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Sleeping Through War by [Jackie Carreira]

Sleeping Through War Kindle Edition

by Jackie Carreira (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Set against the backdrop of real, world-changing events, these are the stories that are forgotten in the history books.

The year is 1968 and the world is changing forever. During the month of May, students are rioting and workers are striking across the globe, civil rights are being fought and died for, nuclear bombs are being tested, there are major conflicts on every continent, and war is raging in Vietnam. Against this volatile background, three women strive to keep everything together.

Rose must keep her dignity and compassion as a West Indian nurse in East London. Amalia must keep hoping that her son can escape their seedy life in Lisbon. And Mrs Johnson in Washington DC must keep writing to her son in Vietnam. She has no-one else to talk to. Three different women, three different countries, but all striving to survive - a courageous attitude that everybody can relate to.

Although Sleeping Through War is a work of fiction, this somewhat hidden history attempts to humanise a few weeks in time that were so stuffed with monumental events that it’s easy to forget the people involved. The author was a child in 1968 and lived in London and Lisbon during the 1960s. She met women like these and didn’t want their voices to go unheard into the future. Readers of both history and literary fiction will enjoy this emotionally-vivid work that weaves fiction into fact.

Print length

233 pages
Language

English
Publication date

9 Jan. 2018
File size

351 KB
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Product description

About the Author

British-born of Portuguese parents, Jackie Carreira is a writer, musician and co-founder of QuirkHouse Theatre. After travelling the world as a professional musician, she hung up her bass and picked up a pen. She’s been writing ever since and twice been a winner of the Kenneth Branagh Award for New Drama. Jackie has a first-class degree in Creative Writing and was a part-time bookseller for 10 years. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B078XF7351
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Matador (9 Jan. 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 351 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 233 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 1,000,060 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 29,966 in Literary Fiction (Kindle Store)
- 118,419 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews:
22 ratings

Jackie Carreira
14
Kindle Edition
1 offer from £1.99

Customer reviews

5 star		68%
4 star		25%
3 star		7%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

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JP Davis

Excellent read!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 April 2018

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Excellent book with three great stories; all weaving their way almost randomly through a few tumultuous weeks in the late 1960's. An American mother writes letters to her conscript son in Vietnam; a widow prostitutes herself to a corrupt official in a soon to be post-colonial Portugal; and a black Caribbean nurse works in a London old people’s home. And the connection? They each care. They care very deeply for somebody who almost plays a peripheral role in the book, but generates a sense of happiness, mixed with sadness and closure when the women finally let them go. And as a 'value added' extra, the reader is reminded how still famous historical events tick by with almost no impact on the lives of most of the world. I definitely recommend!

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Huw Chapman

Different times

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 March 2018

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A promising debut novel which I heard of through my local bookshop. I like to give new authors a go and was not disappointed. Short and sweet are the words that come to mind, although bittersweet might be a better word. Three convincingly written women's stories are told so sparingly and succinctly., no page is wasted. Like all my favourite books, it seems, this is an historical (although within living memory) setting with lots of meaty information interspersed with snapshots of people's lives. I like to learn facts as well as what makss the characters tick. A book I was genuinely sad to finish. I look forward to more.

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Zoe

Beautiful, moving writing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 January 2021

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I didn’t know much about 1968 and wasn’t expecting to be so drawn into the stories of these three women, but I was moved to tears several times by this sensitive and imaginative book.

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grandma jan

Thoroughly enjoyed this book as lots of the news stories I ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 January 2018

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Thoroughly enjoyed this book as lots of the news stories I can remember certain aspects of them as they were in my lifetime I was 14 in 1968 but at the time I didn’t realise so many life changing events were taking place,especially moving was the absolute horror that was the Vietnam war far to many innocent lives lost for “what”. Well done Miss Carreira a really good read

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BigDebs

their hardships and their grief and I celebrated their small victories and moments of happiness and contentment

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 February 2018

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The stories of these 3 women, living through the same time period but in very different circumstances really captured my imagination. I felt invested in their challenges, their hardships and their grief and I celebrated their small victories and moments of happiness and contentment. It was refreshing to look at this period of history through a different lens (a woman's lens) and I would highly recommend this book as a great read.

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Sue

Good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 August 2018

Verified Purchase

Couldn't wait to see what happened in the end very moving

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Julia Blake

An intelligent and intriguing read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 March 2019

A tightly paced and beautifully written little book, this is a fascinating slice of life during the turbulent month of May 1968, from the perspective of three very different women. Rose, a coloured nurse struggling to make sense of her new life in London. Amalia, a young widow who'll do anything to give her son a better life in Portugal, and Mrs Johnson, a mother who pours her heart and soul into her letters to her son in Vietnam.

Three opposing lives, yet they are all women facing the many harsh faces of prejudice and disapproval. Inserted between each chapter, the author has included snippets of real-life news events occurring at the same time, and these served as a reflection of the bigger picture surrounding the rather insular lives of the women.

I enjoyed the book very much, it was a quick read, but an interesting one, allowing me glimpses into a world that is not so long ago, yet seems so distant in terms of attitudes and morals. The author's style is crisp and sparse, not a word is wasted, yet she manages all the same to portray intense and relatable emotions. We feel for these women and grow to care intensely about them, so much so, that if I have one tiny personal criticism of the book, it's that it was over too quickly with a rather inconclusive ending. Maybe the author felt their stories were told, but it left me wanting more. I needed to know what Rose did next, how Mrs Johnson coped with the truth and what Amalia did in the aftermath of her moral epiphany. But this is just a personal observation from someone who enjoys happy endings.

As a screenshot of another time and place, Sleeping Through War opens younger readers eyes and minds to what life was like during this period of social unrest, when the world was changing and hitherto unheard voices were clamouring to be heard.

A wonderful debut from an exciting new author that I would heartily recommend, and I look forward to whatever direction Ms Carreira takes next.

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