The Last Reunion

Book excerpt: Friendships will be tested when five women come together at a New Year's Eve party after decades apart, in this thrilling story based on a brave group of WWII servicewomen, by the bestselling author of The Silk House Burma, 1945. Bea, Plum, Bubbles, Joy and Lucy: in search of adventure, attached to the Fourteenth Army, fighting a forgotten war in the jungle. Assigned to run a mobile canteen, they become embroiled in life-threatening battles of their own. Oxford, 1976. A woman steals several rare Japanese netsuke from a museum. Despite the offer of a considerable reward, these tiny, exquisitely detailed carvings are never seen again. London and Galway, 1999. On the eve of the new millennium, Olivia, assistant to an art dealer, and Beatrix, an elderly widow who wishes to sell her late husband's collection of Japanese art, travel to a party deep in the Irish countryside, where secrets kept for more than fifty years are spilled. Inspired by the heroic women who served in the 'forgotten war' in Burma, The Last Reunion is a heartbreaking love story and mystery by the international bestselling author of The Botanist's Daughter and The Silk House. 'This is very good commercial historical fiction, well-crafted and well-informed. It pulls no punches about wartime violence, and Kayte Nunn has some thoughtful points to make about the nature and endurance of women's friendships' Sydney Morning Herald 'Absolutely magnificent. Includes all of my favourite things: art, female friendship and courageous women discovering their true heart and soul against a backdrop of war' NATASHA LESTER 'Evocative writing from the horrors of war and the deep life scars derived from it, melded with real tenderness, a cleverly worked and beguiling plot and memorable characters, render this book as quite simply, a superlative read - and the twist in the tale, perfect' Christopher Bantick, Weekly Times 'Several things are true about Kayte Nunn's novels: you will laugh, you will cry, you will learn something, and you'll be reluctant to leave her characters behind. This is all especially true of The Last Reunion, an uplifting story about the power of love, memory and determination that moves between World War II and the recent past' SOPHIE GREEN 'I couldn't put it down. Fascinating. I love the empowerment that these ladies gain' FIONA PALMER