For fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz‘Heart-wrenching. Emotional. A powerful story of wartime love and devotion’ Glynis Peters, author of The Secret OrphanA powerful and incredibly moving historical novel inspired by an untold story of the Second World War.Vancouver 1941As the war rages around the world, Hitler’s fury is yet to be felt on the peaceful shores of Mayne Island. Sweethearts Hayden … peaceful shores of Mayne Island. Sweethearts Hayden and Chidori are in love.
But everything changes after Pearl Harbor.
Now seen as the enemy, Chidori and her family are forced into an internment camp. Powerless to help them, Hayden joins the Royal Canadian Air Force to bring about an end to this devastating war – the thought of Chidori is all that keeps him alive.
Can they both survive long enough to be reunited? Or will the war be the only thing to separate their love?
Readers adore All We Left Behind:
‘A story crying out to be told’ Mary Martel, Netgalley
‘From the very first chapter I was hooked’ Whitney Wenthold, Netgalley
‘This is another WWII novel with a bit of a twist… a story of friendship, love, heartbreak and so much more’ Pam, Netgalley
‘Fabulous, gripping historical fiction…I am glad that I was able to come away from this novel learning something new about this time in history’ Rachel Fox, Netgalley
’Gripping from start to finish…A must read for WWII fiction fans!’ Sydney Long, Goodreads
‘An amazing story that will stick with me…historic fiction done right’ Stephanie Showmaker, Netgalley
‘Historical fiction at its best’ Abby Siverman, Netgalley
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An excellent love story shining a light on what happened to Japanese Canadians during WWII, with a gorgeous west coast setting. Highly recommend.
as a fan of WW2, this book was good, the characters and the love story everything was good my only reservation was that it is very romanticized for my taste.
This story of Hayden and Chidori. Hayden is a young man who unfortunately was capture by the worst enemy, he was living the worst nightmare not only because he was in a terrible place but also because he didn’t know anything about his family and the love of his life.
I had a very hard time with Hayden and Chidoris parents, they were not kind at all to square for my taste, their traditions and beliefs were too closed, when they found out about the intentions of Hayden, their culture and belief system was more important for them than to see their son and daughter happy, they were constantly bothering them with things that were more about cultural and even racist than the well being of their love.
I didn’t know that happened in Canada when the ww2 started this is all new to me, and it feels terrible that citizen who was there and born there were so discriminated only because they had a Japanese heritage, it kind of make you aware how racism has never stopped and it has been there for many many lifetimes.
I enjoy this book and the love story of Chidori and Hayden, I only felt a little off that they were in a constant battle of trying to find each other over and over again.
So heartbreakingly wonderful I couldn’t put it down!! I started reading this because the cover grabbed my attention, and a good portion of the story is set in BC, Canada. It’s one of those books where the more I read, the more I fell in love with everything about it. Hayden and Chidori are such well defined characters I was invested in them early on. As with many books set during WWII, make sure you have your box of Kleenex nearby.
Canada, intolerance, pow-camps, ya-only-means-no-gratuitous-erotica, War-is-Hell, family, historical-novel, historical-research
Two young people living in Western Canada fall in love at the worst time in history for them. The girl is Nisei and the boy is not. She and her family are outcasts and sent to internment camp just like the indignities down in the US. He was already wanting to join up with a Flying Corps and does so. The book goes back and forth from fall of 1941 to their parallel incarcerations. It’s a very moving book and I loved it.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Harper 360/One More Chapter via NetGalley. Thank you!
Loved the story of Hayden and Chidori…what a time to live your life and it’s shocking the prejudices of all kinds that we endure.
Loved this book
Good hysterical fiction
Sad story
If you can hold out-there is a story at the end.
This is the story of Hayden Pierce and Chidori Setoguchi, lifelong friends who are now in love and facing WWII. The plot shifts between pre-war and war-time and between Hayden’s perspective and Chi’s diary.
The story is set on Mayne Island in Canada. Although Chidori was born in Canada, her family is ordered to report to a Japanese internment camp. Hayden enlists in the air force to help end the war. He is shot down and we get a very vivid description of the horrors of a German POW stalag. All that keeps him alive is his desire to see Chidori again.
I have to admit that I almost gave up on this book about a third of the way through. It just didn’t engage me. Maybe it was because Hayden and Chidori are only 17 and their undying love seems unrealistic. Or maybe it was the confusing plot shifts. I finished it and was happy with the ending, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it.
What a unique and haunting story. I’ve read about the Japanese internment camps in the USA; this was the first I’ve read of those in Canada. It sounds so similar to the camps and treatment of the Japanese-Americans. What a sad time in history.
This story follows two families, but two young people, through their lives during WWII. It was so emotional and heart wrenching that I had to put it down and walk away a few times. You get a very personal account of just how evil and horrid the POWs were treated, as were the citizens of Canada who just happen to be of Japanese ancestry.
Nothing was the same after the war was over. Souls were changed, lives were changed, locations had changed. Can love endure all the change? I won’t spoil the end. You’ll be awash in emotions as you read this, but you’ll also be glad you read it.
A must read it’s about all the good stuff romantic relationship with everything you wanted to hear
Heart-wrenching. Emotional. A powerful story of wartime love and devotion.
Their love could not be broken.
This is a story of friendship, war and a forbidden love which cannot be broken. The time is the beginning of WWII and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The setting is an isle on the coast of Canada.
Hayden and Chidori grew up together. They played together as children, became close friends as teens and fell in love as young adults. Now they are looking at college, but WWII comes along. Chidori is Japanese American and Hayden is Canadian. They start getting disapproving message from their parents and from some people in the community. There is talk of internment camps for Japanese Americans that live on the coast of Canada. No one can break the two up.
Hayden goes to war to fight to end the war. He asks Chidori to wait for him and they both agree to wait for each other. Hayden’s plane is shot down and he is captured and taken to a Nazi POW camp. The story tells of his time spent in the POW camp . He never receives a letter from Chidori and his mother never talks about her in the letters she sends. He keeps Chidori’s picture with him at the camp. His friends help him as he has horrible nightmares every night. He is beaten, starved, and becomes depresses, but manages to hold on for Chidori. His story at the camp is very sad but the friendship with his fellow POW’s is amazing.
When he is liberated at the camp by the Russian’s he returns home and finds that Chidori’s family is no longer there and has been forced to leave. He is heartbroken and becomes very depressed. He searches and writes letters and tries to find where Chidori and her family have gone. When he has almost destroyed himself with alcohol and depression his mother confesses that Chidori wrote him and she kept the letters from him because she thought it was for the best. He reads the letters and goes to find Chidori.
Does he find Chidori and do they get back together? Well you will have to read the book to find out. It is a great read and you will not be disappointed. I recommend the book I enjoyed it and I am sure you will as well.
Thanks to Danielle R. Graham, HarperCollins UK One More Chapter, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of the book.
First, I love the cover of this book! Second, I did not realize that there were Japanese internment camps in Canada. All We Left Behind is the story of Hayden and Chidori. Hayden is called to fight in WWII. He asks his Japanese Canadian girlfriend to wait for him. Hayden finds himself in a POW Camp and Chi and her family are interned. When Hayden returns Chi and her family are not there. I thought this was a good premise for a story but the execution was lacking. Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for an ARC in return for an honest review.
All We Left Behind by Danielle Graham is a fabulous, gripping historical fiction piece focussing on one of the lesser covered subjects in recent HF offerings concerning Japanese internment camps in Canada during WWII.
I had read about Japanese internment camps in America, but I did not know this shameful behavior also occurred in Canada as well.
This book is so much more then just friends, equals, lovers separated due to circumstances beyond their control. This is a story of heartbreak, loss, redemption, romance, and finally a happy ending.
I enjoyed reading from both the POV of Hayden, a Canadian and POW, and Chidori, a Japanese-Canadian who was subjected to persecution through no fault of her own. Despite all of their obstacles and trials, the author was able to weave a tale that provided a satisfying and heartwarming end to show a love that transcended all.
I also enjoyed learning a bit of historical perspective from the Author Note at the end of the book. I am glad that I was able to come away from this novel learning something new about this time in history.
5/5 stars.