thebacklistborrower's Reviews (570)

This was a great novel about being lost and confused and finding your way in life. The author does a great job of expressing the confusion of Wayne trying to find place in the world, his parents' confusion in trying to raise him, and Wayne's friends and acquaintances trying to find their own life. The person who seems least lost, Thomasina, seems to accomplish that by intentionally losing herself in travel. She provides a great anchor for all the other people in the novel.

I read this book as it was in the long list for Canada Reads 2018, and I absolutely loved it. Sandra described the difficulty she had in her training, and also showed how the harassment and abuse she suffered as the first woman in infantry training was brushed off not only by her superiors, but also by herself. On the other hand, she also showed great strength and persistence through all obstacles, and I couldn't help but feeling like I needed to cheer her on as she showed what women can do, time and time again.

As a military memoir, it doesn't "feel" like the others I've read, possibly because the men in those memoirs don't have to think so much about being accepted by their team, and also possibly because obstacles were put in front of Sandra at every turn to prevent her from working in the field. I think if you aren't sure about them, you'd probably still like this one.

This is an extremely important book to highlight the problem women face in the military (the last bastion of masculinity, as Perron puts it), but also, to a lesser extent, in many other fields and aspects of their lives.

A sad novel that better revealed the layers of racism present in our society than any other book I've read. Ending during the Second World War, the racism between white people and Chinese and Japanese, and the Chinese towards the Japanese paints an ugly picture through the eyes of a child who is otherwise ignorant of it all.

An extremely inspiring book on many levels. I think this book is a must-read for any runner whether they are a man or a woman. Kathrine's passion for the sport will motivate anybody to put down the book and go for a run, and her descriptions of running in the 70s and 80s will make the same people grateful they are running now. Beyond running, Kathrine's own growth and struggles with her personal relationships and career also provide opportunity for learning.