Where Destiny Commands

1939–1945: A Time of Love & War

By Leila Sen

1940: As WWII engulfs the world, the British Raj faces its final years in India. From his hometown of Calcutta, a young doctor embarks on the journey of a lifetime when he joins the Medical Service in the British Indian Army. The war takes him to the Middle East, a tumultuous arena of political intrigue and espionage.

In Cairo he meets a young Armenian woman haunted by the genocide that she fled for safe haven in Egypt. Fate intervenes when his Battalion, the 2/4 Gurkha Rifles, is swept into battle against Rommel’s Afrika Korps, and he is captured in the Battle of Gazala.

Faced with separation & surrounded by global turmoil, will their destiny be denied, or will their love transcend the tragedies of war, & the barriers of time & fate…

Language: English
Print length: 602 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8987426302
Dimensions: 6 × 1.34 × 9 inches

Review

It is hard to do this book justice in a short review. The primary setting for this tale is the Middle East and the North African desert warfare campaign… The historic detail really is quite something…the ‘human costs’ are more than communicated and may well bring a tear to the reader’s eye. The author also uniquely conveys the emotions, fears and conflicts of all participants whether it be in the scenarios of war, society, family or love. The love story in itself is captivating.

There is so much contained within the pages that one read is not really adequate to take it all in, though, due to the author’s excellent writing style, it is by no means an arduous read.

A considerable amount of research must have gone into this book for which the author is to be commended. The contents of her families’ papers (the author is the daughter of the protagonists) are also presented in a meaningful manner which ties into the tale very well. The supporting photographs, especially those from the family archive, also add another valuable dimension for the reader. This is truly a literary work that adds to the world’s treasure-trove…

Five (5) (+) (+) stars. – The usual five star rating offered by most book related sites is considered inadequate to reflect the quality of this book.

— TR Productions, UK