Pacific by Judy Nunn

Fun fact about this author: Judy Nunn is a well known Australian actress, particularly well known for her role in Home and Away as Ailsa Stewart, Alf's wife, and a screenwriter.  She has proven that not only is she a talent on the stage and screen, but Judy Nunn is also an engaging story teller.

Pacific is about a young Australian soap actress, Samantha, who goes to England to star in a pantomime in a seaside town.  She is boarded in a stately home which now offers luxury accommodation.  This is where time shifts back into the decades leading up to the second World War, focusing on the young girl who lived in the house and her working class best friend growing up into young ladies as WWII breaks out.

 

Samantha is offered a breakout film role to be filmed in Vanuatu.  The film is loosely based on a woman called Mumma Tack and her love affair with an American soldier in Vanuatu during WWII - a story which links back to the house Samantha stayed in in England while acting in the pantomime. 

 

I really enjoyed reading this book.  The switching back and forth between the modern and past times added texture and intrigue to the story.  Judy Nunn paints a vivid picture with words of the characters, places and times.