I'm an insatiable fan of Asian American literature, and while I could empathize with Chinese American, Korean American, and Japanese American authored-books, there was never a book that I could TRULY relate to. Yes, there were Jessica Hagedorns and Bino A. Realuyos, but I could never relate to them the way I can relate to Mrs. Holthe's style of storytelling. For the first time, a book by a Filipino American like myself has been written about a time in history that I've often longed to know more about. Her style of telling this story is so genuine - it gives you a sense of the way of thinking of Filipinos, of their sense of pride. She doesn't omit the Tagalog or the Spanish, and she translates each phrase to include non-Filipinos, non-Tagalog speaking and non-Spanish speaking readers. As a journalist, I know much about the political and American angle of World War II, but you will never read about what the people of the Philippines went through during that time. I can't stress enough how long I've been waiting for a novel like this. Thank you Mrs. Holthe!

This wonderful book is a treat for readers everywhere! Beautifully written (many of the passages absolutely sing), it's reminiscent of the classics--from 100 Years of Solitude, the Canterbury Tales and the Decameron.

In the wartime Philipines, several families gather in a cellar to hide from the Japanese soldiers who terrorize the Filipino population. To pass the time and quell the pains of hunger, they tell each other stories, which are without a doubt the best part of the novel. Rich with Filipino myth and magical realism, each story reveals something not only about the characters, but about this long-ignored but proud Pacific culture. The story of war, which plays out simultaneously, is less captivating, but that's only because of the superb quality of the stories, which would be hard for any writer to top. Still, the story of these people, caught between the Japanese and the Americans, illuminates a part of the war that many of us have never really learned about.

This is a triumphant, beautifully written book, which stayed with me a long time after I finished it. Very highly recommended.

I kept hearing that this book was a blend of magical realism and painful reality. It is...I guess. It's a story of the last days of WWII in the Philippine Islands, during the Japanese occupation. The present-time narrative alternates between the points of view of three young people, and now and then it shifts to a story of the past, told by one of the older people, that tends to contain elements of the magical or supernatural, and is intended to convey a lesson for the young people in the present. This plot style has the potential to disintegrate into chaos, by Holthe skillfully keeps it moving with gorgeous prose and seemless blending of past and present tales. Her portrait of a nation caught between the hammer and anvil of two powerful opposing armies, of a people struggling to salvage identity and honor from the blood and ashes of war, is beautifully written and heartbreaking. This is REAL literature.