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Homefront: Stories
Inspired by Victoria Kelly’s experiences as the wife of a fighter pilot during three wartime deployments, this collection follows women whose lives have been impacted by war and military service as they struggle with their fragile ideas of home.
In “Prayers of an American Wife,” a Navy wife grapples with loneliness when she discovers that her neighbor, also a Navy wife, is having an affair while their husbands are deployed on the same aircraft carrier. Tensions rise in “The Strangers of Dubai” as a soldier on leave tries to buy his wife a souvenir from an Afghan vendor. After attending eight funerals with fellow military wives whose husbands died in the Iraq war, the protagonist in “Finding the Good Light” divorces her Navy husband and tries to start a new life as a movie star. These, along with the eleven other stories in this collection, explore the emotional landscape of the resilient women who remain on the homefront.
Kelly’s stories offer readers an intimate, eye-opening look into the sacrifices and steadfastness of military family members.
In “Prayers of an American Wife,” a Navy wife grapples with loneliness when she discovers that her neighbor, also a Navy wife, is having an affair while their husbands are deployed on the same aircraft carrier. Tensions rise in “The Strangers of Dubai” as a soldier on leave tries to buy his wife a souvenir from an Afghan vendor. After attending eight funerals with fellow military wives whose husbands died in the Iraq war, the protagonist in “Finding the Good Light” divorces her Navy husband and tries to start a new life as a movie star. These, along with the eleven other stories in this collection, explore the emotional landscape of the resilient women who remain on the homefront.
Kelly’s stories offer readers an intimate, eye-opening look into the sacrifices and steadfastness of military family members.
- GenresWarShort StoriesFiction
172 pages, Paperback
Published January 30, 2024
2 people are currently reading
3113 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Kelly
4 books65 followersVictoria Kelly is the author of four books of fiction and poetry, including the novel Mrs. Houdini and the poetry collection When the Men Go Off to War.
She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Harvard University and received her M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Best American Poetry, The Autumn House Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry, Prairie Schooner, Alaska Quarterly Review, Southwest Review and numerous other journals and anthologies. Her novel Mrs. Houdini was a People Magazine Best New Book, a USA Today New and Noteworthy Book, a Jeopardy Pick and a Publishers Weekly Starred Debut.
She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Harvard University and received her M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Best American Poetry, The Autumn House Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry, Prairie Schooner, Alaska Quarterly Review, Southwest Review and numerous other journals and anthologies. Her novel Mrs. Houdini was a People Magazine Best New Book, a USA Today New and Noteworthy Book, a Jeopardy Pick and a Publishers Weekly Starred Debut.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 11, 2024
Many thanks to @victoriakellybooks and @Universityofnevadapress for my #gifted signed copy and all the goodies to go with it. Thank you 😊 Pub date 1/30/24.
First off, let me just say how beautiful that cover is. It immediately made me what to read! This book was beautifully written, and at the end of each story, I was left wanting more. Kelly’s stories offer readers an intimate, eye-opening look into the sacrifices and steadfastness of military family members.
SYNOPSIS:
Inspired by Victoria Kelly’s experiences as the wife of a fighter pilot during three wartime deployments, this collection follows women whose lives have been impacted by war and military service as they struggle with their fragile ideas of home.
In “Prayers of an American Wife,” a Navy wife grapples with loneliness when she discovers that her neighbor, also a Navy wife, is having an affair while their husbands are deployed on the same aircraft carrier. Tensions rise in “The Strangers of Dubai” as a soldier on leave and try to buy his wife a souvenir from an Afghan vendor. After attending eight funerals with fellow military wives whose husbands died in the Iraq war, the protagonist in “Finding the Good Light” divorces her Navy husband and tries to start a new life as a movie star. These, along with the eleven other stories in this collection, explore the emotional landscape of the resilient women who remain on the homefront.
First off, let me just say how beautiful that cover is. It immediately made me what to read! This book was beautifully written, and at the end of each story, I was left wanting more. Kelly’s stories offer readers an intimate, eye-opening look into the sacrifices and steadfastness of military family members.
SYNOPSIS:
Inspired by Victoria Kelly’s experiences as the wife of a fighter pilot during three wartime deployments, this collection follows women whose lives have been impacted by war and military service as they struggle with their fragile ideas of home.
In “Prayers of an American Wife,” a Navy wife grapples with loneliness when she discovers that her neighbor, also a Navy wife, is having an affair while their husbands are deployed on the same aircraft carrier. Tensions rise in “The Strangers of Dubai” as a soldier on leave and try to buy his wife a souvenir from an Afghan vendor. After attending eight funerals with fellow military wives whose husbands died in the Iraq war, the protagonist in “Finding the Good Light” divorces her Navy husband and tries to start a new life as a movie star. These, along with the eleven other stories in this collection, explore the emotional landscape of the resilient women who remain on the homefront.
November 21, 2023
This story collection is an unexpected journey, and always keeps the reader wanting more.
Violence laps at the edges of Victoria Kelly’s new collection, Homecoming. Characters are scarred by war, women disappear, men commit crimes both real and imaginary. But the more pressing dramas are the betrayals of lovers and family members, secrets kept and hope lost, and the regret of lives that should have been.
Gorgeously written, nuanced, and timely, Homecoming offers readers a perfect snapshot of American life in all its splendor and tragedy.
Violence laps at the edges of Victoria Kelly’s new collection, Homecoming. Characters are scarred by war, women disappear, men commit crimes both real and imaginary. But the more pressing dramas are the betrayals of lovers and family members, secrets kept and hope lost, and the regret of lives that should have been.
Gorgeously written, nuanced, and timely, Homecoming offers readers a perfect snapshot of American life in all its splendor and tragedy.
February 27, 2024
Wartime and military stories, particularly those with battle scenes, offer instant intensity that can reveal raw humanity in unsubtle unambiguous ways. But for those at home who support the one serving, life presents its own dramas, its own battles. These may not be as overt but can be as meaningful and deep because of a service connection. As is the case in Homefront: Stories (Battle Born), a collection from Victoria Kelly, fourteen entries, save one, previously published in different literary publications.
Based on the title, I had anticipated stories about spouses of men or women (maybe widows or widowers) either actively serving or who have served. Such as Prayers of an American Wife, told from the perspective of a wife whose anxiety lies in more mundane concerns such as infidelity over the, possibly inured, dread of a fateful knock at the door. Two couples are neighbours on a base, the husbands in the same squadron, and there is a prior connection too. But they aren't necessarily friends. The first wife comes to suspect the second of having an affair and is troubled enough to spy on her. But to what end? What will she discover, about herself?
Or The Whispering Gallery, about a bitter woman whose fiancée died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan prior to their wedding. She was the insurance beneficiary but the timing enabled the dead man's family to scoop in and claim it all, shutting her out and leaving her embittered. Years later, doubt is raised about the fiancée's death and the medal he earned. She's asked to conduct an interview with an investigating journalist that could expose something the family doesn't want exposed. She then, coincidentally or not, runs into her former brother-in-law to be.
Often, however, there is a delayed or incidental military link playing a less conspicuous but still integral component to the character(s) in the stories. Which is good. Too strictly and literally upholding the theme might not sustain interest in a reader, nor allow the author the freedom to let the stories unfold naturally in the sometimes complex, unexpected ways they do. Thus we have a mixture of characters of varying ages in situations in varying locales, away from military conflict, in the centre of battles at home.
These stories benefit from a storytelling voice that's calm but firm that keeps attention while also putting the reader at ease. The author also has a knack for providing particular details to enhance the settings. Hence, a collection that can be enjoyed all at once, or one at a time.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Based on the title, I had anticipated stories about spouses of men or women (maybe widows or widowers) either actively serving or who have served. Such as Prayers of an American Wife, told from the perspective of a wife whose anxiety lies in more mundane concerns such as infidelity over the, possibly inured, dread of a fateful knock at the door. Two couples are neighbours on a base, the husbands in the same squadron, and there is a prior connection too. But they aren't necessarily friends. The first wife comes to suspect the second of having an affair and is troubled enough to spy on her. But to what end? What will she discover, about herself?
Or The Whispering Gallery, about a bitter woman whose fiancée died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan prior to their wedding. She was the insurance beneficiary but the timing enabled the dead man's family to scoop in and claim it all, shutting her out and leaving her embittered. Years later, doubt is raised about the fiancée's death and the medal he earned. She's asked to conduct an interview with an investigating journalist that could expose something the family doesn't want exposed. She then, coincidentally or not, runs into her former brother-in-law to be.
Often, however, there is a delayed or incidental military link playing a less conspicuous but still integral component to the character(s) in the stories. Which is good. Too strictly and literally upholding the theme might not sustain interest in a reader, nor allow the author the freedom to let the stories unfold naturally in the sometimes complex, unexpected ways they do. Thus we have a mixture of characters of varying ages in situations in varying locales, away from military conflict, in the centre of battles at home.
These stories benefit from a storytelling voice that's calm but firm that keeps attention while also putting the reader at ease. The author also has a knack for providing particular details to enhance the settings. Hence, a collection that can be enjoyed all at once, or one at a time.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 13, 2024
** I received an advanced paperback copy via GoodReads giveaway. Release date for “Homefront” is January 30, 2024. **
“Homefront” is a compilation of fictional short stories, inspired by the author, Victoria Kelly’s, own experiences as a military wife. Each short story is unique and unlike the others. They are great examples of what it’s like to be left on the Homefront and continue living your everyday life.
In this book, the main characters’ stories range from having the emotional feeling of loneliness, hope, confusion, anger, excitement, fear, loss, and/or love. Some deal with spouses or children’s lives while their family member is deployed. Some of the stories are centered around what happens when a family member returns from war, while others might be how your military person acts/reacts to certain civilian situations while still having the military/war mindset. The author also included stories of immigration during war time and how their lives changed whether for better or worse.
I was expecting each of the short stories to have strong military based presence, but really that isn’t the case. Don’t get me wrong, there is an underlined military theme, but it doesn’t take up a significant part for most of these stories. For example, a main character may have moved often since a parent would get stationed in different locations on a regular basis, which in return was the reason why the main character as an adult may have felt unsettled or always wanted to be on the move. The story itself may not be centered around the military, but rather have a small part in a character’s development/past.
“Homefront” is beautifully written and is a lovely tribute to the scarifies our military families make.
“Homefront” is a compilation of fictional short stories, inspired by the author, Victoria Kelly’s, own experiences as a military wife. Each short story is unique and unlike the others. They are great examples of what it’s like to be left on the Homefront and continue living your everyday life.
In this book, the main characters’ stories range from having the emotional feeling of loneliness, hope, confusion, anger, excitement, fear, loss, and/or love. Some deal with spouses or children’s lives while their family member is deployed. Some of the stories are centered around what happens when a family member returns from war, while others might be how your military person acts/reacts to certain civilian situations while still having the military/war mindset. The author also included stories of immigration during war time and how their lives changed whether for better or worse.
I was expecting each of the short stories to have strong military based presence, but really that isn’t the case. Don’t get me wrong, there is an underlined military theme, but it doesn’t take up a significant part for most of these stories. For example, a main character may have moved often since a parent would get stationed in different locations on a regular basis, which in return was the reason why the main character as an adult may have felt unsettled or always wanted to be on the move. The story itself may not be centered around the military, but rather have a small part in a character’s development/past.
“Homefront” is beautifully written and is a lovely tribute to the scarifies our military families make.
May 18, 2024
Cette critique a été écrite dans le cadre des Critiques en avant-première de LibraryThing.
"Homefront" écrit par la célèbre chroniqueuse de guerre, Victoria Kelly, compile quatorze histoires ayant pour point commun, les héros militaires, et/ou de guerre sur le terrain, qui, tous/toutes, souffrent de solitude qui les écrasent d'autant plus que la mort est en filigranne à chacun de leurs pas.
Leurs quêtes inaliénables et légitimes d'amour motivent leurs actes d'héroîsme tant sur leur vie quotidienne, que sur le théâtre effroyable des conflits armés de par le monde.
Victoria Kelly a le don d'emener le lecteur au coeur même de ces tragédies humaines, forte de sa pluralité d'expériences en tant que deux fois l'épouse d'officiers.
Chacun des récits offre une vision différente de la vie, une fois rentré dans le monde des civils. De toutes ces histoires, émouvantes et vraies, se tisse l'essence d'un amour abîmé, bafoué ou refoulé et surtout, de cet espoir inimaginable que détient chaque personne en elle, le moteur qui donne un sens à sa vie.
L'auteur l'a si bien compris qu'elle en distille son essence tout du long de ces récits, avec une délicate et tragique subtilité.
Trés triste, mais aussi très beau !
Et, l'éprouvant constat qui se répète, histoire après histoire, celui de vivre...mais aussi celui de mourir...absolument seul ! Tout seul !
Lisez-le !
"Homefront" écrit par la célèbre chroniqueuse de guerre, Victoria Kelly, compile quatorze histoires ayant pour point commun, les héros militaires, et/ou de guerre sur le terrain, qui, tous/toutes, souffrent de solitude qui les écrasent d'autant plus que la mort est en filigranne à chacun de leurs pas.
Leurs quêtes inaliénables et légitimes d'amour motivent leurs actes d'héroîsme tant sur leur vie quotidienne, que sur le théâtre effroyable des conflits armés de par le monde.
Victoria Kelly a le don d'emener le lecteur au coeur même de ces tragédies humaines, forte de sa pluralité d'expériences en tant que deux fois l'épouse d'officiers.
Chacun des récits offre une vision différente de la vie, une fois rentré dans le monde des civils. De toutes ces histoires, émouvantes et vraies, se tisse l'essence d'un amour abîmé, bafoué ou refoulé et surtout, de cet espoir inimaginable que détient chaque personne en elle, le moteur qui donne un sens à sa vie.
L'auteur l'a si bien compris qu'elle en distille son essence tout du long de ces récits, avec une délicate et tragique subtilité.
Trés triste, mais aussi très beau !
Et, l'éprouvant constat qui se répète, histoire après histoire, celui de vivre...mais aussi celui de mourir...absolument seul ! Tout seul !
Lisez-le !
January 15, 2024
HOMEFRONT is a study in using fiction to get at the truth: the authentic texture of experience, the feeling of being young and abruptly thrust into real life. Kelly's protagonists are women who have lost parents, who have bet big on love, who have risked greatly in any number of ways and started over before many people have even begun. Perhaps, as these characters learn, the test of adulthood is how you carry on when the scripts given us in childhood suddenly and unexpectedly fail.
The military is one of those paths that forces people to grow up quickly and take on responsibilities both solemn and heavy. As someone who deployed repeatedly in the early years of my marriage, I appreciated this look through the mirror at the parallel experiences of military spouses. Being left behind, Kelly teaches us, is no easier than going away.
Reading HOMEFRONT left me with the distinct feeling of having lived several different lives in the hours I spent in its pages. This, to me, is the mark of a masterful writer and the magic of great fiction.
My thanks to the author for providing a pre-publication review copy.
The military is one of those paths that forces people to grow up quickly and take on responsibilities both solemn and heavy. As someone who deployed repeatedly in the early years of my marriage, I appreciated this look through the mirror at the parallel experiences of military spouses. Being left behind, Kelly teaches us, is no easier than going away.
Reading HOMEFRONT left me with the distinct feeling of having lived several different lives in the hours I spent in its pages. This, to me, is the mark of a masterful writer and the magic of great fiction.
My thanks to the author for providing a pre-publication review copy.
November 17, 2023
"Homefront" offers an insightful look into the lives of military personnel and their spouses. Victoria Kelly expertly crafts a narrative that highlights the strength and challenges faced by these individuals. The character development is rich, making the experiences of love, sacrifice, and resilience deeply relatable. Kelly's writing style is elegant yet accessible, engaging readers with emotional depth. This book is a must-read for those interested in the intricate dynamics of military families. It's a heartfelt tribute to the unsung heroes of the military world.
January 20, 2024
Stunning stories that take us into the lives of the military, especially of the wives and families left behind, treated so often as invisible in our world and also our literature. Beautifully detailed and unafraid to look into the shadows, these pieces have the feel of grief and love, longing and betrayal, the unvarnished truth about the loneliness, especially, of those left behind. There is violence but also redemption; there is discovery, and the beautifully detailed prose is comforting and yet unflinching.
November 18, 2023
Victoria Kelly has a captivating way with words and creates such powerful vignettes in her stories that are poignant and thought-provoking - I find myself considering them for days and weeks after. She tells stories that evoke the struggles, strength, and resiliency of military life in a way that is both deeply personal and also universally relatable. I’ve been a fan of her poetry and novels in the past and am delighted to now hear her voice in short stories.
December 14, 2023
This book is a must read! Combat stories from the battlefield are ubiquitous and predictable. Kelly does a fantastic job of pointing the lens at those who are left in times of war and its lasting impressions on them. Her ability to hold the reader to the discomfort and pain of the characters is what makes the book a stand-out performance. Unless you’re comfortable crying in public, you shouldn’t read this book on the metro, subway, or bus. The stories are that powerful!
May 11, 2024
Victoria Kelly is a soldier’s wife and needless to say she has first hand experience in the issues military families experience. Her stories are well written. Definitely worth the read. This was a Goodreads giveaway and I thank the author for the presents that accompanied the book!
November 27, 2023
Beautifully written stories about the challenges faced by military families. Highly recommend!
November 29, 2023
Thoughtful, beautifully written, and enjoyable collection of stories from a truly gifted writer.
January 15, 2024
An exquisite collection! "Finding the Good Light" and "Rachel's Story" especially knocked me out. Find and read this book!
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August 1, 2024Excellent. But,... thought that the 4 year old was portrade as less than 4.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews