A NEW BOOK BY STEVE CULPAN
Synopsis
Leaving a domineering mother and reclusive father, a son escapes the Depression to become a WW2 bomber pilot. Frankie marries hastily before leaving for England, where on active bombing raids over Germany, he is battered by the sights of unconceivable capricious deaths and damage to human flesh and minds. After being shot down and captured, Frankie continues to be assailed by unexpected flashbacks, fears, weaknesses, and selfish thoughts, and it is only the close bond of five Prisoner of War mates that enable Frankie to physically and mentally survive four years of imprisonment and a broken marriage. Once back home, his Mother shows no joy in his return. Frankie is struck by life threatening disease and then re-marries. Burdened by the haunting horrors of war that he finds difficult to erase, and despite a caring strong wife, he struggles to restart his own life and to let his own son into his altered existence. As he is about to lose his son and new family, he is shocked by revelations that upend his whole world and force him to revisit his origins and upbringing, and face his own demons.
About the Author
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Steve was a doctor in Sports Medicine and Family Practice. During the latter part of his career, he started to write small ‘islands’ that were to become the larger land mass of this historical fiction that historical fiction which
incorporates many true stories of men,
women, families and children, living and
growing up in New Zealand through the
Depression, World War 2 at home any
and overseas, as well as their changed
post-war lives. Retirement allowed him
time for the organic growth and birth of
this - his first novel.
Our Fathers Would Never Talk About It
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Order Your Book
"Our Fathers Would Never Talk About It"
420 pages 9" x 6" Paperback
$NZ 40.00 each
To order the book, email Steve at drsteveculpan@gmail.com or phone him on 021529148. You will need to write down or provide your :
- First and last Names
- Your address within NZ including an accurate Postcode
- The number of books you wish to buy
- Whether you wish the Author to sign the book.
- Whether you wish to gift the book (see below)
Note: The book can only be delivered within New Zealand.
Once we have received your order we will contact you within 24 - 48 hours to provide our NZ Bank Account name and number.
Please note that we can only accept payment via Bank Transfer.
Once we receive payment, packaging and courier delivery takes
two to five days.
If you wish to post the book as a gift to another person at a different address, please provide that person's full Name, Address and the NZ Postcode.
The Author can also write a short message on your behalf, inside the book. (Up to 20 words.) Such a message will be added unless the Author considers it offensive or inappropriate.
E-BOOKS. To order e-books, or paperback books for delivery anywhere else in the world, please click on the button below.
Incl. Postage cost within New Zealand
Reader Reviews
Really enjoyed reading the book - I felt like I was inside the story of all the main characters. Well written and easy to read. Although set in New Zealand it is universal for men from all the nations that travelled a long way from home to serve in WW2. Many young men made the ultimate sacrifice and many more suffered from their injuries both physical and mental. They did not talk about it. Many years of research must have gone into this story.
What a great story, sad in places but also uplifting. As a woman
I was worried it might have a lot of war descriptions and stories, but the war and fighting is only one of 41 chapters. The rest was an intriguing story about men, mothers, fathers, wives, and sons. There are a lot of women characters in a really enjoyable story with a shock twist in the tail.
Loved reading the book. Bought it from Author's website. Couldn't put it down. It brought back memories of the past - how we dealt with issues and the consequences of bottling it up. every chapter is worth devouring. I was drawn into the characters. A great mix of historical events, and a family saga with twists and turns - all turned into a coherent story. I read all 420 pages in a weekend.
Engaged in the book right till the end. The meeting of the two men was so moving yet constrained - as I imagine men dealt with feelings in the 1960s Two very real and sad scenes that gripped me. Such a well researched and compelling tale. I would have liked even more, but it had to finish somewhere. I hope there are more books to come.
My sister brought the book for me in NZ. But all the family secrets, arguments, and dinner table reveals are just like home here in England. It painted such a perfect picture of pre-war and war service with a wonderfully documented insight into POW life and a beautifully rounded story with a lovely ending. My wife then read it and was suprised by how emotional and real were all the personal relationships of the men and women and their children. It is definitely not just a book for the boys..
Enjoyed reading the book The story line was engaging, and some of the information, staggering. Over a 100,000 POWs corralled in dreadful conditions in German camps. I have read a number of stories about WW2 but never appreciated the huge number of men coming home to their families.Only negative comment is that it is heavy to read in bed.
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“The silence between us wasn’t just a lack of words—it was about events which we were too afraid to voice.”