The Road to Rangoon
As seen:
By Lucy Cruickshanks
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2 reviews
In 1980s Burma, the British ambassador’s son goes missing.
Discovered in the north of the country, Michael Atwood is in imminent danger, trapped between sides fighting a bitter civil war and with no way of getting back to Rangoon. His best hope of salvation is to trust Thuza, a ruby smuggler who offers to help him escape.
Beautiful and deeply scarred, Thuza has spent her entire life in a frontier town between rebel and government forces, never choosing a side but trying to make a living from both. For Thuza, the ambassador’s son is her ticket out of poverty. For Than, an ambitious military officer, exploiting those caught up in the war offers an opportunity for promotion and distinction.
But as all three learn to their cost, in this exotic, enigmatic and savage country, everyone has a price.
This is a tale of ambition, salvation and hope that confirms Lucy Cruickshanks as a master storyteller.
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Posted on behalf of The Bay Dozen book group in Cullercoats:
This book provided one of the most stimulating discussions of all the books we have read this year. Most praised it for the depth of research and the graphic insight into Burma's (Myanmar's) political and economic instability during the latter years of the 20th Century. Some found the cruelty and violence too much to stomach but others felt that the torture and betrayal suffered by the two young characters, Thuza and Michael, gave a compelling authenticity to the story.
The Road to Rangoon is an action packed novel set in Burma in the 1980's, during the Burmese civil war. It's a heart-thumpingly good read with ruby smugglers, rebels and twists and turns that kept us guessing and gasping with outrage. It also tells of some of Burma's violent and bloody past and how ordinary people did extraordinary things in order to survive. It's a great read, especially for reading groups, with much to discuss: Burma and her history, survival, family ties, superstition and religion to name but a few. Highly recommended.
