Gain Access To The Orchid Tree Depicted By Siobhan Daiko Disseminated As Pamphlet

a truly beautiful story, telling the coming of age of ayear old girl in Hong Kong during and after World War.
It shows innocence and humanity in volatile times, class and race perceptions, family life, politics, the brutality of war and romance,
I've been to Hong Kong several times and have a deep love for it, The author also has first hand knowledge of the place and did a wonderful job at setting the scene and reminding me of all its beauty.

World Warwas such a complex war with many theatres and players, Reading about the Japanese invasion and occupation of Hong Kong was historically particularly fascinating for me, as was the part about the period following WW.

Daiko chose a great character to tell her story: Kate, a girl coming of age and falling in love, This unique perspective allows us to see the madness of the grown up world as an outsider and as participant, Great sidecharacters flesh out the story and add to the richness of the novel,
Moving, insightful and highly recommended, Powerful storytelling, Ms Daiko truly paints a picture with her words and allows you to see the locations/surroundings and feel her characters emotions.
Set in Hong Kong during the second world war, I was enthralled with the history, gripped with the plight of the characters' situations and immersed with the love story.


A wonderful sweeping historical romance, Siobhan Daiko has the insider's eye on the detail and atmosphere of Hong Kong, and the Orchid Tree really brings the place alive to the reader.
It is a wonderfully fastpaced and readable book, It manages to combine two intertwined love stories, the horrors of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and the internment of the expats, along with subplots involving smuggling, triads and Special Branch.
It delivers serious messages though, about entrenched and racist attitudes in the expat community, the impact of war on individuals, and the influence of communist China on postwar Hong Kong.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to be transported to a different place and time and wants a thoroughly absorbing read.
I received a copy through the Goodreads First Reads program,
I started reading this story when I barely had any free time to spare, but when I was free, The Orchid Tree was in my hands.
As the rush in my schedule died down, all I did was read, I practically absorbed this story! I was very intrigued, and I highly recommend it, This is a fantastic story, so evocative of both time and place, The story never loses its pace and the writer is skilled at pulling you into the action, so that you are with the characters every step of the way and feel like you are experiencing the events right there with them.
I've never been to Hong Kong or thes, but now I really feel like I have! I can't recommend it enough.
Learned a lot!

I very much enjoyed learning about Hong Kong! I did not understand or enjoy political details and talk of the Nationalists and communists.
That is because I am not a politically minded person, I do understand that those things needed to be included to make the story work, I was hoping James and Kate would end up together, so I was disappointed that he married Sofia, I did not care much for her, Thanks for sharing your talent with us! I enjoyed it! I enjoyed the book and learning more about the Japanese POW camp during WWII.
I kept confusing Sofia and Kate in the book though, Pay attention to more detail in the beginning would be my advice, Maybe the publisher gotpeople to give good reviews of this book, I thought it was awful, Couldn't get past the second chapter, Maybe it should be classified as YA, The Orchid Tree is a historical drama set in Hong Kong, The First part is fromduring the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during WWII, Fifteen year old Kate Wolseley is British and lives with her parents on The Peak, When the Japanese invade and the governor surrenders no one can quite believe what happens,

Once the Japanese have taken over, Kate and her family are moved to the Stanley Internment Camp, an exprison, Conditions are poor and food soon runs very short, Kate makes friends with Charles Pearce a half Chinese boy as they queue each day for water and attend lessons together, The descriptions and imagery are very thought provoking as everyone waits to be rescued by either the British or the Americans,

Across the water in Macau we meet Sophia Rodrigues and her family who are from Portuguese descent, During the war, Macau was neutral, yet Japanese people still arrived in the area, Sophia's father is head of the Macau gold consortium and befriends the Japanese Kimura family, Sophia is half Chinese and is close to her Uncle who is involved with smuggling, During the war he smuggles medicines into the POW camps,

As the recapture of Hong Kong drew nearer, situations on both sides got very desperate, Charles is arrested one day when the prison guards learn of a radio that the prisoners are listening to.
News comes that Charles was on a ship heading for a Japanese labour camp when the boat as torpedoed and everyone fears the worse.


A heartbroken Kate and her father go to Australia after the war, but both return to their home in Hong Kong later.
Part two of the book covers the years, Hong Kong rebuilds itself and there are many opportunities to make money for enterprising individual's, The population is growing fast with the spread of communism in China and people fleeing the fighting, Sophia and Kate are both young ladies now and their lives and loves link them in more ways than one,

I enjoyed this book, it was a very good insight into the war years and how Hong Kong expanded in the post war years.
Great read. Easy to pick up and put down

I enjoyed reading this book especially because having been to Hong Kongtimes the names of places made the book alive.
I could visualise the place, This is a beautifully written love story set against the second world war in Hong Kong and after, It is not a straight forward love story and follows two couples from very different backgrounds who have to overcome many obstacles such as, the war, their differing backgrounds and family objections.
It is a love story that triumphs over tragedy and racial bigotry,

Kate Worsley wasyears old when war came to Hong Kong, Interned with her parents in a Japanese prisoner of war camp Kate meets Charles a half Chinese boy also interned with his family.


Sofia is half Portuguese half Chinese who lives in Macau which is neutral territory during the war, Her father is a wealthy gold dealer, James is a poor boy from England who fought during the war and came to Hong Kong after the war to make his fortune.


Siobhan Daiko has a way with words and beautifully describes each situation with great detail and makes you almost believe you are there with the characters in the book.


I highly recommend this book, not only will you learn about how people survived during the war in Hong Kong but you will also learn about the prejudices people experienced.
It is a rich tableau of life during and

after the war and well worth the read,

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