The Bungalow
$16.00
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Trade Discount | 5 + | 25% |
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Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of Always and Blackberry Winter, a sweeping World War II saga of thwarted love, murder, and a long-lost painting.
In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiancé, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world—until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war.
A timeless story of enduring passion from the author of Blackberry Winter and The Violets of March, The Bungalow chronicles Anne’s determination to discover the truth about the twin losses—of life, and of love—that have haunted her for seventy years.
Praise for The Bungalow:
Pulpwood Queens Book Club, Official Selection 2012
“A heartfelt, engaging love story set against the fascinating backdrop of the War in the Pacific.”—Kristin Hannah, author of Home Front
“Unabashedly romantic…thanks to Jio’s deft handling of her plot and characters. Fans of Nicholas Sparks will enjoy this gentle historical love story.”—Library Journal
“Power plays, backstabbing, an old art mystery, and a very intriguing young soldier mesh together in an ultimately captivating tale. The sensuous bungalow of the title occupies a dreamy, escapist place in the plot. [For] fans of Samantha Sotto, Camille Noe Pagan, and Bridget Asher.”—Booklist
Praise for Sarah Jio and her novels:
“Jio has become one of the most-read women in America.”—Woman’s World (on Morning Glory)
“Delightful and uplifting.”—Historical Novel Society (on Goodnight June)
“Linger[s] long after the last page.”—Romantic Times (on The Last Camellia)
“Eminently readable…a tribute to family and forgiveness.”—Booklist (on Goodnight June)
“Terrific…compelling…an intoxicating blend of mystery, history and romance.”—Real Simple (on Blackberry Winter)
Sarah Jio is the #1 international, New York Times, and USA Today bestselling author of eight novels. She is also a longtime journalist who has contributed to Glamour, The New York Times, Redbook, Real Simple, O: The Oprah Magazine, Cooking Light, Woman’s Day, Marie Claire, Self, and many other outlets, including NPR’s Morning Edition, appearing as a commentator. Jio lives in Seattle with her three young boys.
INTRODUCTION
A sweeping World War II saga of thwarted love, murder, and a long–lost painting.
In the summer of 1942, twenty–one–year–old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora–Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiancé, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world–until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war.
A timeless story of enduring passion, The Bungalow chronicles Anne’s determination to discover the truth about the twin losses–of life, and of love–that have haunted her for seventy years.
ABOUT SARAH JIO
Sarah Jio is a frequent contributor to major magazines, including Real Simple, Glamour, Cooking Light, andRedbook, and is also the health and fitness blogger for Glamour.com. She lives in Seattle with her family.
A CONVERSATION WITH SARAH JIO
Q. What kind of research did you do in order to write this novel? Both The Bungalow and your first novel, The Violets of March, are partly set in the past – what is it about writing historical fiction that appeals to you?
While the idea for this novel came to me very quickly and vividly, I spent a few months researching life during the war, particularly island life, before I did the bulk of the writing. I wanted to get the feeling just right. But, ultimately, the biggest boost to my research came from discovering a diary kept by my great uncle while serving in the Army in the South Pacific during World War II. His daily accounts of life in the tropics during wartime were fascinating and informed my writing. I only wish he were still living so I could share this novel with him.
Q. Are the main characters in your novels the most challenging for you fully flesh out, or do you find it more difficult to bring the characters on the sidelines to life? When you’re writing, do you ever find yourself more drawn to one of the characters than you thought you might be at first?
I tend to find the sideline characters more challenging, as I want their presence to be memorable, and yet not too overstated. So the balance is an important one that I’m constantly striving to get right. And, oh yes, just like readers, I do find that I am drawn to one character more than another. But, it’s pretty typical for me to feel “one” with my heroines. While they are not me, and don’t always make the choices I make, I see them as I would friends, and I love them the same way too!
Q. What are you working on now? We got a glimpse of one of the characters from The Violets of March in The Bungalow – can we expect to see any of our favorites from The Bungalow cropping up in your next novel?
Yes indeed! I have so much fun with this, and I will share that my next novel, Blackberry Winter, which will be published in late 2012, will also feature a character or two from previous novels (and fans of The Violets of March will enjoy knowing that they will get to see Emily and Jack in a very interesting new chapter in their lives!).
Q. What drew you to the subject of the war in the Pacific for your second novel? Did you have grandparents who fought in World War II?
I first became fascinated with the South Pacific when my late grandfather shared stories of his military service during World War II. He was always very quiet about his time there, as many war veterans are, but he shared just enough to pique my curiosity, which simmered over the course of my lifetime. Also, while beginning to research this novel, I discovered the wartime journal of my great uncle, who fought in the South Pacific and wrote, in great detail, about his adventures and challenges there. His journal entries (as I mention above) fascinated me and provided valuable information for the setting and landscape of my story.
Q. In the story, the little beach bungalow down the shore from the base becomes Anne and Westry’s private sanctuary. Where did the idea for this bungalow come to you?
It’s funny, I was actually looking at photos of my honeymoon when the idea for The Bungalow first appeared in my mind. In 2001, my husband and I honeymooned in Moorea, a little island near Tahiti, and we stayed in a tiny, thatched–roof beach bungalow (if you’re thinking luxury, don’t: It was open–air, so there were bugs galore!). Still, it was a magical little place (despite the geckos and bug bites) that holds a very special spot in my heart.
Q. The present–day action of your first novel, The Violets in March, takes place on Bainbridge Island in Washington state and the heart of The Bungalow takes place on Bora Bora. Do islands as settings hold a special fascination for you?
Oh yes! I have always been fascinated with the romance and mystique of islands. I’m truly drawn to them in fiction and real life, and if I can convince my husband, I think we’ll become island stowaways at some point in the near future!
Q. Anne Calloway, the heroine of The Bungalow, is an intelligent, thoughtful woman who grows a rowdy sense of Marine humor on Bora Bora. Is she based on anyone you know or interviewed while doing your research?
Anne is purely a creation of my imagination, though I did think a lot about my grandmother while I was creating her character. Like Anne, my grandma was a nurse during the war, and though she wasn’t sent to the South Pacific, I suspect that she would have handled the heat (and the rowdy men) with just as much spunk, self–assuredness and strength.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
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Additional information
Dimensions | 0.6500 × 5.3000 × 8.0100 in |
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Subjects | historical romance books, passion, painting, heart, forever, pacific, beach read, historical romance, always, romance novel, FIC027110, romance novels, historical fiction, historical fiction books, romantic suspense, romance suspense, world war 2 fiction, goodnight june, sarah jio books, sarah jio, blackberry winter, violets of march, bora bora, Friendship, life, hope, historical, war, loss, discovery, exotic, romance, love, fiction, mystery, world war 2, novel, romance books, murder, FIC014000, WWII, WW2, world war ii, heartfelt, women's fiction, love story |