What do you think?
Rate this book
GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love
"G.I. Brides" weaves together the real-life stories of four women who crossed the ocean for love, providing a moving true tale of romance and resilience.
The ‘friendly invasion’ of Britain by over a million American G.I.s caused a sensation amongst a generation of young women deprived of male company during the Second World War. With their exotic accents, smart uniforms and aura of Hollywood glamour, the G.I.s soon had the local girls queuing up for a date, and the British boys off fighting abroad turning green with envy.
But American soldiers offered something even more tantalising than a ready supply of chocolate, chewing gum and nylon stockings. Becoming a G.I. bride provided an escape route from Blitz-ravaged Britain, an opportunity for a whole new life in America – a country that was more affluent, more modern and less class-ridden than home.
Some 70,000 G.I. brides crossed the Atlantic at the end of the war to join the men who had captured their hearts – but the long voyage was just the beginning of a much bigger journey.
Once there, the women would have to adapt to a foreign culture and a new way of life thousands of miles away from family and friends, with a man they hardly knew out of uniform. Some struggled with the isolation of life in rural America, or found their heroic soldier was less appealing once he returned to Civvy Street. But most persevered, determined to turn their wartime romance into a lifelong love affair, and prove to those back home that it really was possible to have a Hollywood ending.
The ‘friendly invasion’ of Britain by over a million American G.I.s caused a sensation amongst a generation of young women deprived of male company during the Second World War. With their exotic accents, smart uniforms and aura of Hollywood glamour, the G.I.s soon had the local girls queuing up for a date, and the British boys off fighting abroad turning green with envy.
But American soldiers offered something even more tantalising than a ready supply of chocolate, chewing gum and nylon stockings. Becoming a G.I. bride provided an escape route from Blitz-ravaged Britain, an opportunity for a whole new life in America – a country that was more affluent, more modern and less class-ridden than home.
Some 70,000 G.I. brides crossed the Atlantic at the end of the war to join the men who had captured their hearts – but the long voyage was just the beginning of a much bigger journey.
Once there, the women would have to adapt to a foreign culture and a new way of life thousands of miles away from family and friends, with a man they hardly knew out of uniform. Some struggled with the isolation of life in rural America, or found their heroic soldier was less appealing once he returned to Civvy Street. But most persevered, determined to turn their wartime romance into a lifelong love affair, and prove to those back home that it really was possible to have a Hollywood ending.
483 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2013
334 people are currently reading
3015 people want to read
About the author
Duncan Barrett
31 books63 followersDuncan grew up in London and read English at Jesus College, Cambridge. He is the editor of Ronald Skirth's First World War memoir The Reluctant Tommy (Macmillan, 2010) and co-author of Star Trek: The Human Frontier (Polity, 2000) and Zippy and Me: The Remarkable Life in Puppets of Rainbow's Ronnie Le Drew (forthcoming, 2011). He also works as an actor and occasional theatre director.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 462 reviews
September 26, 2014
The subtitle of GI Brides by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi is: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love.
Over one million American GI's 'invaded' England during the Second World War . And by the end of the war, over 70,000 women had married American servicemen and headed to the United States to start a new chapter in their lives.
Barrett and Calvi's book documents the lives of four of these women - Sylvia, Gwendolyn, Rae and Margaret, from the early days of the war, to meeting their husbands and finally their experiences over the pond. The narrative rotates through each woman's story in alternating chapters. It's absolutely fascinating reading and I was hard pressed to put it down.
The time period is explored and relived through each woman's memories. Historical references are made to actual events and attitudes of the time, but the focus of GI Brides is personal and intimate. Although falling in love with a dashing young military man and crossing the ocean to a new country had the feeling of a romantic fairy tale, what these women actually experienced was not. Now, this was not necessarily the case for all GI Brides. The authors do mention that they "needed stories that really stood out - where the women had faced adversity and grown as a result."
There are over forty pictures included in the book, that I found myself looking at almost every time I finished a chapter - gazing at a black and white photo of years gone by and contemplating the direction their lives took.
I am captured by memoirs - even more so in this case. These women persevered and soldiered on - "We're British, we can stand anything. Those simple words brought great solace and support to a group of women building lives far from family and home."
It was only while reading the authors' notes at the end of the book that I discovered that Nuala Calvi is the granddaughter of Margaret, lending a very personal note to the book.
GI Brides reads almost like fiction - anyone enjoying this time period and a look at real lives lived would absolutely enjoy this book
Over one million American GI's 'invaded' England during the Second World War . And by the end of the war, over 70,000 women had married American servicemen and headed to the United States to start a new chapter in their lives.
Barrett and Calvi's book documents the lives of four of these women - Sylvia, Gwendolyn, Rae and Margaret, from the early days of the war, to meeting their husbands and finally their experiences over the pond. The narrative rotates through each woman's story in alternating chapters. It's absolutely fascinating reading and I was hard pressed to put it down.
The time period is explored and relived through each woman's memories. Historical references are made to actual events and attitudes of the time, but the focus of GI Brides is personal and intimate. Although falling in love with a dashing young military man and crossing the ocean to a new country had the feeling of a romantic fairy tale, what these women actually experienced was not. Now, this was not necessarily the case for all GI Brides. The authors do mention that they "needed stories that really stood out - where the women had faced adversity and grown as a result."
There are over forty pictures included in the book, that I found myself looking at almost every time I finished a chapter - gazing at a black and white photo of years gone by and contemplating the direction their lives took.
I am captured by memoirs - even more so in this case. These women persevered and soldiered on - "We're British, we can stand anything. Those simple words brought great solace and support to a group of women building lives far from family and home."
It was only while reading the authors' notes at the end of the book that I discovered that Nuala Calvi is the granddaughter of Margaret, lending a very personal note to the book.
GI Brides reads almost like fiction - anyone enjoying this time period and a look at real lives lived would absolutely enjoy this book
November 13, 2014
Interesting stories, but ultimately a pretty depressing read.
SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW.
GI Brides explores the lives of four British women who marry American soldiers during World War II and emigrate to the United States. Their motivations vary, but all marry for love. Unfortunately, most will find their new life to be a difficult adjustment, followed by bitter disappointment.
The men they marry aren't detailed, and we have little understanding of why they'd choose to bring home a war bride from another country. Impulse seems to play a part, as most come to resent their wives. One is a compulsive gambler; one a womanizer and possible bigamist; one is an alcoholic, one is tied to his mother's apron strings. The authors interviewed over 50 British war brides for this book, and why they chose four such miserable tales to represent the whole is hard to understand. They make a point of telling us that the divorce rates among British war brides were lower than the US average, but that doesn't seem to mean they were happy. Only one bride in this book has anything resembling a successful marriage to her GI.
That said, the women were interesting and strong, and entirely sympathetic. Perhaps that's why their stories are disappointing - one wants them to have SOME kind of happy ending. Were there no happy war brides? None?
On a side note, this book needed better editing. People don't "diffuse" a situation, for example. I read an e-book, so perhaps this was corrected in the print version.
SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW.
GI Brides explores the lives of four British women who marry American soldiers during World War II and emigrate to the United States. Their motivations vary, but all marry for love. Unfortunately, most will find their new life to be a difficult adjustment, followed by bitter disappointment.
The men they marry aren't detailed, and we have little understanding of why they'd choose to bring home a war bride from another country. Impulse seems to play a part, as most come to resent their wives. One is a compulsive gambler; one a womanizer and possible bigamist; one is an alcoholic, one is tied to his mother's apron strings. The authors interviewed over 50 British war brides for this book, and why they chose four such miserable tales to represent the whole is hard to understand. They make a point of telling us that the divorce rates among British war brides were lower than the US average, but that doesn't seem to mean they were happy. Only one bride in this book has anything resembling a successful marriage to her GI.
That said, the women were interesting and strong, and entirely sympathetic. Perhaps that's why their stories are disappointing - one wants them to have SOME kind of happy ending. Were there no happy war brides? None?
On a side note, this book needed better editing. People don't "diffuse" a situation, for example. I read an e-book, so perhaps this was corrected in the print version.
May 13, 2016
After all, we're British, we can stand anything.
I recently picked this up at my local library and it can only be summed up to be a real treasure that I almost passed upon. This book presents the story of four GI Brides -Sylvia, Rae, Margaret, and Gwendolyn(Lyn) and their lives during the war years, their courtships, and the new lives they made for themselves in postwar America. Each story was incredibly important and I thank these women for putting their stories out to the reading public.
The more I learn about these women, the majority who were British who married soldiers in the US and Canada , the more convinced I become that the significance of their choice to make a new start in their adopted countries must not be forgotten. However,they're not mentioned at all in my history textbooks even the ones that deal with the impact of post war settlement.
Now for people that might think this is a "doozy" or too realistic to be a beach read, don't worry it reads like a novel. A book that I just couldn't stop reading!
I recently picked this up at my local library and it can only be summed up to be a real treasure that I almost passed upon. This book presents the story of four GI Brides -Sylvia, Rae, Margaret, and Gwendolyn(Lyn) and their lives during the war years, their courtships, and the new lives they made for themselves in postwar America. Each story was incredibly important and I thank these women for putting their stories out to the reading public.
The more I learn about these women, the majority who were British who married soldiers in the US and Canada , the more convinced I become that the significance of their choice to make a new start in their adopted countries must not be forgotten. However,they're not mentioned at all in my history textbooks even the ones that deal with the impact of post war settlement.
Now for people that might think this is a "doozy" or too realistic to be a beach read, don't worry it reads like a novel. A book that I just couldn't stop reading!
August 26, 2014
"The US Army was not keen on its soldiers marrying while on duty abroad, and the process of obtaining permission to wed was an elaborate one. A commanding officer had to approve the application, and write a letter to the civil or church authority who would conduct the marriage, having interviewed the GI in question. The potential bride was also subject to questioning, usually by an army chaplain, and was required to provide character references. The Army did its best to dissuade prospective brides, who were often accused of using marriage as a ticket to a more prosperous country. Meanwhile, checks were made into any dependents of the GI in the US, to ensure that the husband could afford to keep his new wife. Unsurprisingly, the process often took many months, but any GI caught violating the Army's strict procedures was subject to a court martial." (pg 57)
In the book, GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love by authors Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi, tells the personal stories of four war brides who weren't looking for love during WWII but love eventually found them. Sylvia Bradley, Rae Brewer, Margaret Boyle and Gwendolyn Rowe, all share their very different accounts of the war, their service, family life and what it was like coming to America. The stories are bittersweet because you realize that they were virtually leaving their entire life behind to follow the man they loved to come to a country where they knew no one. Their stories of one of courage, admiration and strength in the direst of circumstances and for some they didn't find the American dream but instead found a nightmare in the man they though they knew.
In my history classes, I remember learning about the lives of the more than 70,000 war brides that came to American looking for a better life, dreaming that things would be different, a land filled with hope and promise, of abundance and riches, but instead often found themselves denied entry. When they came off the ships bringing them to America, the very men they married, denied their marriages leaving them to the care of the Red Cross workers to help them find a way in this new world. Women with children were often subject to ridicule by the American citizens who thought very little of them, calling them prostitutes and worse. You discover how difficult life was living in Britain and London while bombs were literally being dropped at random.
"While soldiers were being killed every day on the Continent, life on the home front was far from safe. Since the Normandy landings, the Nazis had begun using two devastating new weapons. The V-1 or 'doodlebug', was a pilotless plane that would fall from the sky when its engine cut out, causing a ton-weight warhead to explode on impact. Even more terrifying was the V-2 rocket, which traveled at nearly five times the speed of sound. The only warning it gave was a sonic boom as it dropped from 30,000 feet, and could destroy a whole row of terraced houses." (pg 90).
I receive GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation and the opinions contained here are strictly my own, unless otherwise notated. This is simply a must read for fans of WWII non fiction. It is filled with pictures from the 4 GI Brides featured in this book and besides their personal memoirs, you get a lot of historical facts about what the process was like, that it truly is an exceptional book. It reads like a fiction novel, taking turns alternating the chapters between each of the four women. For me, I was so entranced with their stories, I found the toggling between the four to be a bit distracting and instead maintained my reading with one woman at a time, finding her name in each chapter to keep the story flowing. It is honestly that great to read. It is heart-warming, poignant and in the end you get a chance to get to know the authors a bit more personally and find out what it was like for them to write this book. You might just be surprised to learn even more about them. I literally finished this book in a handful of hours because I was drawn into the lives of these four women in unforgettable ways. I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and it will definitely be joining my collection of WWII books in my personal library.
In the book, GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love by authors Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi, tells the personal stories of four war brides who weren't looking for love during WWII but love eventually found them. Sylvia Bradley, Rae Brewer, Margaret Boyle and Gwendolyn Rowe, all share their very different accounts of the war, their service, family life and what it was like coming to America. The stories are bittersweet because you realize that they were virtually leaving their entire life behind to follow the man they loved to come to a country where they knew no one. Their stories of one of courage, admiration and strength in the direst of circumstances and for some they didn't find the American dream but instead found a nightmare in the man they though they knew.
In my history classes, I remember learning about the lives of the more than 70,000 war brides that came to American looking for a better life, dreaming that things would be different, a land filled with hope and promise, of abundance and riches, but instead often found themselves denied entry. When they came off the ships bringing them to America, the very men they married, denied their marriages leaving them to the care of the Red Cross workers to help them find a way in this new world. Women with children were often subject to ridicule by the American citizens who thought very little of them, calling them prostitutes and worse. You discover how difficult life was living in Britain and London while bombs were literally being dropped at random.
"While soldiers were being killed every day on the Continent, life on the home front was far from safe. Since the Normandy landings, the Nazis had begun using two devastating new weapons. The V-1 or 'doodlebug', was a pilotless plane that would fall from the sky when its engine cut out, causing a ton-weight warhead to explode on impact. Even more terrifying was the V-2 rocket, which traveled at nearly five times the speed of sound. The only warning it gave was a sonic boom as it dropped from 30,000 feet, and could destroy a whole row of terraced houses." (pg 90).
I receive GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation and the opinions contained here are strictly my own, unless otherwise notated. This is simply a must read for fans of WWII non fiction. It is filled with pictures from the 4 GI Brides featured in this book and besides their personal memoirs, you get a lot of historical facts about what the process was like, that it truly is an exceptional book. It reads like a fiction novel, taking turns alternating the chapters between each of the four women. For me, I was so entranced with their stories, I found the toggling between the four to be a bit distracting and instead maintained my reading with one woman at a time, finding her name in each chapter to keep the story flowing. It is honestly that great to read. It is heart-warming, poignant and in the end you get a chance to get to know the authors a bit more personally and find out what it was like for them to write this book. You might just be surprised to learn even more about them. I literally finished this book in a handful of hours because I was drawn into the lives of these four women in unforgettable ways. I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and it will definitely be joining my collection of WWII books in my personal library.
October 12, 2015
Because the book is setup in such a way that it follows a mostly linear timeline for multiple women it was hard in the beginning to follow and keep track of which bride was being discussed however I found this to be an interesting look at what a few of the women who married us military men abroad in WWII went through.
July 14, 2025
This book follows the stories of four war brides from Great Britain. After reading it, don’t skip the sections: about this book and for further reading.
Having gotten on a plane at age 18 to spend a school year on another continent before Internet, email, or affordable international phone calls, I could identify with that part of their story. my story is very different because I had a plane ticket to return to my home country, unlike these women, for whom it was planned to be permanent, including a permanent separation from their family.
The cross cultural barriers they each faced are immense. Even though all four of the stories recounted in this book tell of women from the UK marrying men in America, the men were from four very different parts of America, in terms of community, culture, and living conditions. Cross cultural lesson number one: America does not equal America does not equal America.
In addition, as any married person knows, you do not just marry the person, but you marry their family. For these couples who met during the intensity of war in the UK and had relatively short courtships, two very obvious red flags are that it allowed the men to be anonymous and did not give the women the opportunity to meet their fiancé‘s family of origin.
When you consider the additional fact that these men were returning to their home country without a job or a place to live, and having experienced the trauma of war, it doesn’t take much imagination to realize how hard it was for these couples to start out married life.
Every marriage is hard, and I believe every marriage that succeeds is a testament to God‘s grace. Personally, my two big takeaways from this book are the importance of communicating in marriage and the importance of kindness to those who are newcomers in our community.
Having gotten on a plane at age 18 to spend a school year on another continent before Internet, email, or affordable international phone calls, I could identify with that part of their story. my story is very different because I had a plane ticket to return to my home country, unlike these women, for whom it was planned to be permanent, including a permanent separation from their family.
The cross cultural barriers they each faced are immense. Even though all four of the stories recounted in this book tell of women from the UK marrying men in America, the men were from four very different parts of America, in terms of community, culture, and living conditions. Cross cultural lesson number one: America does not equal America does not equal America.
In addition, as any married person knows, you do not just marry the person, but you marry their family. For these couples who met during the intensity of war in the UK and had relatively short courtships, two very obvious red flags are that it allowed the men to be anonymous and did not give the women the opportunity to meet their fiancé‘s family of origin.
When you consider the additional fact that these men were returning to their home country without a job or a place to live, and having experienced the trauma of war, it doesn’t take much imagination to realize how hard it was for these couples to start out married life.
Every marriage is hard, and I believe every marriage that succeeds is a testament to God‘s grace. Personally, my two big takeaways from this book are the importance of communicating in marriage and the importance of kindness to those who are newcomers in our community.
February 28, 2018
Very interesting book about 4 English women who help with the war effort during WW-II, meet American soldiers and become war brides.
July 23, 2018
This book followed four English women who met Americans during WWII and eventually married them and moved to the United States.
The first part of the book was almost like a mix of four different romance novels. The author rotated through the four women’s stories, and at times it was hard to keep track of who was who, but they captured the feel of WWII England and the “friendly invasion” by the Yanks. (If I had been reading a hard copy instead of listening to the audiobook, I probably would have read the chapters out of order and read each woman’s story in full before moving on to the next woman. But I guess I was too lazy to flip through files on the audiobook.)
The second half of the book was compelling, but much different. It turns out moving to America wasn’t such a happy ending for most of them. There was trouble with in-laws, culture shock, health challenges, and loneliness. The authors point out that the divorce rate wasn’t any higher for GI Brides than it was for most of the population, but from other sources, I know there was a spike in divorce rates in the US after WWII. At the risk of posting spoilers, this books shows why:
The first part of the book almost leads you to believe that these are four “they met during the war, got married, and lived happily ever after” type stories. If you go into the book expecting that, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want stories of four women struggling through difficulties—war, moving to a new home, and then overcoming diverse challenges and finding contentment—then I think most readers will be satisfied. I enjoyed the writing style. I don’t think these women should be considered representatives of all war brides. I imagine their stories were chosen in part because they had continuing drama even after they immigrated.
The first part of the book was almost like a mix of four different romance novels. The author rotated through the four women’s stories, and at times it was hard to keep track of who was who, but they captured the feel of WWII England and the “friendly invasion” by the Yanks. (If I had been reading a hard copy instead of listening to the audiobook, I probably would have read the chapters out of order and read each woman’s story in full before moving on to the next woman. But I guess I was too lazy to flip through files on the audiobook.)
The second half of the book was compelling, but much different. It turns out moving to America wasn’t such a happy ending for most of them. There was trouble with in-laws, culture shock, health challenges, and loneliness. The authors point out that the divorce rate wasn’t any higher for GI Brides than it was for most of the population, but from other sources, I know there was a spike in divorce rates in the US after WWII. At the risk of posting spoilers, this books shows why:
The first part of the book almost leads you to believe that these are four “they met during the war, got married, and lived happily ever after” type stories. If you go into the book expecting that, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want stories of four women struggling through difficulties—war, moving to a new home, and then overcoming diverse challenges and finding contentment—then I think most readers will be satisfied. I enjoyed the writing style. I don’t think these women should be considered representatives of all war brides. I imagine their stories were chosen in part because they had continuing drama even after they immigrated.
November 21, 2016
I really wanted to love this book. I pre-ordered it and was very excited when it landed in my kindle. Unfortunately I found it a bit disappointing. I wanted to care about these women and root for their marriages to survive but I found I was only mildly engaged. It read more like four long Wikipedia entries, without any real depth or analysis. I also found the constant switching between stories to be irritating. Perhaps it's a symptom of the lightweight content that I struggled to recall previous information when a brides next chapter started. I know this book is a joining of previously individual stories but I think presenting them in their entirety would have been better - I should have read it as such after I realised I was struggling but I persevered with the format the authors created.
A lot of really interesting topics are touched on at times, e.g. difficulties of black GIs stationed in England, reactions of an English woman to racial tensions in US, etc, but never explored. Obviously this book was meant to record the lives of these four women, not comment on social history, but I really felt these strong women surely had more to offer readers than a description of their domestic lives. Whether this information was sought as part of the book research or not I don't know, but that's a book I'd certainly love to read.
A lot of really interesting topics are touched on at times, e.g. difficulties of black GIs stationed in England, reactions of an English woman to racial tensions in US, etc, but never explored. Obviously this book was meant to record the lives of these four women, not comment on social history, but I really felt these strong women surely had more to offer readers than a description of their domestic lives. Whether this information was sought as part of the book research or not I don't know, but that's a book I'd certainly love to read.
July 7, 2021
3 Stars
September 14, 2015
Find my full review at http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com.
I just love WWII history! There is such an amalgamation of beauty and romance, horror and desolation that I seem to be transfixed with these stories no matter what angle they take. In GI Brides we get another interesting angle (and one I haven't read yet): that of the English women who fell in love with the American men that flooded their shores and that left behind everything to follow these men to a country they knew so little about. What makes this story that much better is the fact that it's all true!
GI Brides shares the experiences of four English women during the war and after as they moved to America with their G.I.s. Each chapter concentrates on one woman's story and the chapters alternate between women. I was impressed with how well the stories flowed together, showing the similarities within each storyline as well as how each woman's situation was unique, and it really read more like a novel than what I've experienced with more bland, facts-driven nonfiction (which is a good thing!). What I enjoyed most of all was the fact that the stories weren't sugar-coated to give "happily ever after" situations. These women sacrificed a huge amount, leaving behind everything they had to follow these men they really didn't know very well. None of the men were exactly who they said they were and these women had to face the realities of men suffering with alcoholism, gambling addiction, overbearing families and even infidelity. What I was left with was a remarkable appreciation for what these women endured and how they never gave up on working for the life they wanted for themselves and their children (if they had any), whether that was with these G.I.s or not. These women were survivors.
My biggest complaint with G.I. Brides isn't really the story but the narrator of the audiobook (I switched back and forth between the Kindle version and the Audible version). While she did a good job of guiding the story along with her inflections and pacing she didn't really distinguish much between the various characters' voices. While I know it would be incredibly difficult to differentiate between this many people I have heard it done before and, for the most part, the women all sounded the same and the men all sounded the same. I will also say that there are some delightful pictures of the women and their families, which I very much enjoyed, but they were lumped all together at the end of the eBook. I would have preferred them disbursed throughout when the actual people were being discussed so I could visualize them while reading, not after I was finished.
I think G.I Brides does a wonderful job of giving a well rounded look at what these English women gained and lost by following their hearts to America. It isn't overly romanticized or exaggerated, it is real life with all its ups and downs. I would probably recommend the print version if you are like me and love having pictures throughout showing the people being discussed (I assume the print version does this), but if this isn't an issue for you I would highly recommend getting the story whichever way you can. I look forward to reading more about G.I. brides and that's because of what I learned here.
I just love WWII history! There is such an amalgamation of beauty and romance, horror and desolation that I seem to be transfixed with these stories no matter what angle they take. In GI Brides we get another interesting angle (and one I haven't read yet): that of the English women who fell in love with the American men that flooded their shores and that left behind everything to follow these men to a country they knew so little about. What makes this story that much better is the fact that it's all true!
GI Brides shares the experiences of four English women during the war and after as they moved to America with their G.I.s. Each chapter concentrates on one woman's story and the chapters alternate between women. I was impressed with how well the stories flowed together, showing the similarities within each storyline as well as how each woman's situation was unique, and it really read more like a novel than what I've experienced with more bland, facts-driven nonfiction (which is a good thing!). What I enjoyed most of all was the fact that the stories weren't sugar-coated to give "happily ever after" situations. These women sacrificed a huge amount, leaving behind everything they had to follow these men they really didn't know very well. None of the men were exactly who they said they were and these women had to face the realities of men suffering with alcoholism, gambling addiction, overbearing families and even infidelity. What I was left with was a remarkable appreciation for what these women endured and how they never gave up on working for the life they wanted for themselves and their children (if they had any), whether that was with these G.I.s or not. These women were survivors.
My biggest complaint with G.I. Brides isn't really the story but the narrator of the audiobook (I switched back and forth between the Kindle version and the Audible version). While she did a good job of guiding the story along with her inflections and pacing she didn't really distinguish much between the various characters' voices. While I know it would be incredibly difficult to differentiate between this many people I have heard it done before and, for the most part, the women all sounded the same and the men all sounded the same. I will also say that there are some delightful pictures of the women and their families, which I very much enjoyed, but they were lumped all together at the end of the eBook. I would have preferred them disbursed throughout when the actual people were being discussed so I could visualize them while reading, not after I was finished.
I think G.I Brides does a wonderful job of giving a well rounded look at what these English women gained and lost by following their hearts to America. It isn't overly romanticized or exaggerated, it is real life with all its ups and downs. I would probably recommend the print version if you are like me and love having pictures throughout showing the people being discussed (I assume the print version does this), but if this isn't an issue for you I would highly recommend getting the story whichever way you can. I look forward to reading more about G.I. brides and that's because of what I learned here.
March 27, 2015
Find this and other reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot....
My interest in GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi was inspired by my paternal grandmother. She passed away while I was very young and while I've no memory her, I've often pondered her situation and the strength it must have taken to come to the United States with a child in one hand and a marriage certificate in the other. Her personal story is lost to me, but I'd hoped Barrett and Calvi's work might offer a degree of insight to her experience and I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed.
Individually, I found Sylvia, Rae, Margaret and Lynn incredibly interesting and I feel these women very brave to have shared their stories. Their relationships were challenging in many ways and I love that the authors took pains to illustrate both the highs and lows of their marriages. More than seventy thousand woman followed GIs home after WWII and it would be a crime to assume that journey was easy, that distance meant little, that life in a foreign country came naturally or that a wedding band meant lasting happiness.
I wasn't particularly fond of the writing itself, but the scope of subject matter that appears between these pages is nothing short of extraordinary. It is a snapshot of living memory, four firsthand accounts of a time and circumstance that are still romanticized today. Hval chronicled dozens of couples in War Bonds: Love Stories from the Greatest Generation, but of the two I think GI Brides more informative, authentic and engaging.
My interest in GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi was inspired by my paternal grandmother. She passed away while I was very young and while I've no memory her, I've often pondered her situation and the strength it must have taken to come to the United States with a child in one hand and a marriage certificate in the other. Her personal story is lost to me, but I'd hoped Barrett and Calvi's work might offer a degree of insight to her experience and I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed.
Individually, I found Sylvia, Rae, Margaret and Lynn incredibly interesting and I feel these women very brave to have shared their stories. Their relationships were challenging in many ways and I love that the authors took pains to illustrate both the highs and lows of their marriages. More than seventy thousand woman followed GIs home after WWII and it would be a crime to assume that journey was easy, that distance meant little, that life in a foreign country came naturally or that a wedding band meant lasting happiness.
I wasn't particularly fond of the writing itself, but the scope of subject matter that appears between these pages is nothing short of extraordinary. It is a snapshot of living memory, four firsthand accounts of a time and circumstance that are still romanticized today. Hval chronicled dozens of couples in War Bonds: Love Stories from the Greatest Generation, but of the two I think GI Brides more informative, authentic and engaging.
August 29, 2016
My mom passed me this book after she read it and I picked it up for something different than my usual fiction. I'm glad I did. These women's stories were engaging and inspiring. As a modern woman who gave birth recently this book made me very, very thankful I was not a woman giving birth in the 1940s! War is Hell and falling in love in the midst of war seems only natural. To cling to something tangible and hopeful is understandable. It's unfortunate that the love found during the heightened emotional landscape of war did not always translate to a happy marriage once the war was over. I felt frustrated and desperate for the women who struggled with men who ended up not being as great as they thought they were. When you are already straining to find your footing in a new country far away from your family and everything familiar to you and then to find that the one person you thought would be your anchor is unreliable had to be devastating. It's a testament to these women that they were able to make lives for themselves and their children despite these adversities. And shame on the cheating, gambling, boozing men who wronged them.
January 21, 2015
I got this book as a 99-cent Kindle special, and this book was definitely worth more than its purchase price. It's the story of four British women who married American GI's and came to the States as war brides. This is no fairy tale story of love blooming ass the bombs fall & then a happy ever afterwards in the golden land of America. Instead we see how very young girls fell for the romance of not only American GI's, but also the myth of America and how brutal the reality was for many of them.
All four of the women portrayed in this book struggle with their marriages after the war and only one has a marriage that ends up being truly happy. However, they all make their way in the world one way or another and you en up admiring their bravery and resourcefulness in making lives for themselves in a strange new land. Recommended.
All four of the women portrayed in this book struggle with their marriages after the war and only one has a marriage that ends up being truly happy. However, they all make their way in the world one way or another and you en up admiring their bravery and resourcefulness in making lives for themselves in a strange new land. Recommended.
May 16, 2022
I’ve read this book a few times now, and with each reading, I’m struck by the sheer faith and hope that these women possessed to be able to give up their livelihoods, traditions and families in World War II-era England, and move to the United States to be reunited with their American soldier husbands. Oftentimes, the newlyweds had only been acquainted for a few months during the war in England before wedding vows were exchanged. Some of the marriages succeeded; others didn’t. Regardless of the outcome, it is fascinating to read about the unique journeys of five women who crossed the Atlantic Ocean on steamer ships, to begin a new life in America.
— Jill
— Jill
March 1, 2025
Finally finished! A wonderful story about four British young women marrying GI American soldiers during WWII. Fascinating following the lives of the four brides, as they are all different. Not sure where the line on fiction is drawn or some embellishment was added but a great read and unique perspective about World War II!
January 6, 2014
This book concentrates on four young English women; Gwendolyn, Rae, Margaret and Sylvia, just four amongst the thousands that left Britain at the end of World War II to follow their new husbands home to the United States. The authors have carried out many many interviews and have put together a wonderfully informative, entertaining and poignant look at what life was really like for these women. Duncan Barrett's co-author; Nuala Calvi is the granddaughter of Margaret, which just makes her particular story even more compelling.
Life in the United States wasn't easy for any of the four women. They were all young, fairly inexperienced and found themselves in 'the land of plenty' after living through the tough war years, on meagre rations, dodging the bombs and generally living life from day to day. Arriving in American after what was often a horrendous journey across the ocean was not always the beginning of a dream life for them, in fact it is fair to say that a couple of these brave women actually found themselves in a living nightmare for a time.
Racial inequality, language differences, hostile parents in law, gambling, alcoholism, pregnancies, the weather, personal illness .. the list goes on and on. Despite the almost never-ending problems and some extremely challenging times, these women pulled themselves through it all and made lives for themselves that were fulfilling and productive.
This is not all 'happy ever after', this is real life, real women and real hardship. What it is though is a uplifting book filled with stories that show the strength of these four incredible women. It is essential that stories like these are recorded as sadly it won't be long until there are no living memories still with us.
I enjoyed every page of this touching book, it is well-written with warmth and at times, humour.
Life in the United States wasn't easy for any of the four women. They were all young, fairly inexperienced and found themselves in 'the land of plenty' after living through the tough war years, on meagre rations, dodging the bombs and generally living life from day to day. Arriving in American after what was often a horrendous journey across the ocean was not always the beginning of a dream life for them, in fact it is fair to say that a couple of these brave women actually found themselves in a living nightmare for a time.
Racial inequality, language differences, hostile parents in law, gambling, alcoholism, pregnancies, the weather, personal illness .. the list goes on and on. Despite the almost never-ending problems and some extremely challenging times, these women pulled themselves through it all and made lives for themselves that were fulfilling and productive.
This is not all 'happy ever after', this is real life, real women and real hardship. What it is though is a uplifting book filled with stories that show the strength of these four incredible women. It is essential that stories like these are recorded as sadly it won't be long until there are no living memories still with us.
I enjoyed every page of this touching book, it is well-written with warmth and at times, humour.
June 5, 2015
This is a very different WWII story. The true story is about four English women who meet, fell in love and finally married American soldiers. Their lives in America were challenging. Missing their families and friends, financial troubles, alcoholism, gambling, language and food differences, hostile in-laws, personal illnesses, and pregnancies are just some problems these women experienced. Despite these challenges, these women made lives for themselves that were fulfilling and productive. Their stories are poignant, heart wrenching and well researched.
August 29, 2018
This one was just okay for me. I liked the ending more than the beginning and the middle. This book nonfiction and takes a look at wartime brides that immigrated to the U.S. because they've fallen in love with an American Soldier.
The biggest problem I had with this one was that there were too many similarities in the different stories. All the stories featured a poor little English mite of a girl, and they all married American losers with horrific inlaws. It was all the same story....yawn....just different names. So 2 stars.
The biggest problem I had with this one was that there were too many similarities in the different stories. All the stories featured a poor little English mite of a girl, and they all married American losers with horrific inlaws. It was all the same story....yawn....just different names. So 2 stars.
April 22, 2015
It was interesting, but I didn't like the way the book was laid out. It didn't stick with one woman until her story was told, but kept going from one to the next over and over until the end of all their stories. Just not my cuppa.
September 22, 2015
Where are the stories of marriages that endured and were happy? I realize it was probably hard, but these all felt so depressing, surely there were more happy marriages to tell as well. I liked it, but I wanted to like it more.
October 20, 2017
A non-fiction book about the war in England and the girls who married American GI’s. Quite an eye opener to what they endured.
April 3, 2025
Honestly, I really wanted to like this book, but it didn’t pan out as expected. I feel like the author almost portrayed all of the guys to have some type of reason that they weren’t able to be there for their wives and maybe that was just the stories that they picked or maybe that was a common thing but towards the end of the book, the author said that the divorce rate for GIS was actually lower than the national average so I think the selection of the characters in this book really did not portray what most marriages were like and that pissed me off. Not saying I wanted to read a perfect love story book. I think there should be some challenges, but also picking the same challenge for each of the characters gave it a little bit of a generic and boring feeling. However, I will give it an average rating because I feel like the perspective of what those women had to go through with men they would be meeting constantly dying was interesting. You know and I also kind of made me feel like falling in love is like something that could happen in five minutes and maybe it was rushed back in the day but to rush marriage like that kind of surprised me and I almost don’t believe that it was that quickly, but who knows I wasn’t alive during the time so I really can’t say.
I probably would not read this book again
I probably would not read this book again
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2019
This is an easy and interesting read about 4 Englishwomen who married American GIs they met during WWII and moved to the states to live with their new husbands. Each chapter rotated to a different woman so it kept all four on a similar timeline, and their stories were each so different that I didn't find myself getting confused. We get to hear about how they lived in England, how they met and reacted to the American GIs, how they got to the US, and how they lived their lives there. True stories like this really fascinate me.
I think sometimes it's hard for us to realize what a culture shock it is going from Britain to the US and vice versa. We talk a lot alike, but we do things differently and some of our colloquialisms are hilarious to each other. "Knock me up" was used by one of the Englishwomen when she was on a train in the US, which is a phrase I would not recommend saying to an American stranger. (For Americans it means "get me pregnant" and it leads to a pretty funny moment in the narrative.)
I also found it really hilarious that one of the "bad egg" husbands runs off for debauchery in Panama City, Florida. Having grown up there, I'm not surprised.
I think sometimes it's hard for us to realize what a culture shock it is going from Britain to the US and vice versa. We talk a lot alike, but we do things differently and some of our colloquialisms are hilarious to each other. "Knock me up" was used by one of the Englishwomen when she was on a train in the US, which is a phrase I would not recommend saying to an American stranger. (For Americans it means "get me pregnant" and it leads to a pretty funny moment in the narrative.)
I also found it really hilarious that one of the "bad egg" husbands runs off for debauchery in Panama City, Florida. Having grown up there, I'm not surprised.
February 13, 2019
This book follows 4 British women and the American servicemen they fell in love with and married during World War II. Each couple has a different and unique path to marriage, and the book also follows them after the war as the brides adjust not just to married life but to a new country. I found this to be a very interesting book and was hooked by each brides' story. Since I listened to it, it took me a little bit of time to straighten out all of the storylines, but after awhile I was able to separate each story fairly well. War brides were not something I had thought about that much, until recently when I read The Ship of Brides and A Bridge Across the Ocean so I am glad to get this nonfiction look at what life was really like for some of these women. I think its awesome that one of the coauthors of this book is actually a granddaughter of one of the women featured in this book.
I highly recommend this to nonfiction fans who enjoy reading women's stories and about World War II. This is a unique part of the war that doesn't get a lot of coverage.
I highly recommend this to nonfiction fans who enjoy reading women's stories and about World War II. This is a unique part of the war that doesn't get a lot of coverage.
July 9, 2018
The book got many things right – especially what many Brits thought of Americans during the war (my family loves to tell me stories all the time – they are proud of their steadfastness!! :) Pushy and brash American GI’s, “overpaid, oversexed and over here” – truth! I think both authors made good use of “romanticizing” the relationships/timeframe to really make the women stories seemed real enough (with blended & tweaked situations).
I appreciated the factual news stories and government policy & procedures woven into the novel. The epilogue was such a bonus! I researched & read the author interviews for more info.
Overall, the novel is good mash-up of strong British women stories. Tho, Sylvia mum could have been my gran!!
I appreciated the factual news stories and government policy & procedures woven into the novel. The epilogue was such a bonus! I researched & read the author interviews for more info.
Overall, the novel is good mash-up of strong British women stories. Tho, Sylvia mum could have been my gran!!
November 4, 2019
Wow, this was one of my favorite books of the year!
It's a nonfiction, but I actually didn't realize that until after I finished the book. I loved each character we followed (there were 4 brides) and seeing the way they each handled the situations they faced. I cheered for them, saw red when certain characters were jerks, and cried with them.
At the beginning of the book, I would have to reorient myself as to which bride is was we were following, but I felt the transitions were handled smoothly.
This is a great nonfiction, showing some of the history, focusing on the relationships of the brides (with their own families, their husband, and their in-laws), and really making you care.
It's a nonfiction, but I actually didn't realize that until after I finished the book. I loved each character we followed (there were 4 brides) and seeing the way they each handled the situations they faced. I cheered for them, saw red when certain characters were jerks, and cried with them.
At the beginning of the book, I would have to reorient myself as to which bride is was we were following, but I felt the transitions were handled smoothly.
This is a great nonfiction, showing some of the history, focusing on the relationships of the brides (with their own families, their husband, and their in-laws), and really making you care.
April 9, 2018
GI Brides starts during the war and wraps decades later. In the earlier chapters it's easy to get couples mixed up as they go in turns. As the new couples get to know each other, though, and personality quirks, habits, strengths and weaknesses are revealed, each couple grows their own flavor, if you will. I found it interesting & appalling at the same time. The writing isn't appalling, not at all. The thought of leaving your family and crossing the ocean to spend maybe forever with someone you've known for so short a time, especially in my wiser (haha) years... Their parents must have been beside themselves.
Still, an excellent listen.
Still, an excellent listen.
July 3, 2018
I just loved this book! The stories of these four women profiled in this book not only broke my heart at times but also enlightened me to something I knew little about. I always knew about Asian War Brides but never thought of European ones and what they went through. I just love women’s history and this is no exception. Highly recommend.
September 3, 2023
An enjoyable and very readable account of the experiences of several war brides, filled with period detail. The edition I read had no photographs but reviews suggest other editions do. I would have found it easier to follow the individual stories and remember who was who if the brides had been dealt with one by one, instead of alternating sections of their stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 462 reviews