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Ann Bennett
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The Lake Pagoda: A captivating story of love and loss in war-torn Indochina (The Oriental Lake Collection) Kindle Edition

by Ann Bennett (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 2,565 ratings

From Ann Bennett, bestselling author of The Orphan House, comes The Lake Pagoda, a captivating story of love and loss set in war-torn Indochina.

Perfect for fans of Dinah Jeffries and Victoria Hislop.

French Indochina 1945: Arielle, the daughter of a French father and Vietnamese mother, is working for the colonial government. Because of her native blood, she’s spared imprisonment when the Japanese storm Hanoi. Forced to work for the enemy, Arielle is contacted by a Viet Minh agent, who threatens to expose her dark secrets from ten years before if she doesn’t help his cause.
As Arielle is drawn deeper into the rebels’ dangerous world, will she ever escape the torment of her past? Or will she find love in the most unexpected of places?
A novel of love, loss, and survival against all odds.

Praise for Ann Bennett

“Brilliant: I loved this book and believed in the characters immediately…Didn't want it to finish and several hours after reading the last line, it’s still going round in my head. Great book!” Five Stars Amazon reviewer

“I raced through this book in just over twenty-four hours. I literally could not put it down…’ Bibilobeth Goodreads

“Unputdownable: This was an engrossing read. I love how Ann Bennett crafts a story. Highly recommended.” Five Stars. Amazon reviewer.

“Fabulous!!!!!! One of the very best books I've read! Really keeps your interests piqued… Absolutely loved, loved, this story!” Five Stars. Goodreads reviewer

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  1. Part of series
    The Oriental Lake Collection
  2. Print length
    314 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    April 26, 2022
  5. File size
    2.3 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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  1. For ten years she’d lived with the pain of what she’d done that fateful evening back in 1935.
    Highlighted by 7 Kindle readers
  2. ‘I’ll take you in there someday,’ Etienne said, noticing her interest in the building. ‘I know the governor-general personally.’ ‘Really?’ she looked at him with renewed admiration.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Great story, well written

Yet another great novel from the author, with good insight into the life and times of French Indo-China during the 1930s/1940s. Has to be 5 stars as no fault could be found with the writing or storyline. Looking forward to her next novel. Five Stars - Amazon Reviewer


Excellent book. Well written and captivating. The characters come alive. I really enjoyed the story.

Ann Bennett does a wonderful job of recounting WW2 in the far east. My parents were born and raised in Burma until Burma got independence, so her books really bring that Era alive to me. Five Stars - Amazon Reviewer


Didn't want the book to end.

I loved this book. It's the sort of book you want to know how it ends but at the same time you really don't want it to end. If you have enjoyed Ann Bennett's other books then you will definitely enjoy this one too. Five Stars - Amazon Reviewer



Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09WWYZ9RM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Andaman Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 26, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.3 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 314 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Part of series ‏ : ‎ The Oriental Lake Collection
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 2,565 ratings

About the author

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Ann Bennett

Ann Bennett

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Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest, was inspired by researching her father's experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own journey to uncover his story. It won the Asian Books Blog prize for fiction published in Asia in 2015, and was shortlisted for the best fiction title in the Singapore Book Awards 2016.

That initial inspiration led her to write more books about WWII in Southeast Asia - Bamboo Island: The Planter's Wife, A Daughter's Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter's Club, The Amulet, and The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu. Along with The Lotus House, published in October 2024, they make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.

Ann is also the author of The Oriental Lake Collection - The Lake Pavilion and The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, set in French Indochina.

The Runaway Sisters, USA Today bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture. Her latest book, The Stolen Sisters, published on 29th November 2024 is the follow-up to The Orphan List (published by Bookouture in August this year) and is set in Poland and Germany during WWII.

A former lawyer, Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and lives in Surrey, UK. For more details, please visit her website www.annbennettauthor

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
2,565 global ratings

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3 customers mention "Character development"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one mentioning that the main protagonist is a very engaging character.

"I just love a happy ending!! The characters are real and easy to watch and be part of their lives...." Read more

"Enjoyed reading this throughly. The main protagonist was a very engaging character. Loved the story. Definitely recommend it to read" Read more

"Excellent book. Well written and captivating. The characters come alive. I really enjoyed the story...." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thoroughly enjoyable to read, with one customer particularly appreciating its happy ending.

"I just love a happy ending!! The characters are real and easy to watch and be part of their lives...." Read more

"Enjoyed reading this throughly. The main protagonist was a very engaging character. Loved the story. Definitely recommend it to read" Read more

"Excellent book. Well written and captivating. The characters come alive. I really enjoyed the story...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Love Reading
    5.0 out of 5 stars love
    Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I just love a happy ending!!
    The characters are real and easy to watch and be part of their lives. I felt privileged to be part of this and learned a great deal about the times.
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  • Rhea Shah
    4.0 out of 5 stars good read
    Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Enjoyed reading this throughly. The main protagonist was a very engaging character. Loved the story. Definitely recommend it to read
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. Well written and captivating. The characters come alive. I really enjoyed the story.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Ann Bennet does a wonderful job of recounting WW2 in the far east. My parents were born and raised in Burma until Burma got independence, so her books really bring that Era alive to me.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Amy Hammond Hagberg
    4.0 out of 5 stars A journey to French Indochina in the mid-1940s
    Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2024
    The Lake Pagoda takes readers on a journey to French Indochina in the mid-1940s, a period rarely explored in WWII historical fiction. The protagonist, Arielle, is of mixed French and Vietnamese heritage working as a secretary for the French colonial government. When the Japanese invade Hanoi, her native blood spares her from imprisonment, but she is forced to work for the enemy.

    Ariel’s life takes a dramatic turn when she is approached by the Viet Minh, a Communist organization led by Ho Chi Minh. The agent threatens to expose dark secrets from her past if she doesn’t pass them information from the Japanese. She must navigate the dangerous path of espionage and resistance.

    When I first discovered this novel on NetGalley, I was immediately drawn to its historical setting. The transition from Indochina to Japanese-held Hanoi and then to an independent Vietnam intrigued me, offering a fresh perspective on this pivotal time in history. While the plot held promise, I found myself less enthusiastic about picking up the book as I progressed. My disappointment stemmed from the writing style, which I felt relied too heavily on certain words and phrases. This aspect of the book detracted from my overall enjoyment.

    Nevertheless, the historical value of The Lake Pagoda is undeniable. It shed light on a period and setting often overshadowed by more widely explored facets of World War II. I’d rate it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4, for its insightful portrayal of a crucial moment in Vietnamese history.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars exceptional
    Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This book takes you to a time and place often forgotten the suffering of people expelled from their own lands very well researched and written.
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  • Diane S.
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautifully Written and Evocative Book
    Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2022
    . The Lake Pagoda” was a beautifully written and evocative book. Its focus is on Arielle, a half-French, half-Vietnamese young woman in French colonial Indochina The book’s special strength strength, I thought, was its pitch-perfect rendering of Arielle during the different phases of her life. The naive eighteen-year-old’s perspective comes through with simple narrative and cadence. As she becomes aware of the exploitation and cruelty of the French colonials, the narrative becomes tauter, conveying her anger and her desire to do something to mitigate. With the Japanese occupation and her subsequent time spent as an insurgent in the hills, the narrative takes on a different cadence as she fights with herself to overcome her principles to kill for a cause. The contrasting time frames are strongly rendered as we experience Arielle’s high ideals and principles challenged by the exploitation and cruelty of the time. A wonderful, highly recommended book.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Constance McPheeters
    2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing
    Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Stupid and not as good as her other books… too much time jumping around and dumb language with not very engaging plot
    One person found this helpful
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  • D Burke
    5.0 out of 5 stars Arranged teen marriage, reluctant spying, patriot sharpshooter, what a ride! Wonderful novel!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2022
    Ann Bennett has done it again! Such a wonderful mix of history, life during war time, coming of age, and a bit of romance thrown in. What a great read!

    The Lake Pagoda takes us into the life of Arielle, half French and half Vietnamese, as she experiences an early teenage, arranged marriage, witnesses the degradation of fellow Vietnamese countrymen, reluctantly aids the Viet Minh by copying Japanese intel ,and becoming a freedom fighter being trained by the Americans.

    In the mix is a love story, compassion, heart-ache, loss, betrayal and horror all in the midst of the French Colonial rule of Vietnam. Bennett gives us a small history Indochinese lesson while watching young Arielle grow from a shy teen to a sharpshooter patriot.

    My favorite of Bennett's writings!!
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Fiona Clark
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative and interesting to read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 5, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Although I spent many years in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, meeting and hosting American servicemen on their R & R's I knew very little about that part of Asia or the war that never seemed to end. Family life took over and it's only now I have begun to learn. I will carry on learning; that's what this book has inspired me to do. Thank you Ann.
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  • Kim P
    5.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction set in Vietnam
    Reviewed in Italy on January 19, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this book. I have a connection with Vietnam and the story transported me to the country. I would recommend this book. It's a good read. I would give it a 4 1/2 stars in all honesty, because the end for me was a little predictable.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book.
    Reviewed in Australia on November 28, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I have now read all of Ann Bennett’s books and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Great story lines and a real sense of what Indochina was like in the war years. I look forward to her next book.
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  • Kris
    3.0 out of 5 stars Lecture intéressante
    Reviewed in France on May 30, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    C’est un chapitre de l’histoire que je connais bien à cause de l’histoire de ma famille. Je suis, en plus, profondément attachée au Vietnam pour les mêmes raisons.

    Je ne mets que 3 étoiles parce que je trouve que le récit manque de souffle et j’ai éprouvé quelques difficultés à m’attacher aux personnages. Malgré les épreuves par lesquelles ils passent, je les ai trouvé un peu falots.

    Toutefois cette lecture est intéressante.
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  • Dodie
    4.0 out of 5 stars Japanese invasion of Viet nam in WW11
    Reviewed in Australia on July 5, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I like Ann Bennett's books but think they are becoming a bit formulaic. I read this one within days of reading The Lake Villa, set in Cambodia. The two books have become fused in my mind. As with many of her books, there are two storylines over different time periods. The two are connected by family members, often with secrets.
    I enjoyed the story but suggest a break between this and other Ann Bennett books.
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