The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 5 March 1998
by Oswald Wynd
In this historical novel, Wynd tells the story of a young Scottish woman who sails for China in 1903 to marry the man to whom she'd been betrothed for some time. Her husband is a military diplomat in the British Empire, and her world, by necessity, governed by strict social order. Mary cannot stand the binding of this marriage, though, and soon is exploring an independent world of her own, beginning with a brief affair with a Japanese soldier. Her actions make her an outcast for the rest of her life. Told as a diary from 1903-42, the book promises to tell of her intimate thoughts and emotions. However, it falls flat about halfway through, seeming a historical catalog of life in the Far East early in the 20th century, and leaving major characters behind. Soon, it is jumping along in large leaps in time, and telling of earthquakes, tsunamis, wars, and political intrigue. This left this reader dissatisfied with our heroine, who just observes, even though the tale is drawn neatly and quietly to its close.