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A Touch of Promise : A War Bride's Emotional Journey
A cruel in-law. Thousands of soldiers suffering battle fatigue. Can forging a sisterhood help a war bride survive the aftermath of her love story?
April, 1947. Pearl Griffith fears she’s made a mistake. Leaving England after falling in love with a Canadian stationed in her homeland, she can’t imagine life without the handsome soldier. But cut off from her supportive family, the twenty-one-year-old’s usual confidence falters into misery under her mother-in-law’s unrelenting emotional abuse.
Pearl befriends a woman who witnessed one of the harsh attacks on her dignity and together she and the lonesome transplant bond with an eclectic group of ladies. Discovering echoes of wartime suffering in their husbands’ battle fatigue, she volunteers at the psychiatric institute—even as changes at home bring new hope and looming heartache.
Can Pearl renew her inner strength and prevail in proving her worth?
In this touching tribute to the vital role women play in each other’s lives, Marie Gage delves into the heartbreak, culture shock, and fight for normalcy that confronted the post-WWII generation. And as readers explore her tender saga of ordinary moments in the aftermath of a world-shaking war, they will discover a beautiful tapestry of joy, sorrow, and triumph.
A Touch of Promise is the uplifting third standalone story in the Promise women’s fiction series. If you like big-hearted heroines, the power of sisterhood, and a splash of humor, then you’ll adore Marie Gage’s dramatic breath of fresh air.
Buy A Touch of Promise to chase a new beginning today!
April, 1947. Pearl Griffith fears she’s made a mistake. Leaving England after falling in love with a Canadian stationed in her homeland, she can’t imagine life without the handsome soldier. But cut off from her supportive family, the twenty-one-year-old’s usual confidence falters into misery under her mother-in-law’s unrelenting emotional abuse.
Pearl befriends a woman who witnessed one of the harsh attacks on her dignity and together she and the lonesome transplant bond with an eclectic group of ladies. Discovering echoes of wartime suffering in their husbands’ battle fatigue, she volunteers at the psychiatric institute—even as changes at home bring new hope and looming heartache.
Can Pearl renew her inner strength and prevail in proving her worth?
In this touching tribute to the vital role women play in each other’s lives, Marie Gage delves into the heartbreak, culture shock, and fight for normalcy that confronted the post-WWII generation. And as readers explore her tender saga of ordinary moments in the aftermath of a world-shaking war, they will discover a beautiful tapestry of joy, sorrow, and triumph.
A Touch of Promise is the uplifting third standalone story in the Promise women’s fiction series. If you like big-hearted heroines, the power of sisterhood, and a splash of humor, then you’ll adore Marie Gage’s dramatic breath of fresh air.
Buy A Touch of Promise to chase a new beginning today!
331 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 26, 2025
18 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Marie Gage
11 books5 followersMarie Gage's writing is inspired by real people. She is a passionate researcher, intent on using all available resources to make the story come to life. The weaving of fact and fiction to create stories that are both believable and inspiring is her forté. The passion she develops for her characters adds depth and life to the story
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May 26, 2025
Sometimes referred to as “The Greatest Generation,” people born between 1915 and 1928 were characterized by resiliency, duty and loyalty. The hardships they endured as children of the Great Depression and subsequently as active contributors to the war against Hitler, created an era known for strong values.
A Touch of Promise, Marie Gage’s new novel, examines relationships in the years following World War II. As countries went about the task of rebuilding economies and devastated landscapes, young adults were coming to terms with rebuilding families, communities and trust.
Meet Pearl, a war bride from England who marries Rod, a handsome Canadian soldier. He brings her home to London, Ontario, where they face with many unexpected adjustments. While Rod adjusts to civilian life, Pearl tries to adjust to a new country, young motherhood, and hostility from Rod’s friends and family. There was a general feeling that foreign brides had unjustly stolen the returning soldiers away from Canadian girls. War brides, often with babies in tow, missed their mothers and sisters and longtime friends. They were unprepared for the harsh weather, the hardships of living in unfamiliar communities, and the prejudice of locals.
Pearl is vulnerable to antagonism by Rod’s former girlfriend, Stephanie. She is also made miserable by Rod’s newly widowed mother, Hilary, who lives with the couple and their baby daughter. Judgmental and cruel, Hilary criticizes Pearl’s parenting and housekeeping skills in a way that undermines the young bride’s confidence. Sweet-natured and full of good intentions, Pearl stoically puts up with the unsubstantiated accusations until unforeseen circumstances change her behavior.
In contrast to these spiteful characters, readers will appreciate the memorable cast of women who find strength in each other as they negotiate a changing post-war world. They come to call themselves Wise Women. 2W for short. “A touch of promise is all it takes to ground us and keep us moving along a difficult path,” Pearl remarks.
Author, Marie Gage, writes in a romantic style, lending a gracious vintage feeling to her dialogue. A Touch of Promise, will appeal to readers who appreciate the nostalgia of bygone eras, lilacs flowering beside verandas, and respectful manners. Underlying the harmony, however, is ongoing tension exacerbated by traditional gender roles. I often wished Pearl would speak up about her emotional distress, but she was taught to avoid conflict, even when others behaved badly. Images reminiscent of “Father Knows Best” came to me when so many of the women in this story sacrificed their own peace of mind to make everyone else happy.
Loyalty is a recurring theme in A Touch of Promise. Pearl shows unwavering loyalty to her husband (even when he is oblivious to the obvious) and her friends (even when their needs exhaust her) and others (even when they give her every reason to flee back to England). She becomes the glue in a group of women who learn to deal joyfully with life’s struggles. Two of them are married to men who came back from war with “battle fatigue”. The book deals well with the stigma that surrounded what is now known as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. The treatment was often more severe than the suffering, and included long term hospital stays, shock therapy and lobotomies. For their wives, isolated and abandoned by men forever changed by the trauma of war, there was domestic violence, shame, and a lack of understanding. When armed conflict, ends, peace doesn’t necessarily fill the void.
Congratulations to Marie Gage for capturing this pivotal historic era with a story empowered by perseverance, loyalty, the power of love, and friendships that help us weather the storms of life.
A Touch of Promise, Marie Gage’s new novel, examines relationships in the years following World War II. As countries went about the task of rebuilding economies and devastated landscapes, young adults were coming to terms with rebuilding families, communities and trust.
Meet Pearl, a war bride from England who marries Rod, a handsome Canadian soldier. He brings her home to London, Ontario, where they face with many unexpected adjustments. While Rod adjusts to civilian life, Pearl tries to adjust to a new country, young motherhood, and hostility from Rod’s friends and family. There was a general feeling that foreign brides had unjustly stolen the returning soldiers away from Canadian girls. War brides, often with babies in tow, missed their mothers and sisters and longtime friends. They were unprepared for the harsh weather, the hardships of living in unfamiliar communities, and the prejudice of locals.
Pearl is vulnerable to antagonism by Rod’s former girlfriend, Stephanie. She is also made miserable by Rod’s newly widowed mother, Hilary, who lives with the couple and their baby daughter. Judgmental and cruel, Hilary criticizes Pearl’s parenting and housekeeping skills in a way that undermines the young bride’s confidence. Sweet-natured and full of good intentions, Pearl stoically puts up with the unsubstantiated accusations until unforeseen circumstances change her behavior.
In contrast to these spiteful characters, readers will appreciate the memorable cast of women who find strength in each other as they negotiate a changing post-war world. They come to call themselves Wise Women. 2W for short. “A touch of promise is all it takes to ground us and keep us moving along a difficult path,” Pearl remarks.
Author, Marie Gage, writes in a romantic style, lending a gracious vintage feeling to her dialogue. A Touch of Promise, will appeal to readers who appreciate the nostalgia of bygone eras, lilacs flowering beside verandas, and respectful manners. Underlying the harmony, however, is ongoing tension exacerbated by traditional gender roles. I often wished Pearl would speak up about her emotional distress, but she was taught to avoid conflict, even when others behaved badly. Images reminiscent of “Father Knows Best” came to me when so many of the women in this story sacrificed their own peace of mind to make everyone else happy.
Loyalty is a recurring theme in A Touch of Promise. Pearl shows unwavering loyalty to her husband (even when he is oblivious to the obvious) and her friends (even when their needs exhaust her) and others (even when they give her every reason to flee back to England). She becomes the glue in a group of women who learn to deal joyfully with life’s struggles. Two of them are married to men who came back from war with “battle fatigue”. The book deals well with the stigma that surrounded what is now known as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. The treatment was often more severe than the suffering, and included long term hospital stays, shock therapy and lobotomies. For their wives, isolated and abandoned by men forever changed by the trauma of war, there was domestic violence, shame, and a lack of understanding. When armed conflict, ends, peace doesn’t necessarily fill the void.
Congratulations to Marie Gage for capturing this pivotal historic era with a story empowered by perseverance, loyalty, the power of love, and friendships that help us weather the storms of life.
Displaying 1 of 1 review