I was very torn on how to rate this book. It certainly isn't for everybody, but I found it very enlightening - I am growing to like it more after I've thought on it. This novel traces the lives of several people affected by WWII, and it takes a while to connect them; it took me a while to stop asking "what is the point of this?" until well into the thick of things. Also, the story isn't wrapped into a neat little bow - if you're a "happy endings" kind of reader, you may want to search elsewhere. But I realized that is the point of the book - war is chaos, and not everything turns out the way you want it to. Overall I loved learning about Japanese and wartime culture, and the story was poignant. I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. It is set during WWII but unlike most of the WWII books I have read, this one was set mostly in Tokya. I knew about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but I must admit that I was completely unaware of the fact that Tokyo was also heavily bombed by the U.S. This book was a little differenet as there were several different characters living in different areas of the world that were slightly connected. The setting of the book moved from pre-war times to WWII to the post-war years and it was interesting to see how the lives of these characters were impacted. I read the ebook version of this and at times wished I was reading a physical copy so I could refer back to previous parts of some of the characters stories, but all in all it was well-written and flowed well.
What do You think about Når Himmelen Faller Ned (2012)?
A well-written novel on the effects of war on American and Japanese families.
—Ayesha88
Closer to four stars than three. This is very good historical fiction.
—email0043
