The main characters are Margot, often called Margie by her friends or Goat by her much loved brother Grahame and his best friend Tom and Addy for Adeline. Fortunately for Margot she sees both Grahame and Tom regularly when they are on leave.

When Addy first meets Margot she appears rather distant and cold. Addy who is the life and soul of the party, senses something is is not quite right and wonders why Margot volunteered. It takes a few days for the lovely warm and welcoming Addy to find out the reason. Using her natural friendliness she is able to help her new room mate as they begin a lifelong friendship. They spend the following three and a half years together sharing many experiences,  joyful, fun, working hard and harrowing.

The Tuis, named after the pretty New Zealand birds, are welcomed in Egypt on arrival by Lady Freyberg, wife of General Freyberg who manages the Tuis unit. She is always concerned for the welfare of the Tuis and develops a good rapport with them. After the War, Sir Freyberg became the Governor General in New Zealand. The unit is there for the New Zealand Forces Clubs, working hard in whatever role is asked of them to give some sense of normality and a sense of home to the troops when on leave from fighting.

Friendships develop and life is portrayed as quite adventurous and jovial for these young women and soldiers in Cairo. When not working, the Tuis go the clubs, bars, shops - including helping the soldiers to buy gifts to send home. They also try to escape the incessant heat while on some of these excursions. They soon grow to love living this vastly different life away from home and parents as they discover a whole new world.

Romance blossoms for for both young women as it does for Margot's brother Grahame with another Tui, Lily. In these strange circumstances life doesn't seem so difficult. But despite this and the exhilarance of being so far from home there is a dark side.

After a while the Tuis are sent to Italy to follow the New Zealand Army. A sudden devastating attack changes everything as Addy discovers her true meaning of love, Another unexpected devastating attack occurs for the soldiers which affects the Tuis at the New Zealand Club. Soon afterwards this is followed by another tragedy in a different part of Italy.

Beautifully written the story deals with several issues pertinent to the circumstances and the times. Relationships, love, personalities, disappointments, expectations, incorrect assumptions and women standing up for themselves in the face of some very nasty situations. It also highlights the changes that occur when thrust into unfamiliar surroundings that bring joy and happiness.

At each new posting Margot and Addy's worlds broaden, enjoying a love of opera, theatre, Italian food, learning from local chefs, language and the kind hospitality from the locals. It was delightful reading about a romantic couple of days enjoyed in the region where the well-known conical roofed houses called trullii are situated but it also included a heartbreaking story.

Addy develops a love for writing and forges a career which advances once the War ends. Margot finds true happiness again which she did not expect after a few difficulties along the way. In a way, unsurprisingly not everyone wants to return home and later in the book I had to smile when reading why is New Zealand so far from Europe?

The descriptions of where they are is enticing and made me want to board a plane and visit Italy.  Olivia Spooner's detailed research shines through her most enjoyable writing and frankly I can't wait to read her next book - hopefully there is one in the pipeline.

The Author

In a former life, Olivia Spooner worked as a Community and Hospital Pharmacist in Auckland, Wellington and London. As a health professional, she met many people from all walks of life, and discovered that listening to a patient or caregiver's story is one of the most powerful medicines anyone can prescribe.

For the past fifteen years, she has pursued her passion for writing alongside raising three children and running her own business. Luckily, as owner-operator of gorgeous independent bookstore, The Booklover, she's able to indulge in her love of books and reading, and still carve out time to write.