What do you think?
Rate this book
Dear Nora
War touches everyone.
Reeling from a broken heart, army nurse Nora Russell boards a troop ship in Boston, destination unknown. Assigned to a hospital in Wales treating shell shock (PTSD) patients, she experiences the consequences of war. Nora’s work intensifies when she transfers to a neuropsychiatry center in England. There, Nora meets a British psychiatrist who intrigues her and makes her wonder if she can ever love again.
Back home, Nora’s mother, Ellen, tries to remain positive with her children away at war, but she has promised to tell Nora everything. Soon, Ellen is facing her older sister’s cancer battle and a nephew missing in action. Then, when a long-buried family secret surfaces, her life becomes upended.
Nora’s best friend, Louise Baker, doesn’t understand why everyone leaves her—her parents are gone, and her husband’s in the infantry. Raising a toddler alone, she needs to find a job to keep her sanity. Then she receives a dreaded telegram.
The intertwining stories of three women’s lives, told through their correspondence, reveal the courage, compassion, and resilience necessary to endure the darkest days of World War II.
Reeling from a broken heart, army nurse Nora Russell boards a troop ship in Boston, destination unknown. Assigned to a hospital in Wales treating shell shock (PTSD) patients, she experiences the consequences of war. Nora’s work intensifies when she transfers to a neuropsychiatry center in England. There, Nora meets a British psychiatrist who intrigues her and makes her wonder if she can ever love again.
Back home, Nora’s mother, Ellen, tries to remain positive with her children away at war, but she has promised to tell Nora everything. Soon, Ellen is facing her older sister’s cancer battle and a nephew missing in action. Then, when a long-buried family secret surfaces, her life becomes upended.
Nora’s best friend, Louise Baker, doesn’t understand why everyone leaves her—her parents are gone, and her husband’s in the infantry. Raising a toddler alone, she needs to find a job to keep her sanity. Then she receives a dreaded telegram.
The intertwining stories of three women’s lives, told through their correspondence, reveal the courage, compassion, and resilience necessary to endure the darkest days of World War II.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 23, 2025
1 person is currently reading
1384 people want to read
About the author
Karen Berkey Huntsberger
3 books37 followersKaren grew up in Indiana annoying her family with endless questions. That need to know persisted into adulthood and she would spend all her time on research if she could. She lives with her husband in Oregon wine country. The daughter of a WWII veteran, she is the author of Waiting for Peace–The Journals & Correspondence of a World War II Medic, I’ll Be Seeing You—Letters Home from a Navy Girl, and Dear Nora.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 1, 2026
3.5
*I received this book for free in a giveaway. Thank you to the author."
WWII story told through the letters of three connected women. It is the first book I have read narrated through only letters. I am not sure that it is necessarily my favorite writing style, but it was definitely unique at least.
I enjoyed the story overall, and the blending of real life and fiction. The POV of women during this time is also always a plus to me, as obviously important as the men who were soldiers and such in the war's POV, since that is not the most common POV for WWII stories.
*I received this book for free in a giveaway. Thank you to the author."
WWII story told through the letters of three connected women. It is the first book I have read narrated through only letters. I am not sure that it is necessarily my favorite writing style, but it was definitely unique at least.
I enjoyed the story overall, and the blending of real life and fiction. The POV of women during this time is also always a plus to me, as obviously important as the men who were soldiers and such in the war's POV, since that is not the most common POV for WWII stories.
February 6, 2026
Not a true story but author developed this collaboration based on her research of true experiences.
The entire book is a journal of letters written back and forth during the war time. Nora, is a nurse- family and friend are back home and Noras brother is also enlisted It provided me with an internal sadness of how life was and how much they despised the war and hoped to end any future developments of war…… and where we are. The verbiage is time period correct, the writing is detailed and I recommend the read if you hold an interest in these novels.
The entire book is a journal of letters written back and forth during the war time. Nora, is a nurse- family and friend are back home and Noras brother is also enlisted It provided me with an internal sadness of how life was and how much they despised the war and hoped to end any future developments of war…… and where we are. The verbiage is time period correct, the writing is detailed and I recommend the read if you hold an interest in these novels.
February 2, 2026
Loved it! A story told completely with letters. A fast read. #goodreadsgiveaway
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews