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Rating: 
Summary: Clouds In My Coffee
Review: A very good showing for a first novel, JB Hamland takes us into the past showing the difficulties women had in the military; the day after they became 'female service members.' Quite poignant for me, as I was on Active Duty in the same years. Building strong characters in vivid settings, JB Hamland brings you into the time and place where her people live---which became increasingly difficult for me, reading about love's complications in the hostile environment of a podunk Air Force Base in Texas. Maybe you had to be there .... It was like reading about people I knew, sparking memories I had repressed for decades. More-than-once I dropped it on the floor, reduced to tears trying to avoid what happened next. Sometimes, in some chapters, it was just too real for me to deal with; living alone, steeped in the past. That should be a good sign for the author; a red flag for anyone with 'issues.' My expectations were far afield from what was delivered; succinct, terse, often painful being so very reminiscent of what it was really like, back in The Day. "Dress Blues" is also terribly accurate as a period piece. Not just the setting, but attitudes and social mores juxtaposed between intelligent caring individuals and ignorant bigots promoted beyond their abilities. I had trouble with the dialogue; the author's only weakness being that's not the way *I* remember my friends talking---through Basic into AIT and 39 months over seas. However, my daughter tagged that as my own failing memory. Her rationale being, I also think the sound track was terrific! Memories do fade, as we recall the songs from our good times while trying to forget who was playing the record. Hell, they don't even sell 'records' anymore .... I had no difficulty with the lesbian aspects which are core concerns for these characters. My only difficulty being my gender, which provides a limited perspective. The VII Corps Commander had zero issues with my dating women---specifically LTG Al Haig's SIR Clerk, who was homecoming queen at my high school my senior year. If I could find Charlene today, I could offer a better perspective on this book. I am really looking forward to the next volume in this trilogy of love. Sure that it will close some issues for me, it will no doubt open other old wounds. That's only good therapy. Nice tune, it's got a beat you can dance to, I'll give it a 76.
Rating:
Summary: Clouds In My Coffee
Review: A very good showing for a first novel, JB Hamland takes us into the past showing the difficulties women had in the military; the day after they became 'female service members.' Quite poignant for me, as I was on Active Duty in the same years. Building strong characters in vivid settings, JB Hamland brings you into the time and place where her people live---which became increasingly difficult for me, reading about love's complications in the hostile environment of a podunk Air Force Base in Texas. Maybe you had to be there .... It was like reading about people I knew, sparking memories I had repressed for decades. More-than-once I dropped it on the floor, reduced to tears trying to avoid what happened next. Sometimes, in some chapters, it was just too real for me to deal with; living alone, steeped in the past. That should be a good sign for the author; a red flag for anyone with 'issues.' My expectations were far afield from what was delivered; succinct, terse, often painful being so very reminiscent of what it was really like, back in The Day. "Dress Blues" is also terribly accurate as a period piece. Not just the setting, but attitudes and social mores juxtaposed between intelligent caring individuals and ignorant bigots promoted beyond their abilities. I had trouble with the dialogue; the author's only weakness being that's not the way *I* remember my friends talking---through Basic into AIT and 39 months over seas. However, my daughter tagged that as my own failing memory. Her rationale being, I also think the sound track was terrific! Memories do fade, as we recall the songs from our good times while trying to forget who was playing the record. Hell, they don't even sell 'records' anymore .... I had no difficulty with the lesbian aspects which are core concerns for these characters. My only difficulty being my gender, which provides a limited perspective. The VII Corps Commander had zero issues with my dating women---specifically LTG Al Haig's SIR Clerk, who was homecoming queen at my high school my senior year. If I could find Charlene today, I could offer a better perspective on this book. I am really looking forward to the next volume in this trilogy of love. Sure that it will close some issues for me, it will no doubt open other old wounds. That's only good therapy. Nice tune, it's got a beat you can dance to, I'll give it a 76.
Rating: 
Summary: Author's First Novel Earns Its Stripes
Review: In this compelling first novel, author JB Hamland brings the 1970s to life and plops the reader right down in the middle of an Air Force base, with its rigid rules and melting pot of personalities that have been thrown together for better or worse. The characters are vividly drawn and brought to life by each of their distinctive personalities, and like the novel's two female protagonists, we are stuck with them all, even the ones we don't like. The author uses setting to great effect, especially in one of the standout scenes in which an act of nature takes center stage. Another interesting thing about the book is how the author depicts so much emotional chaos taking place within the rigid structure of the military community. The setting highlights the fact that human relationships can be pretty messy, but the payoff for getting your hands dirty is true love...if you're lucky. A great first novel by a promising author.
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