Although this is a fantastic story, this is an average popular book drawn from James Williams' own memoirs of joining a British teak firm in 1920 (having been to WWI Mesopotamia on a camel named Frying Pan), learning to respect both the elephants and their Burmese mahouts, and pushing for more humane capture and training of the animals. The rapport with both the Burmese and the elephants turned out to be vital in WWII, as Williams and his elephants moved refugees and became master bridge builders during Slim's campaign against the Japanese. An emotional roller coaster! Vicki Constantine Crocke superbly wrote a beautiful book about the bond between Billy Williams and his elephants, especially Bandoola. I love elephants and find them to be such majestic creatures. I envy Billy's relationships and experiences with the ones he knew. Both he and the elephants were true heroes and contributed vitality to the war effort. I am going to miss reading about him and his elephants!
A great historical fiction; very inspiration and uplifting. Amazing elephants!
—apple
Everything you need to know is in the title. How was this a best seller?
—Hcampfield
Wonderful, incredible book.
—rhassell
True adventure!
—Ren
3.5 stars
—eva
