Postcards From No Man's Land [Kindle Edition]

`Growing up is, after all, only the understanding that one's unique and incredible experience is what everyone shares.' (Doris Lessing, "The Golden Notebook"). - a quote taken from one of the chapter headings; snippets that Jacob's grandmother sends to him each week on a postcard.

With one central theme - the theme of love - there are two main stories to follow. Primarily, the story is about 17-year-old Jacob Todd from England, who lives with his grandmother Sarah, and is now visiting the Netherlands for the first time for the commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem, where his grandfather fought in the Second World War. Jacob is visiting a Dutch family, at his grandmother's request, as she has hurt her hip and is unable to travel for the Arnhem commemorations. The eldest member of the family is the terminally ill Geertrui, and it's Geertrui's story of her experiences during the war that make up the other story throughout the novel.

Jacob begins his holiday with mixed feelings. He feels like an intruder into Geertrui's family, a stranger in a strange place. Even his long-held love for Anne Frank, through obsessive reading of her Diary, feels different after he has visited her house in Amsterdam. Jacob's brief holiday becomes a journey of self-discovery, encountering a gay friend, an elderly lady he befriends when she helps him after he is mugged, the liberal lifestyle of Daan (the son of the family he is visiting), the emotions of the Arnhem commemorations and his encounter with a girl to whom he feels instantly attracted, not to mention his exploration of the subject of euthanasia after meeting the terminally ill Geertrui. Through all of his experiences, Jacob finds he has begun to fall in love with the city of Amsterdam itself.

Where Jacob's story is one of discovery, Geertrui's story of her time as a young woman during the occupation is one of intensity, and living each day one day at a time. Geertrui's story is told in the first person, looking back from her elderly years to the most significant time of her life. Geertrui makes you feel and live those days with her. Her worries are your worries; the immediacy of war is brought vividly to the reader to share and experience with the young Geertrui. Of her story - well, you must read the book to find out more!

A very rewarding read for sophisticated teens, especially those beginning to question the world and how they fit into the whole. Exploration of themes of sexuality, morals, personality, appearances, life, death, friendships and more, show how there is a place for everyone, however different. I would recommend the book for ages 12+, adults included.

....since i read this book and i have only read it once as, like the teacher who reviewed the book, i only met it through it being up for the award and our school was reviewing the nominees. I was a pupil who, begrudgingly at first, agreed to read this book. The first few chapters were very drawn out and boring, and i did consider quitting reading it, thankfully i carried on. Although to be honest i can't remember a whole lot about the minor details in the book, i remember the plot, the language, the emotions in the book, and above all i remember how it made me feel when i was reading it..enlightened..i think would be a good word to use. These memories alone, to me, warrent the five stars i have awarded it. Its one of the few books that have ever made me feel anything, and sit down after i had finished reading it and actually think about what i had just read, and my own particular views on wider issues.How can anyone say this book is not responsible becasue it talks about sex and euthenasia to teenagers, that is a pathetic comment straight out of the dark ages. For any liberated people out there, mature enough to handle the topics the book talks about and the emotions it conveys, this is a must read.

Inside this book it says 'Postcards From No Man's Land - A Novel', and I think that word helps give the best description. If something is novel it is different to what was on offer before, it's unusual. By that I don't mean it's fantasy, I mean entirely the opposite - it's simply honest. It doesn't patronise, doesn't smooth things over. We have Geertrui talking about her life in the war, as it was, and we have Jacob's life now, as it is.

Technically, the book is complex and varied and undoubtedly needed a lot of research to write. Personally, I think this is one of the few books I will find in my lifetime that is really special to me, that makes me think and gives me a whole range of characters I can identify with. I am very grateful to Aidan Chambers for writing a book for the teenager who does think about important issues, not the stereotypical airhead. I think it is his best book yet, although I'd also recommend Dance On My Grave.

If you're open-minded and like a challenge give this book a go!