Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Burma, 1945.

Bea, Plum, Bubbles, Joy and Lucy are five young women looking for adventure, fighting a forgotten war in the jungle attached to the Fourteenth Army. Running a mobile canteen, navigating treacherous roads and dodging hostile gunfire, they soon become embroiled in life-threatening battles of their own - battles that will haunt the women for the rest of their lives.

Oxford, 1976. At the height of an impossibly hot English summer, a woman slips into a museum and steals several rare Japanese netsuke, including the famed fox-girl. Despite the offer of a considerable reward, these tiny, exquisitely detailed carvings are never seen again.

London and Galway, 1999. On the eve of the new millennium, Olivia, assistant to an art dealer, meets Beatrix, an elderly widow who wishes to sell her late husband's collection of Japanese art. Concealing her own motives, Olivia travels with Beatrix to a New Year's Eve party, deep in the Irish countryside, where friendships will be tested and secrets kept for more than fifty years are spilled...

I really haven’t been able to put this one down and found I had devoured the entire book in just one sitting… I have loved this book so much, I wish I could give it five hundred stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for approving me.

The first book I read by Kayte Nunn was Silk House and I absolutely loved that. So when I saw her new one available here I just had to request it, and was thrilled to be accepted.

Stunning writing, I was completely swept up the whole way through! Loved it!

I have relatives that fought in the Burma war so was keen to know more about this period. This was an endearing tale of hope, love and friendships told through two timelines and by inspirational women. I loved it.

I absolutely adored this book and found it incredibly fascinating. If you're interested in stories about the World Wars, then this is a rare find - a book that tells a different story, one of a 'forgotten' war and 'forgotten women'.

The narrative flips between modern day Olivia, who is an assistant art dealer on the trail of a stolen Japanese netsuke and 1945 in Burma where we meet the 'Wasbies'.

I thought the description of the Wasbies and their role within the war really interesting to read. It certainly was something I hadn't known about before. There were moments of friendship, humour and romance whilst the grittiness of life in the Burmese jungle and the terrors that undoubtedly occurred in real life for those women, were included.

I would definitely recommend this and loved the return to the comradery of the women, 50 years on.

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

Three and a half stars.

This is the story of a young woman called Beatrix Pelham who was brought up in India and joined the Women's Auxiliary Services (Burma), or Wasbies as they were affectionately known, dispensing teas, sandwiches, cake and a reminder of home to Allied Forces in India and Burma. Although it might sound the most English thin possible, this women were close to the fighting and were required to set up camp in the most of basic of conditions, then serve food and drink to up to 1,000 hungry soldiers, day after day after day, moving from one location to another.

Fast forward to 1999 and Olivia, a young Australian art history graduate is interning at a small art dealer in London when her boss gets a call from an elderly widow who wants to sell her husband's Japanese art collection, including a rare Foxgirl netsuke which was reported stolen in 1976. Olivia is sent to assess the collection and determine whether there is provenance for the netsuke, which could be worth tens of thousands of pounds, but falls ill on the woman's doorstep and gets snowed in for Christmas.

Told partly in 1944/5 and partly in 1999 we discover what life was like for young (Bea started in the Wasbies when she was only twenty) girls from sheltered homes who had to endure the heat and humidity of working in a jungle with only rudimentary housing and equipment. How she came to possess the netsuke, how it was lost and how she reclaimed it.

I really enjoyed reading this book, especially because I hadn't heard of the Wasbies before. However, it wasn't without its flaws. First, everything was quite briefly and superficially described, almost like a diary entry, I didn't really get a feel of what it really felt like to open so many cans of tinned meat in a single day that you got blisters or how long they must have spent making sandwiches every day, it was all just touched on briefly. Secondly, it was all a bit predictable, sanitised and happy ever after. So, a good read but not a great one.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is the second book that I have read by this author and it was excellent. The story is told over a dual timeline- 1945 and 1999.
I love the way the author writes characters. They are so well developed and you can’t help but to like them.
A great historical fiction book.

The Last Reunion by Kayte Nunn

Burma, 1945.

Bea, Plum, Bubbles, Joy and Lucy are five young women looking for adventure, fighting a forgotten war in the jungle attached to the Fourteenth Army. Running a mobile canteen, navigating treacherous roads and dodging hostile gunfire, they soon become embroiled in life-threatening battles of their own - battles that will haunt the women for the rest of their lives.

Oxford, 1976. At the height of an impossibly hot English summer, a woman slips into a museum and steals several rare Japanese netsuke, including the famed fox-girl. Despite the offer of a considerable reward, these tiny, exquisitely detailed carvings are never seen again.

London and Galway, 1999. On the eve of the new millennium, Olivia, assistant to an art dealer, meets Beatrix, an elderly widow who wishes to sell her late husband's collection of Japanese art. Concealing her own motives, Olivia travels with Beatrix to a New Year's Eve party, deep in the Irish countryside, where friendships will be tested and secrets kept for more than fifty years are spilled...
Fantastic story , loved all the timelines and the main characters and the way they interlinked. Poignant and mesmerising.