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War Brides: A Novel
A vibrant novel set in postwar America from the New York Times bestselling author of The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary and Sewing Circle
World War II is over, but for three young Australian women who meet on their way to new lives and new husbands in America, the adventure is just beginning. Sheila, Dawn, and Gaynor will need to reacquaint themselves with the military men they swore to love when peace seemed like a lifetime away. But the world that awaits them is filled with new challenges, and each woman will be forced to summon courage and strength she never knew she had.
Brilliantly capturing an era that continues to enthrall, War Brides will be embraced by fans of historical fiction and the many readers who are rediscovering Lois Battle and her timeless brand of storytelling.
World War II is over, but for three young Australian women who meet on their way to new lives and new husbands in America, the adventure is just beginning. Sheila, Dawn, and Gaynor will need to reacquaint themselves with the military men they swore to love when peace seemed like a lifetime away. But the world that awaits them is filled with new challenges, and each woman will be forced to summon courage and strength she never knew she had.
Brilliantly capturing an era that continues to enthrall, War Brides will be embraced by fans of historical fiction and the many readers who are rediscovering Lois Battle and her timeless brand of storytelling.
463 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
October 21, 2009
I read a promotional copy in which the story flowed well but there were many distracting typos! The war brides in the book came from Australia during WWII. Light reading. Shed light on the problems encountered by brides and grooms alike when couples marry without knowing each other well and adding to that the stress of immigration and career changes upon leaving the military.
March 26, 2014
Interesting subject matter, hard-to-like characters.
April 20, 2017
I was going to give this book two stars because editing it amused and distracted me while I recuperated from a spider bite, and waited to see if Trump got us into war. I couldn't because two stars means "It was ok" and it wasn't. It was badly written, sometimes unintentionally funny, and predictable. On one random page, I counted 26 errors, on another, I crossed out 15 "hads." Oh editor, where art thou?
January 21, 2018
This book caught my eye and there was no hesitation in buying it at my local bookshop. I am so glad I did. A terrific and engaging read.
My mum was a War Bride from Scotland and arrived here in 1946. I knew so little of her journey across the sea to get here, her fears and hopes in meeting my dad's family and making a life for the two of them in a place strange to her. I came along down the line of 3 sisters and by that time in the mid 50's I'm sure my mum had told her story many times. I missed out on a lot so this book would fill me in even if in a fictitious way just how she may have felt.
Battle is most likely spot on, having come herself from an Aussie mum and Yank husband during the war. She has lent an authentic voice and ear to her main characters, Sheila, Dawn and Gaynor who meet on the ship bringing them from Australia to America. Travelling across the country, west to east, the girls debark in Kansas City, a town in Virginia and Ohio.
We are immediately drawn to the struggles of Sheila and Dawn who have fallen in love with their soldier husbands and appalled at the gold digger Gaynor who married simply because her young husband has a rich family, no love involved.
How hard it must have been to make a life from expectations that turned out quite differently; Sheila wakes up after arriving in the pitch dark to an almost bare shack, her and husband, Billy's new home! Not quite what the motion pictures back home promised her. Dawn, with two small girls underfoot takes on a controlling foster mother and weak foster father of her husband, Zac. And Gaynor, well, she revels in her new found luxurious country club life and mansion of husband Ricky's parents. It is all she ever wanted and was determined to have at all costs, the only way to forget a horrid childhood of abuse by a drunken mother and slew of 'uncles'.
How hard to fit into a world where words mean different things at times, where you have no friends or family to turn to, no life except inside the home. These women take stock of their new surroundings and try to establish roots.
The narrative and viewpoint of each girl is rich and engaging; each finds fewer joys at the start and more sorrows and struggles but as time and years move on their characters face down hardships in post war America, the trouble their husbands have in securing jobs, being looked down on if suffering from shell shock, or wanting to get an education and still, somehow, support a family.
Each has to face personal setbacks but as the book comes to a close, certain monumental goals are reached. For Dawn and Sheila, a happiness they've longed for is finally theirs.
For Gaynor, well, hers is the saddest story.
I like Battle's style and storytelling and plan on reading other books she's written.
My mum was a War Bride from Scotland and arrived here in 1946. I knew so little of her journey across the sea to get here, her fears and hopes in meeting my dad's family and making a life for the two of them in a place strange to her. I came along down the line of 3 sisters and by that time in the mid 50's I'm sure my mum had told her story many times. I missed out on a lot so this book would fill me in even if in a fictitious way just how she may have felt.
Battle is most likely spot on, having come herself from an Aussie mum and Yank husband during the war. She has lent an authentic voice and ear to her main characters, Sheila, Dawn and Gaynor who meet on the ship bringing them from Australia to America. Travelling across the country, west to east, the girls debark in Kansas City, a town in Virginia and Ohio.
We are immediately drawn to the struggles of Sheila and Dawn who have fallen in love with their soldier husbands and appalled at the gold digger Gaynor who married simply because her young husband has a rich family, no love involved.
How hard it must have been to make a life from expectations that turned out quite differently; Sheila wakes up after arriving in the pitch dark to an almost bare shack, her and husband, Billy's new home! Not quite what the motion pictures back home promised her. Dawn, with two small girls underfoot takes on a controlling foster mother and weak foster father of her husband, Zac. And Gaynor, well, she revels in her new found luxurious country club life and mansion of husband Ricky's parents. It is all she ever wanted and was determined to have at all costs, the only way to forget a horrid childhood of abuse by a drunken mother and slew of 'uncles'.
How hard to fit into a world where words mean different things at times, where you have no friends or family to turn to, no life except inside the home. These women take stock of their new surroundings and try to establish roots.
The narrative and viewpoint of each girl is rich and engaging; each finds fewer joys at the start and more sorrows and struggles but as time and years move on their characters face down hardships in post war America, the trouble their husbands have in securing jobs, being looked down on if suffering from shell shock, or wanting to get an education and still, somehow, support a family.
Each has to face personal setbacks but as the book comes to a close, certain monumental goals are reached. For Dawn and Sheila, a happiness they've longed for is finally theirs.
For Gaynor, well, hers is the saddest story.
I like Battle's style and storytelling and plan on reading other books she's written.
January 26, 2013
So disappointed in this one! Seemed like a copy of every other WWII book out there. The story was fractured and the ending was VERY unsatisfactory. The author didn't wrap up any of the story lines and left me hanging. Very disappointed !!!
January 27, 2014
I really thought I would love this book. I love this time period, I love books that follow the lives of a group of women, and I loved another book by Lois Battle, Storyville. Unfortunately, I did not love this book.
Of the three lead characters, one is completely unlikable. Gaynor has had a tough childhood with an alcoholic mother. She lost her dearest friend once she found out which side of the tracks she hailed from, and was on a mission to escape her life and reinvent herself. Yes, it was clear she married Ricky for his money, but once she became a complete whore, I no longer cared for her story....which I guess was good since we NEVER FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO HER! Did Faustina tell what she knew? Did Ricky ever find out the truth about Joey? Did Gaynore move to New York, or Paris, or anywhere other than Kansas City? Who knows! Her story just stops dead
As for the other two, Dawn and Shelia, Shelia was my favorite. This surprised me since in the beginning I thought she would be the shallow, immature one. Dawn is sweet, but while she proves to be incredibly capable and independent when it comes to her children and home, she's a total pushover when it comes to her husband. Shelia, who had the best marriage of the three, took the reins and made changes to better their situation, even when it cost her more then she ever could have imagined. Her husband had his faults, but was still a pretty likeable guy.
Overall, I was disappointed in this book. The women were very one-dimensional, and the ending was non-existent. Only Shelia's story had any sort of conclusion. Dawn's kind of had an ending, but not really. What happened to Zac? How long was he gone? Did he survive? Did they divorce? Again...who knows! If you're interested in reading this, I say skip it. I DO suggest picking up Storyville though...GREAT book.
Of the three lead characters, one is completely unlikable. Gaynor has had a tough childhood with an alcoholic mother. She lost her dearest friend once she found out which side of the tracks she hailed from, and was on a mission to escape her life and reinvent herself. Yes, it was clear she married Ricky for his money, but once she became a complete whore, I no longer cared for her story....which I guess was good since we NEVER FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO HER! Did Faustina tell what she knew? Did Ricky ever find out the truth about Joey? Did Gaynore move to New York, or Paris, or anywhere other than Kansas City? Who knows! Her story just stops dead
As for the other two, Dawn and Shelia, Shelia was my favorite. This surprised me since in the beginning I thought she would be the shallow, immature one. Dawn is sweet, but while she proves to be incredibly capable and independent when it comes to her children and home, she's a total pushover when it comes to her husband. Shelia, who had the best marriage of the three, took the reins and made changes to better their situation, even when it cost her more then she ever could have imagined. Her husband had his faults, but was still a pretty likeable guy.
Overall, I was disappointed in this book. The women were very one-dimensional, and the ending was non-existent. Only Shelia's story had any sort of conclusion. Dawn's kind of had an ending, but not really. What happened to Zac? How long was he gone? Did he survive? Did they divorce? Again...who knows! If you're interested in reading this, I say skip it. I DO suggest picking up Storyville though...GREAT book.
January 26, 2013
This book is a fine beach or travel read. It is lite and entertaining. I did not notice many typos or grammatical errors, but I make plenty of these errors myself, so I might not be a great judge in that. The plot and characters are engaging. The book is about three Australian women, post WWII, following their new American husbands' back to the USA.
I felt the flaw of this book was the lack of showing what was going on. I felt like I was reading an outline for a book with fleshing out of dialogue, but there could have been more substantial details and descriptive writing.
My favorite character, by far, is Gaynor. I felt Gaynor to be complex as a character, she irked me and she seemed so evil and self-indulgent; however, in many ways so was her husband – this couple was so similar and yet so different. I will not forget this strange character for a long time. Lois Battle did a good job writing her.
I enjoyed reading this book, like I said, fine travel read.
I felt the flaw of this book was the lack of showing what was going on. I felt like I was reading an outline for a book with fleshing out of dialogue, but there could have been more substantial details and descriptive writing.
My favorite character, by far, is Gaynor. I felt Gaynor to be complex as a character, she irked me and she seemed so evil and self-indulgent; however, in many ways so was her husband – this couple was so similar and yet so different. I will not forget this strange character for a long time. Lois Battle did a good job writing her.
I enjoyed reading this book, like I said, fine travel read.
August 27, 2018
This novel follows three young Australian women who each married an American serviceman during the war and went to join him in the US afterward. One already a widow when she met her American, one a naive young girl of 19, and one a woman who just wants out to start a new life.
During the years between the end of WWII and the beginning of the Korean war, each couple faces challenges as they try to make their way in the world while also trying to hold marriages together when they'd basically been strangers when they married.
This is a quick read. I was interested in two of the brides' lives. Gaynor, the woman who married to get out of Australia thinking her husband was wealthy, was not a favorite. I enjoyed following Sheila's transformation from a scared, naive girl to a confident and capable adult; and Dawn's resourcefulness and openness to people of other cultures.
There were 4 or 5 typos that didn't distract from the story; I just happened to notice them.
During the years between the end of WWII and the beginning of the Korean war, each couple faces challenges as they try to make their way in the world while also trying to hold marriages together when they'd basically been strangers when they married.
This is a quick read. I was interested in two of the brides' lives. Gaynor, the woman who married to get out of Australia thinking her husband was wealthy, was not a favorite. I enjoyed following Sheila's transformation from a scared, naive girl to a confident and capable adult; and Dawn's resourcefulness and openness to people of other cultures.
There were 4 or 5 typos that didn't distract from the story; I just happened to notice them.
March 10, 2014
Following the end of WWII, three young Australian women meet en route to America, where they plan to join the American soldiers they've just married. The book follows the three women's lives throughout the next decade, taking them through happy and unhappy marriages, pregnancies, child-rearing, homesickness for Australia and various pivotal life decisions as they struggle to achieve what they've always considered "The American Dream." But, as the women each come to realize, a dream is never like reality...
While the concept was good and I usually like this kind of book, I was rather disappointed. The women were very one-dimensional, and the ending was non-existent. It seems like the author just stopped writng and we never did learn the fate of the women. It was an easy read and I did finish it but it left me wanting something more.
While the concept was good and I usually like this kind of book, I was rather disappointed. The women were very one-dimensional, and the ending was non-existent. It seems like the author just stopped writng and we never did learn the fate of the women. It was an easy read and I did finish it but it left me wanting something more.
February 11, 2016
Two stars always seems like a worse rating than 'it was okay' but that's how I felt about this book. Some nice writing, some less concise than it could be. A few hints of 'romance' style writing but not overdone. So maybe a bit inconsistent and disconcerting in style.
Following three Australian women who married American soldiers and then came to America after the war didn't distinguish itself from pretty much any marriage where the woman 'follows' her man. Another character, Mavis, is inserted as someone who came over on the same ship and continued to do a little 'newsletter' to keep everyone in touch but she didn't add much to the story.
Not memorable but 'okay'.
Following three Australian women who married American soldiers and then came to America after the war didn't distinguish itself from pretty much any marriage where the woman 'follows' her man. Another character, Mavis, is inserted as someone who came over on the same ship and continued to do a little 'newsletter' to keep everyone in touch but she didn't add much to the story.
Not memorable but 'okay'.
June 3, 2018
This is one I've wanted to read for some time. I thought it was interesting because it was from an Australian war bride perspective - one I hadn't thought about previously. The Australian brides come to the US to meet up with the American husbands they married when the soldiers were stationed in Australia.
For some reason it took me a while to get through, it seemed like a dense read for some reason or maybe I just couldn't concentrate well (I was in the children's ER with one of my kids (all is well now)).
For some reason it took me a while to get through, it seemed like a dense read for some reason or maybe I just couldn't concentrate well (I was in the children's ER with one of my kids (all is well now)).
December 29, 2020
I thought this was very interesting. It follows three war brides from Australia who come to the United States with ideas of how their lives will be. Unfortunately, none of them turn out the way they expected. It follows:
Dawn: Who moves in with her in-laws in Ohio with two daughters.
Sheila: A teenager who moves into the hills of Virginia.
Gaynor: Who moves into the home of her wealthy in-laws in Kansas City.
I did not know much about the war brides, so this was an enjoyable read.
Dawn: Who moves in with her in-laws in Ohio with two daughters.
Sheila: A teenager who moves into the hills of Virginia.
Gaynor: Who moves into the home of her wealthy in-laws in Kansas City.
I did not know much about the war brides, so this was an enjoyable read.
January 28, 2014
Like a lot of other people, I did not feel the ending was all that great, especially with regard to Gaynor. I kind of felt like the story should have included Mavis more, there was something up with her. Other than that, it was a good read, really captured the feel of the post war era and the experiences of the war brides.
March 16, 2014
I enjoyed this book, I like historical novels. I found 2 of the main characters, Dawn & Sheila really endearing & I found myself rooting for them. Their experiences seemed believable. the 3rd character, Gaynor I couldn't stand & I felt parts of her storyline were to soap opera like, didn't fit with the rest of the book.
August 21, 2013
This is my soap opera book of the summer. Easy, fun read, well-written. All the characters clicked. There's another book with the same title, different author, published more recently. Maybe I'll read that one, too.
July 5, 2016
Nice story about four Australian women after the war who married American soldiers. Focuses on how American life changed them.
February 16, 2020
It was very interesting to follow the lives of the war brides once they arrived in America. The ending was flat and left you feeling as if it was unfinished.
February 22, 2020
So many thoughts.... I'll just leave it short.... So so awful. Left me feeling empty and annoyed. Wish I could give it zero stars. Garbage.
November 17, 2012
Told from three different perspectives, this novel focuses around three women who are coming to America post World War II to join their new husbands and to start brand new lives. Each of these women: Gaynor, Dawn, and Shelia have extremely different paths ahead of them and are in for some unexpected changes. They are young and have their minds set on living the great American dream, but discover that not everything is always as it first seems.
The detail and language that fill this book are so rich and vibrant that it took me over a week to read it. I have sat down each night for the past week or so and read a little at time, making sure that I missed something. Lois Battle sure does know how to tell a story, and the detail is so vast and incredible that I found myself wondering if she was in fact a war bride in another life. She draws attention to memorable characteristics within each character, making them feel like your neighbors and friends. I felt like I could reach out and touch the settings and shake hands with the characters. This story literally gives you a front porch view, and if every author wrote this way I would be exceedingly happy. Lois makes sure that readers don’t miss anything important!
Postwar America was laid out like never before. After reading this book I felt overwhelmingly patriotic. I was given a look at a different America, however, one that can only be seen through the eyes of immigrants or newcomers. People that are new to the soil and the way of life here. Family dynamics were also explored immensely within this novel. In fact, each woman tells of her new family life and we are able to see directly into their homes including all the baggage, heartaches, problems, and trails that they face alongside their husbands. You will feel empathy and sympathy for these characters and the lives that some of them settle with. I wanted to yell at the characters more than a few times. Readers have to remember that times were different then, and the war consumed the lives of many in more ways than death.
This story is a beautiful and marvelous portrayal of wartime brides and the beauty and patriotism of America. I enjoyed everything that I learned on the historical side of things from this novel, and I especially enjoyed reading the interview with Lois Battle in the back of the book and finding out how this particular story connected to her life. To fully appreciate the nature and dynamics that make up this book, you may want to donate a little extra time to reading it. These women’s stories are not ones that you will want to fly through, but more so breathe in like fresh air.
***Thank you to the publishers at Penguin Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review***
The detail and language that fill this book are so rich and vibrant that it took me over a week to read it. I have sat down each night for the past week or so and read a little at time, making sure that I missed something. Lois Battle sure does know how to tell a story, and the detail is so vast and incredible that I found myself wondering if she was in fact a war bride in another life. She draws attention to memorable characteristics within each character, making them feel like your neighbors and friends. I felt like I could reach out and touch the settings and shake hands with the characters. This story literally gives you a front porch view, and if every author wrote this way I would be exceedingly happy. Lois makes sure that readers don’t miss anything important!
Postwar America was laid out like never before. After reading this book I felt overwhelmingly patriotic. I was given a look at a different America, however, one that can only be seen through the eyes of immigrants or newcomers. People that are new to the soil and the way of life here. Family dynamics were also explored immensely within this novel. In fact, each woman tells of her new family life and we are able to see directly into their homes including all the baggage, heartaches, problems, and trails that they face alongside their husbands. You will feel empathy and sympathy for these characters and the lives that some of them settle with. I wanted to yell at the characters more than a few times. Readers have to remember that times were different then, and the war consumed the lives of many in more ways than death.
This story is a beautiful and marvelous portrayal of wartime brides and the beauty and patriotism of America. I enjoyed everything that I learned on the historical side of things from this novel, and I especially enjoyed reading the interview with Lois Battle in the back of the book and finding out how this particular story connected to her life. To fully appreciate the nature and dynamics that make up this book, you may want to donate a little extra time to reading it. These women’s stories are not ones that you will want to fly through, but more so breathe in like fresh air.
***Thank you to the publishers at Penguin Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review***
June 7, 2016
I always wish I could give books a 1/2 rating as I really don't feel this is worthy of 4 stars but three doesn't seem adequate.
This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for years and I finally gave it a go. As the granddaughter of an Aussie who married an American Seabee (very unconventionally) shortly after the war, I am greatly interested in this subject matter. The real life stories of Australian women (and others) who had no idea of what they were getting into, by immigrating to the USA, are shocking to say the least. Anyone who thinks the stories of these three women in War Brides are far fetched should know that this was reality. Women came over and left everything with such high hopes and expectations. Many ended up returning to Australia and the others, mostly, led lives that were far from the story book tales of their childhood.
As far as the book goes, I do wish that Gaynor's ending has been tied up. Did she die? Did she get outed by Fauntina? Did she lose Joey? What? Also, a little wrap up on Dawn would have been lovely as well. The odd ball ending really left me unsatisfied. I enjoyed the book and it, at least, held some personal significance to my own history and back ground. Great topic. FYI *This book does contain quite a bit of explicit material although, the subject matter is of 3 women's marriages.
This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for years and I finally gave it a go. As the granddaughter of an Aussie who married an American Seabee (very unconventionally) shortly after the war, I am greatly interested in this subject matter. The real life stories of Australian women (and others) who had no idea of what they were getting into, by immigrating to the USA, are shocking to say the least. Anyone who thinks the stories of these three women in War Brides are far fetched should know that this was reality. Women came over and left everything with such high hopes and expectations. Many ended up returning to Australia and the others, mostly, led lives that were far from the story book tales of their childhood.
As far as the book goes, I do wish that Gaynor's ending has been tied up. Did she die? Did she get outed by Fauntina? Did she lose Joey? What? Also, a little wrap up on Dawn would have been lovely as well. The odd ball ending really left me unsatisfied. I enjoyed the book and it, at least, held some personal significance to my own history and back ground. Great topic. FYI *This book does contain quite a bit of explicit material although, the subject matter is of 3 women's marriages.
March 17, 2013
War Brides tells the story of three very different Australian women who are sailing to America to start new lives with their American GI husbands after WWII. Sheila is young, somewhat spoiled, and completely naive about her new home in the U.S. She finds herself in an extremely poor and remote area of Virginia and must greatly change her expectations of what her life is going to be like with her new husband. Sheila does grow and mature over time, partly due to the help of an idealistic woman physician who encourages her to use her mind and go back to school for nursing, even though she now has a child. Dawn is a widow with a small child, currently pregnant. She goes through her own disappointments when her husband stays in the service, causing them to move around frequently and is troubled with his strict and religious parents. Gaynor is completely different. Although appearing sophisticated, she comes from a rough background and is mercenary in her approach to her marriage. She would prefer the life of her husband’s parents rather than the meager existence they will have as he returns to graduate school. Throughout the story we see the ups and downs of all the Australian war brides through a chatty newsletter prepared by the chief busy body on the ship.
April 30, 2008
World War II is over, but for three Australian women on their way to new lives and new husbands in America, things are just beginning. Young, idealistic, and eager to live the American dream, Sheila, Dawn, and Gaynor travel by ocean liner to join the soldiers they swore to love when peacetime seemed like a lifetime away. But the world that awaits them on the other shore will challenge their illusions and their love, and force them to summon courage and strength they never knew they had. Lois Battle's ear for dialogue and eye for detail bring characters and places to life as few authors can. Rich with the vibrant language and heady atmosphere of postwar America, War Brides captures the look and feel of one of this country's most memorable eras. But in her portrayal of three women coming face to face with the sometimes harsh and often joyful realities of marriage in a new land, Battle--herself the daughter of an Australian war bride--offers a timeless, universal story that will satisfy and entertain readers of every age.
October 17, 2011
Again...one of my favourite novel subjects - families - women during war time. I felt that the story had potential and that it would give us some good insight on how these women adjusted to life with husbands and families they barely knew - on top of leaving behind their own families and homeland for a world away. The 3 main characters were different women, and each of them chose paths that would ultimately result in a mix of emotions. There is no doubt that each of them made choices, made sacrifices - but in the end I was left with the feeling that each one of them felt that they "had" to "sleep in the beds" they had made for themselves - so really they did not have the freedom to control their own lives. I had a great deal of sympathy for them...none of the men they picked I felt was "good" for them. I was not convinced at the conclusion that these women were content with their lot in life - they were just resigned to it.
August 13, 2008
2 1/2 out of 4 Stars
Three Australian girls come to America after WW2 as war brides. Sheila is the youngest and thinks America will be like the Hollywood magazines. She marries hunk Billy and goes to live in a shack in Appalachia. They stay together, though, and Sheila becomes a nurse and Billy works at the college in the horticulture department. Dawn is a widow with 2 children. She marries Zak hoping for stability and a family life but he stays in the Navy and they move around. She finally goes back to Australia. Gaynor has slept her way up from poverty and abuse and marries Ricky from a wealthy family. He turns his back on his family's wealth to be a sociology student. She has an affair with Ricy's father but he dies. She goes back to sleeping around. Ricky gets together with Betty, his childhood friend.
Three Australian girls come to America after WW2 as war brides. Sheila is the youngest and thinks America will be like the Hollywood magazines. She marries hunk Billy and goes to live in a shack in Appalachia. They stay together, though, and Sheila becomes a nurse and Billy works at the college in the horticulture department. Dawn is a widow with 2 children. She marries Zak hoping for stability and a family life but he stays in the Navy and they move around. She finally goes back to Australia. Gaynor has slept her way up from poverty and abuse and marries Ricky from a wealthy family. He turns his back on his family's wealth to be a sociology student. She has an affair with Ricy's father but he dies. She goes back to sleeping around. Ricky gets together with Betty, his childhood friend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2013
The best bit when a book ends is that it can make you wonder what goes next. I found myself writing the sequel. Dawn went back to her family and Sheila "found herself". Both women had children who would be around the Vietnam war period. Billy said that he would teach his son to shoot but hopefully only in "game shooting'. Not to kill another human during combat. Gaynor, well, I think will probably probably land on her feet again. Ruthless and street savy. With Lois's own mother who was a War Bride from Australia would have thought she landed on Mars at the different culture - even though we speak the same language and came from a relatively same ancestral background. That is pretty close today as it was in 1940's for a lot of new war brides as well as any bride who leaves her country of birth to that of her husband's.
November 19, 2015
Three Australian war brides come to America after WWII with pictures in their minds that don't match the reality they face when they arrive. One girl is a gold digger who thinks she has married a very rich man. The youngest of the trio has pictured America as portrayed in Hollywood movies, but arrives to find she has married a hillbilly whose home is a shack with no plumbing. The last, Dawn, has married a very nice man who has been hindered in his married relationship by the way he was raised. Although this novel explores unique problems of brides moving to a new land, many women marry men about whom they know very little.
November 29, 2007
Please see my detailed review at Amazon.com
Grace's "War Brides" Review
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Once again, a novel that needed a good proofreader and editor. I still give it a recommendation, but it wasn't my favorite read of the year. The conclusion left me hanging and I was annoyed by this. I'm still glad I gave it a go, however, and I'm still willing to read her other title on my TBR pile, "Storyville."
Please click that the review was helpful to you at Amazon so that my rating continues to climb! Thanks!
Once again, a novel that needed a good proofreader and editor. I still give it a recommendation, but it wasn't my favorite read of the year. The conclusion left me hanging and I was annoyed by this. I'm still glad I gave it a go, however, and I'm still willing to read her other title on my TBR pile, "Storyville."
April 15, 2013
I enjoyed the trip back in time to post World War II; I thought it sad that these women who started out so hopeful, for the most part, were so disappointed. The characters were well drawn, the settings vividly portrayed, and, except for the Hickocks, the families were uniformly dysfunctional. I'm glad I read it; I doubt that I will read it twice, though I would like to know the fates of the women who were left hanging at the end.
May 29, 2014
I'm glad this was just a pick up off the $3 book rack. The time period was supposed to be post WWII America - the author may have used a few time period references and described the housing correctly, but the personalities and actions of the characters were 21st century in most ways. It simply wasn't believable or well written.
June 4, 2014
I found this a little slow in the beginning but I kept going and was glad I did. It tracks three women from Australia who marry US serviceman and end up emigrating to America after WWII. One interesting aspect was something I'd never thought about--these serviceman were displaced the same as in subsequent wars--and coming home was difficult for them in terms of securing jobs, housing, etc.
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