review is from: Flower of the Pacific (Paperback)
"Flower of the Pacific" is a deeply researched and accurate tromp through World War II as seen through the senses of characters flawed enough to be believable, but powerful enough to be heroic. The fine attention to detail proves once again the tiniest threads are what make the difference between a prettily-woven story and a breathtaking one. "Flower..." allows us to reach back into our not-so-distant history and watch people react much the same way we might think we'd react to frightening, tender, sad or funny situations. The grand part is that these folks sometimes react with genius, sometimes with foolishness. You don't have to worry about always knowing ahead of time what someone will do in this book. The forays into the world of intrigue dip in and out of the imagination pool, but always fall well within the acceptable. You'll find yourself stopping, thinking and then saying, "yeah, that could happen," before marching on to the next page. Suspension of belief is necesssary, but that's the essence that MAKES a good read, a good movie, a good play or a well-crafted story. . .like "Flower of the Pacific." As I said above -- if you have some spare time, this is the way to spend it! It's a great mental dine-out!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Got time? Fill it with this. . ., August 18, 2000
This review is from: Flower of the Pacific (Paperback)
"Flower of the Pacific" is a deeply researched, fast-paced and factual tromp through World War II as seen through the varied senses of intriguing characters who are flawed enough to be believable, but powerful enough to be heroic. The precise attention to detail -- from aircraft mechanisms to battle tactics to 40s fashions -- clearly proves the tiniest threads are what make the difference between a prettily-woven story and a breathtaking one. "Flower..." allows us to reach back into our not-so-distant history and watch people react much the same way we might imagine ourselves reacting to tumultuous, funny, sad or frightening situations. The refreshing layer is that these folks sometimes react with genius, sometimes with foolishness. You don't have to worry about saying, "I KNEW that was going to happen..." The dips in and out of intrigue border on the fine line of creative imagination, but fall well into the arena of credibility. Suspension of belief is necessary, but that's the fun that makes a good read, a good movie, a good play or a well-told story . . . like "Flower of the Pacific." As I said at the beginning -- if you have some spare time, fill it with this novel. It's great mental dine-out!
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Flower of the Pacific Revisited, June 19, 2000
This review is from: Flower of the Pacific (Paperback)
Though it has been a number of years since I read this book, a couple of things stick out in my mind, which probably makes a review more valid! If I can remember it for years, it must have validity. First, the author did her homework on the Pacific theater of World War Two-or seems to have to a pacifist that didn't serve in that theater. Her discriptions seemed authentic and her knowledge of actions and events and locales seemed on target as well. Her love interests were toooooo romantic for me and did not seem to contain the realism of the other aspects of the book. That aspetc smacked of historical romance-but maybe that's just unromantic me. All in all, a good read.
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