Between Hope & Hereafter: A Emotional Family Drama set in Boston during World War Two

by Jonathan Cullen

For the families waiting back home, time is just another casualty of war.After a year and a half of war, Americans are tired but optimistic. The Allies have been bombing German cities day and night, and in the East, the Japanese are in full retreat. But thousands of young men have been killed, and ten million more are serving overseas. On the home front, the shortages continue, and rationing has only gotten worse.

In East Boston, life for the Nolan family goes on despite the hardships. Abby has finally chosen a career path, but with her boyfriend in the Army, she has no one to celebrate with. After a rash of antisemitic incidents, her brother Thomas starts having second thoughts about being a police officer. Then the U.S. invades Sicily and sends all their Italian neighbors into a panic.

With the arrival of summer, the Nolans return to their cottage on Point Shirley. And while they try to make the best of it, everyone is anxious. No one doubts their country will win the war, but they know many more will die before it ends. All anybody can do now is wait.

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 8, 2025

Reviews

[Nancy LaRue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series. I grew up in Somerville and thought I was very familiar with Boston but had no knowledge of East Boston other than the airport. I thought I had a lot of knowledge about the rationing and struggles of the homefront from my mom and letters she had written to my dad overseas while she waited for my dad (her fiance) to come home from the Army (North Africa and Sicily) but I didn't know about the extended blackouts and how bad the rationing was with heating fuels and gas for cars and that the U Boats were so close. I vaguely remember being at a cookout on Pt Shirley when I was young at a home of a guy that worked with my dad and as an only child I had a ball as this Sullivan family had 9 kids! Thank you so much Jonathan Cullen for writing these books. Very interesting!

[Brenda Stocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartfelt plus a Terrific Story line!

For several years I have been mesmerized by books re WWII. This series of books covers an American family and the many hardships they endured trying to survive during this period of time. This is very enlightening because I have never realized all that our Americans suffered on the home front during these years we were at war. I highly recommend these books!
Thank you to this author, Jonathan Cullen!

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not MIA, but POW

I am so hooked on these series! I rate it to excellent because I feel I am Abby! The story is detailed with nostalgia but not over whelming. It is a refreshing time where is no cell phones, no ipads, certainly no computer's! It is a great story to follow if you like the times and surviving of mortals during the WWII era.

[Susan Marro · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story

I stayed up late last night to finish reading this book. The day to day lives of the characters and the historical events of WW2 in Boston are beautifully described, and feel authentic to me from the stories my parents shared about those years. I hope there is a fifth novel about the Nolan family in the works.

[Susan Yeager · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read

I loved this series and i couldn't put it down. Keep the good books coming. You will not be sorry reading his books

[Shirley Lakata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Series

I really enjoyed these books! They gave great insight into the effect of World War II on the families living on the East Coast of the United States. Most of the books I have read about World War II dealt with the effect on the countries being invaded by Hitler. So many interesting details woven into a heartwarming story of one family’s experience during this important time in our history.

[Jeannie Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the first 3 books, I was so in to the story of Abby and her family. I could hardly wait for the 4th book! I was disappointed in the ending. So many story lines were left hanging! The ending was so abrupt.

[Marilyn Brush · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few little anachronisms

I liked the story. I noticed a few expressions that were not used in the forties;
Human Resources was Personnel.
It was rare in the forties for families to have television.
Teens did not say "groovy" until the sixties