In 1906, after Bridie O’Malley’s mother has died her father takes her and her two older brothers to settle in Australia. She quickly makes friends with the identical twin brothers who lived next door, Denny and Connor Ronan, and by the time she is in her teens everyone is wondering which brother will be the one she marries. However, before a wedding can take place her brothers, along with Denny and Connor, march off to the Great War in Europe, all of them eager to get there before the action is over. Sadly only one of the four returns. Almost 100 years later Bridie’s great granddaughter is a forensic anthropologist and has accepted a job in France identifying the recovered Australian soldiers’ bodies which were lost in the disastrous WW1 battle that occurred at Fromelles. Imagine her surprise when her great aunt Hettie tells her that some of her own ancestors could be among the fallen.

RONAN’S ECHO by Joanne van Os is a very, very good story. Spanning a century the story of how WWI impacted one family through 4 generations of women is a compelling read. I was hooked from the very first page, however Joanne does not rush her story, and neither did she drag it; the pacing, the story, the character development is all spot on. Added to this are the family secrets and the twists and turns which gradually come to light and do not feel forced or leaving you scratching your head. So much information is given about WW1 as well, facts that I was not aware of. Gallipoli and the huge number of losses incurred over the few months that it dragged out for is the focus of ANZAC day in Australia. It became a symbol of Australia’s new national identity, a coming of age as a nation. However, Fromelles was much bigger as far as Australian losses went, there 5,533 casualties (with over 2,000 dead) in just ONE night. In fact this toll was equivalent to the total Australian casualties in the Boer War, Korean War and the Vietnam War put together. It was a staggering loss and Joanne has managed to convey the horror and violence of the war without generating into pages of gore. She summed up the bravado, the fear and the senselessness of what occurred. Joanne also managed to convey the fallout of the war on the participants, and those left burning the home fires. The survivors were changed forever and their struggles had a ripple down effect on future generations. RONAN’S ECHO is an absolute ripper of a read.

Taking to meetup this morning. If no one selects it I will leave on a chair near the cafe.

Picked up at the meet-up.

A remarkable, poignant and very moving story of how a major event can echo and triple through generations.

Travelling with another book. Books shouldn't travel alone.

thankyou for the travel companion :)

the author lives in darwin - i was going to ask have you met her - and i see the author has signed the book for sally906

there is a certain specialness i think with local authors

thanks again
;)