Walk to Paradise Garden, by John Campbell, was a very enjoyable read, with an attention to historical detail which left me feeling as I do when I walk through a nice antiques shop, full of snapshots of lives which make me curious to know more. The story follows the life of humanitarian John Armitage, from his early twenties as a stretcher-bearer in Belgium during the first world war, to his death. Without spoilers, I can say this is a story which takes you all over the globe. The novel is episodic, almost giving the impression of a collection of short stories, but with continuous threads running through which keep you going from one to the next. The writing style is fairly smooth and old-fashioned, which I like, with a good balance between active scenes and scenes of a more personal nature. Altogether, a book for the head and the heart, with a healthy dose of nostalgia thrown in.
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