A War Bride's Story: Risking It All for Love After World War II

by Cynthia J. Faryon

Gwendoline Cramer was one of the 48,000 war brides transported to Canada by the Canadian government between 1942 and 1947. Many of them were escorted across the water and handed over to their husbands with nothing more than a handsake and a cookbook. Following her heart to rural Saskatchewan, Gwen felt like a fish out of water. She couldn't milk a cow or cook with a wood stove. And then she had the in-laws to contend with...

Genres: Nonfiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[C. (Don't blank click my reviews, comment please! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine you are from a city with hot, indoor water. You marry during the war and your husband returns to his country. You join him in a year and when you do, you bring a baby. After a long journey by ship, train and car; all you want is a warm bath and tea…. It is a pity that the washroom is an outhouse, in a snow bank!

“A War Brides Story: Risking It All For Love After World War II” 2004, is the biography of the author’s parents. It will appeal to immigrants anywhere and all who enjoy learning about living in prairie Canada’s old rural days. The timeline is brief, sticks to salient events, and progresses well with some humour and relatable elements

I merely wish the emotional background were fuller. Cynthia J. Faryon stayed true to diaries, personal notes, and the precise way her own parents probably repeated the way they met and adapted in their first years. The impact of meeting your son could certainly be re-enacted. I want to know how her Dad felt and how long it took them to become close.

Otherwise, this is a well told story that we breeze all the way through. We clearly picture Gwen in her high-heeled shoes, stepping off a train in a Saskatchewan winter. These were not stern relatives; merely trappers who turned this newcomer against trapping animals and using fur, all of her life. Gwendoline Cramer was welcomed and hardship was brief; an introduction to old prairie life.

I am pleased by how widely Cindy is published, to the benefit of Canadian history. A fellow townswoman, we often chatted in the summer. She autographed this for our family and said “This is about my Mother”. I am very proud to review a local author!

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gotta feel sorry for this war bride, whose husband gave her no "heads up" about the significant loss of conveniences she would face in her new home on the bald prairie. Reading this book gives one insight to the trials of our grandparents and great-grandparents who may not have realized what they were in for as they emigrated to this country.
At the very least her new husband should have taken her aside and told her what to wear for her first arrival in her new home, if only to avoid the censure/ridicule/scorn of her new mother-in-law.
I definitely felt compassion for the young lady, though perhaps she clung to her stylish ways a bit longer than she should have in the circumstances.
Definitely worth a read - it is more of a short story than a book.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story about a war bride from England coming to rural Canada. I had never gave it a thought before about war brides traveling to live with husbands. I loved the fact that there were little jokes and funny parts during the book that had me laughing.

[Amelia Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty good. I found Gwen kind of annoying, but it was cool to read

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story, writing was ok.

[Lindsay Elliott]

A War Bride's Story is an informative, easy read that takes the reader into the mindset of a war bride. Scared, excited, far from home and seemingly out of her depth, war brides set out to create a whole new life completely different than the one they had always known. This book gives a good overview of some key moments and obstacles that most war brides faced, laced with cute stories and personalized anecdotes.

[Melly Mcgrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not at all what I expected, but I enjoyed it immensely.

I had thought it would be more romantic, but I suppose it was not really a romantic time. From my understanding it's quite historically accurate, and it's well written, quite an easy read. Very sweet story in the end.

[Jillian Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

~2.5 - Ouf this gal really went through it. Felt bad for her; it seemed like her husband, relatives and townsfolk were all laughing at her throughout her first few years in Canada. So sad thinking about everything some women gave up and were thrown into when they agreed to come to Canada. Such a culture shock