mixture - Rated 
Wouldn't say the book is a bad read but ultimately it was disappointing with the language all too often bordering childish in the section about Leo losing his girlfriend - certainly wasn't gripping and would have given up on the book altogether if the author hadn't written about Moritz and his love Lotte in the early part of the 20th century which was far better.
Nice idea, average author - Rated 
I quite liked the idea of the gap year/war journey stories colliding but found the writing similar to that of a schoolchild. The most obvious example being the two or three pages that condense Leo's suspicion/confrontation of Hannah when he thinks she fancies him - in reality, the scenario would have taken place over several weeks but the whole thing was wedged into a few pages. It was like the author had to shoe-horn the situation into the story but couldn't be bothered to weave it into the plot. Ditto the "inheritance", which l found myself completely detached from. The storytelling, which was executed very well in the old man's tale, just did not come through when the strands of the two stories were being pulled together - they were stuck messily into place rather than carefully woven throughout the book.
An average read, easy to pick up and put down but nothing to shout about.
JOURNEYS - Rated 
Most will need to have the tissues handy at some point during the reading of this novel. Love is what enhances our lives, and the consequences of love are what sometimes threatens to tear us apart. 1992 - Leo and Eleni have taken a year out to travel around South America, but in Ecuador tragedy strikes and it seems that Leo Deakin's life has been left in ruins. Then travel back to 1914 and WW1 - join Moritz Daniecki on the Eastern Front as he's just joined the Austro-Hungarian Army to fight the Russians, leaving behind his beloved Lotte. Both stories involve journeys of different kinds; Leo's is an emotionally painful journey as he seeks to come to terms with the loss of Eleni, whereas the journey that Moritz undertakes requires great physical strength and courage. The close of the novel brings the two stories together and produces a well rounded ending. If I was asked what single thing from this novel I found most memorable, it would have to be the part in Moritz's story when he spends some time with an old man called Oleg during his journey home, across Russia. Oleg tells him the story of a man who, on seeing the setting sun, decides that his fortune lies where the sun touches the land. So he sets off towards it and walks and walks and walks. After a long time he returns to the village where he started, but when friends ask him to describe the wonders of the world, he was unable to do so because his eyes had been blinded by the sun. This little story is a reminder to us all that we should not allow the thought of the arrival to detract from the enjoyment of the journey - no matter what that journey may be. Danny Scheinmann is a skilled storyteller and this is a remarkable first novel.
A Must Read - Rated
Reading is an emotional experience and never more so than here. We experience the depths of loss of a loved one and exaggeration of promised love and its effect on the psyche. The book is well written,well researched and compulsive reading. Those who "do not get it" must be without a soul.
Full of emotion - Rated 
This was an enjoyable book to read. Through 2 separate stories the author manages to explore several emotions, from the highs of finding true love to the lows of bereavement.
The first chapter of the book was very powerful and extremely well written. It took what in these days would be just another news story and made it personal, magnifying the event to remind us how fragile life truly is.
Throughout the rest of the book, the author manages to paint a very vivid image of 2 separate journeys - a physical one across the harsh realities of Siberia and the other an even tougher one perhaps - an emotional journey seeking to recover to some sense of normality after a tragic loss.
If you do not over analyse the stories then you'd perhaps better appreciate the narrative. The only bit that takes away a star for me was the excessive randomness towards the end. Then again I'll remember this book for the journey rather than the ending.
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