Over There

by Thomas Fleming

ONCE TOUCHED BY WAR, THEIR LIVES WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME

Polly Warden-She sailed to France to prove that women can face violence and death as courageously as men, only to confront the war's awful realities.

Paul Lebrun-Embittered surgeon, he tried valiantly to save the lives of the many wounded-and found refuge in Polly's arms.

General Malvern Hill Bliss-An outspoken proponent of the war, he feared that the combat strategies of his friend General John J. Pershing might cost them the war.

Louise Wolcott-A beautiful expatriate determined to add Pershing to her list of conquests, she spun a web of manipulation around them all.

Genres: Historical Fiction, World War I, Fiction

564 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Thomas James Fleming was an historian and historical novelist, with a special interest in the American Revolution. He was born in 1927 in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a World War I hero who was a leader in Jersey City politics for three decades. Before her marriage, his mother, Katherine Dolan Fleming, was a teacher in the Jersey City Public School System.

After graduating from St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, Fleming spent a year in the United States Navy. He received a Bachelor's degree, with honors, from Fordham University in 1950. After brief stints as a newspaperman and magazine editor, he became a full-time writer in 1960. His first history book, Now We Are Enemies, an account of the Battle of Bunker Hill, was published that same year. It was a best-seller, reviewed in more than 75 newspapers and featured as a main selection of the Literary Guild.

Fleming published books about various events and figures of the Revolutionary era. He also wrote about other periods of American history and wrote over a dozen well-received novels set against various historical backgrounds. He said, "I never wanted to be an Irish American writer, my whole idea was to get across that bridge and be an American writer".

Fleming died at his home in New York City on July 23, 2017, at the age of 90.

Reviews

[Misfit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over There begins in 1917 and focuses on the US involvement in The Great War (WWI). Americans debate and Woodrow Wilson waffles over whether to send troops to Europe. Polly Warden is the privileged daughter of a wealthy New Yorker who wants more than marriage and babies, and she decides to head to Europe with a few other privileged chums from Wellesley to do whatever good it is that they can do. Turns out it's not much outside of dishing out coffee and donuts, but Polly does get herself into a nursing position at one of the French field hospitals. Polly's story takes quite a few twists and turns, and she eventually lands herself driving ambulances carrying the wounded from the battlefield.

"No one can believe your good fortune, mademoiselle. We counted thirty-eight shrapnel holes in your uniform."

The flip side of this story is that of General Malvern Hill Bliss, who is part of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) headed by General John J. Pershing. The AEF is ready to enter the battle, but waffling Woodrow Wilson can't seem to make up his mind and give the soldiers the go-ahead and resources they need and the AEF cools their heels in Paris and elsewhere, which doesn't earn them high honors with the French and British…

And when the AEF finally enters the fray, Bliss witnesses first hand over and over again the uselessness of fighting a trench war with rifles,

"It was Malvern Hill and Gettysburg all over again. How could any American commander commit this bestiality?"

As riveting as this book was, by the end the endless deaths at the hands of squabbling politicians and generals really began to wear me down and I confess to skimming a bit the last 50 or so pages. Still, very much recommended for those interested in reading more on The Great War - just be warned - Fleming doesn't pull punches. If you are the least bit squeamish, this is not the book for you. One added plus with the involvement of the AEF and General Pershing - we get a glimpse of young George S. Patton, Jr. as a junior officer. Wish there'd been more of him…

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a novel of epic scope that offers --- through a cast of rich and emotionally complex characters, both historical and fictional --- one of the best encapsulations of the American experience in France during the First World War.

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this book for the second time. I don't know what it is about it that draws me back: history, love lost and found, bravery and war. I can't explain it, but definitely one of my favorites.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book about World War I. The best kind of historical novel, the history is good and tells you things you didn't know. The story is romantic, but not unbelievable.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. A lot of movement back and forth between characters to the point where some should have been killed off I'm afraid. The sexual scenes are not all that convincing or satisfying. But there is a sense of subversive truth about it...

[Tomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The individual conversations seemed a bit pretentious, but overall this was a very good book. It made WWI come alive and clearly illustrated the problems that come along with mixing politics and war. It also shows the strength of the pacifist movement of the early 1900s.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been a sucker for WWII stories. I enjoyed this one when I read it in high school.