Thank you Charlotte Walker and Linda Amos.https://www.lovereading.co.uk/book/27044/Beyond-the-Bukubuk-Tree-A-World-War-II-Novel-of-Love-and-Losss-by-Loretta-Goldberg.html
LoveReading Says
An emotional and compelling exploration of the Australian Lark Forces stationed in Rabaul during World War II. Jake Friedman is an idealistic young Jewish doctor from Melbourne, haunted by the death of a colleague injured on their way to a callout to try to help treat children with polio. Wracked by guilt he was unable to help either of them he feels compelled to enlist into the Australian Army, when being shipped to his post in Rabaul he encounters Wip, who served in World War I and stands up to bullies but who has a past he’s determined to forget. Once they reach base the two men get closer as they adjust to living in the jungle climate and prepare for war. The attack on Pearl Harbour sparks a wake of action that sees Raubul under attack, and Wip and Jake must fight to survive in their deeply under-resourced battalion. This is a highly emotional, character-driven read. We see two men get to know one another and fall in love against the backdrop of war. We get to know these characters and hope everything will be ok. Then war arrives on the shores of Rabaul. The vivid descriptions of the battles and desperate fights for survival brings a whole new dimension to the storyline that brought tears to my eyes and had me dreading to turn the page. The history of Rabaul is one I’m not familiar with and Friedman’s meticulous research brought this tropical island and the devastation that happened there to life. Beyond the Bukubuk Tree is gripping and compelling, a story of love, hope and courage and survival in the face of adversity. Highly recommended for readers of historical fiction and historical sagas.
Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading Ambassador
I can highly recommend it. Thank you for allowing me to read an advance copy.
Dr Jake Friedman decides to leave civilian life and join the Second Australian Imperial Force before conscription arrives. His parents have passed away, a musician sister, Miriam, has been unwell for years following an abusive marriage and his remaining sister is a music teacher giving free lessons to a neighbour, Tommy Whipple. On the ship taking him to New Britain Island, east of what is now Papua New Guinea, he treats Seaman Lee who has fallen foul of a bully. His care and kindness to the man, and many others, becomes a debt to be repaid. He also treats Captain John ‘Wip’ Whipple in the ship’s hospital, who took on the bully in an unauthorised fight. They find great happiness in each other in Rabaul, where they are posted, the shadow of war looms closer and when the Japanese army invade they are taken prisoner…. Read Full Review
