Sue's Reviews > The Orchid House

3.5 stars. I really like a story-within-a-story and this is that kind of tale. Julia is recovering from the death of her husband and son and returns to England to find peace. She finds a WWII POW diary from Thailand that belonged to earlier occupants of the family ancestral home and is drawn into the story of Wharton Park during the war. This story is heart-wrenching and has many historical tidbits about the homefront, POW camps, and military life. I was involved and wanted to give it four stars. But I was a little disappointed as the big climax came because then I predicted the rest of the novel and it was a bit of a letdown. The book had been full of surprises but the last section didn't have any big reveals, except one which was a bit lame. So, a good, solid historical fiction outing with interesting characters and the fact that I was a bit letdown shouldn't discourage you. The descriptions of Thailand and orchids are awesome, plus you'll want to play a few classical piano recordings while you read.