Picked this up at a second-hand book sale. Judging by the number of people I've seen reading the thing on the tube, it must have something going for it. That said, the last book I thought that about was the Da Vinci Code, and that was bobbins.

Well, it was certainly better than 'The Da Vinci Code'! In fact this is an excellent book. It cleverly contrasts the tedium and horror of war, and illustrates how war can make ordinary people do extraordinary things, both good and bad. The characters are well-written and the descriptions of everyday life in island Greece are wonderful. There's a lot of humour here, which makes the inevitable sadness all the more difficult to take. An excellent read.

(Sadly, this copy got wet when I got caught in a sudden and typically British summertime shower. It is readable, but not holding together very well. I will endeavour to replace it if I can pick up another second hand copy somewhere, but until then it will remain on my 'reserved' list.)

(The original copy fell apart and has now been consigned to the recycling box. However, I managed to pick up a replacement in a charity shop, so this is now available.)