Cirrus@Austlit

'When bombs rain down on the Malayan plantation where seven-year-old Rosie lives with her parents and beloved amah, her days of privilege and playfulness come to an abrupt end. Swept along with other British families eager to escape Malaya, fate cruelly leaves Rosie on the deck of a ship heading to India, alone and separated from her family Confined to a brutal school in Bombay, a determined Rosie seeks freedom in the crowded, chaotic city slums. Her life is lightened when she meets Armand, a poor Portuguese-Indian boy, and his mother. They shield Rosie with their love and allow her to enjoy adventures and escapades on the magical streets of Bombay. While Rosie is growing up on her own terms, her parents and brother endure different worlds in prison camps, dreaming of one day being reunited in Scotland.'  (Publication summary)

"Singapore, 1942, is an exotic tropical city and the home of six-year-old Rosie Sharbanee. Born into a lively Iraqi-Jewish family who rose from humble beginnings to create a thriving business, Rosie's days are filled with the love of her amusing and exasperating relatives and servants. Forced to flee or submit to the Japanese occupation, Rosie's family splits apart. Rosie's War reveals their hazardous escape to Bombay, from the perspective of watchful, sensitive Rosie. With honesty and affection, Rosalind recalls her fascinating childhood in a family of multilingual British subjects, and illuminates their wartime struggles."

Source: Publisher's blurb.