Product details
- ISBN 9780008393670
- Weight: 280g
- Dimensions: 129 x 198mm
- Publication Date: 19 Aug 2021
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
- Language: English
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‘Moving and authentic’ Dinah Jefferies
‘Vivid, heart-rending and so, so beautiful’ Jenny Ashcroft
'A beautiful, tender and fascinating story' Sinead Moriarty
‘Deeply moving. Be prepared – have handkerchiefs on standby at the end’ Antonia Senior, The Times
‘An inspiring novel about the power of determination, courage and unity’ Woman’s Own
China, 1941. With Japan’s declaration of war on the Allies, Elspeth Kent’s future changes forever. When soldiers take control of the missionary school where she teaches, comfortable security is replaced by rationing, uncertainty and fear.
Ten-year-old Nancy Plummer has always felt safe at Chefoo School. Now the enemy, separated indefinitely from anxious parents, the children must turn to their teachers – to Miss Keny and her new Girl Guide patrol especially – for help. But worse is to come when the pupils and teachers are sent to a distant internment camp. Unimaginable hardship, impossible choices and danger lie ahead.
Inspired by true events, this is the unforgettable story of the life-changing bonds formed between a young girl and her teacher, in a remote corner of a terrible war.
Shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards for Popular Fiction Book of the Year
USA Today bestseller
Published in the USA and Canada under the title When We Were Young and Brave.
Hazel Gaynor is an award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, Irish Times and internationally bestselling author known for her historical novels which explore the defining events of the 20th century. A debut author recipient of the 2015 RNA Historical Novel of the Year award, her work has since been shortlisted for the 2019 HWA Gold Crown Award, the 2020 RNA Awards, and the Irish Book Awards in 2017, 2020 and 2023. THE BIRD IN THE BAMBOO CAGE was a bestseller in the USA and her most recent novel, THE LAST LIFEBOAT, was a Times of London historical novel of the month and a 2024 Audie winner for Best Fiction Narrator. Hazel's next novel, BEFORE DOROTHY, will be published in June 2025. Her co-written historical novels with Heather Webb have all been published to critical acclaim. Their latest collaboration, CHRISTMAS WITH THE QUEEN, will be published in November 2024. Her work has been translated into 20 languages in 27 territories to date. She lives in Ireland with her family.
