War Brides

Rating:
Summary: What happened to the ending?
Review: A Major Disappointment! This is one of the "slowest" reads I've had in a long time. It felt like labor just to get through it. I kept putting it down to read other books that were much more interesting, so it took me five weeks to finish. I kept plugging away, because there would be a hint that it would pick up and get better, but it would slow back down again. It finally ended leaving me confused as to what happened to one of the main characters!

I wanted to read this book because of the subject matter... foreign women who married American GI's after WWII and immigrated to the USA. This story was written by the daughter of one such couple. It revolves around three women. But I found that the lack of dates at the beginning of chapters, or very little reference to time frames throughout the book as it jumped from character to character made the book hard to follow. For example, when it went back and forth between chapters on Dawn, it was hard to tell if one month or a year had gone by. Then at the end, it was almost as if the author realized the book was too long, or got tired of writing, and just decided to stop! We never learn what really happened to Gaynor.

I think this book would have been much more effective if the author had written about one character, even if it meant having a shorter book. Or written about three separate characters in three separate mini-books combined in one novel, but following that one character all the way through. Since these characters had very little interaction after the first chapter, that could have been the prologue and then had epilogue to wrap up any connections or to tell what happened to them later.

Over all - I would not recommend this if you want to read anything "interesting" or "quick".... so boring!

Rating:
Summary: What happened to the ending?
Review: A Major Disappointment! This is one of the "slowest" reads I've had in a long time. It felt like labor just to get through it. I kept putting it down to read other books that were much more interesting, so it took me five weeks to finish. I kept plugging away, because there would be a hint that it would pick up and get better, but it would slow back down again. It finally ended leaving me confused as to what happened to one of the main characters!

I wanted to read this book because of the subject matter... foreign women who married American GI's after WWII and immigrated to the USA. This story was written by the daughter of one such couple. It revolves around three women. But I found that the lack of dates at the beginning of chapters, or very little reference to time frames throughout the book as it jumped from character to character made the book hard to follow. For example, when it went back and forth between chapters on Dawn, it was hard to tell if one month or a year had gone by. Then at the end, it was almost as if the author realized the book was too long, or got tired of writing, and just decided to stop! We never learn what really happened to Gaynor.

I think this book would have been much more effective if the author had written about one character, even if it meant having a shorter book. Or written about three separate characters in three separate mini-books combined in one novel, but following that one character all the way through. Since these characters had very little interaction after the first chapter, that could have been the prologue and then had epilogue to wrap up any connections or to tell what happened to them later.

Over all - I would not recommend this if you want to read anything "interesting" or "quick".... so boring!

Rating:
Summary: Engaging book about war brides
Review: As a woman interested in the lifes of non-US women who married GIs during WWII, I really enjoyed this book. It was easy to connect to the lives of the characters and the troubles they go through. The character development is interesting. The book is an entertaining read - perfect for a holiday or just a break away from everyday life.

Rating:
Summary: Good Bedtime Reading
Review: I like light fare for my bedtime reading and I like stories about women. This was perfect. A few pages at a time, it lasted me for months. Nothing deep that I have to "get something out of". I do agree though, that the ending left something to be desired.

Rating:
Summary: Good Bedtime Reading
Review: I like light fare for my bedtime reading and I like stories about women. This was perfect. A few pages at a time, it lasted me for months. Nothing deep that I have to "get something out of". I do agree though, that the ending left something to be desired.

Rating:
Summary: A women's war story, the true heroes
Review: This is a unique story of Australian women who by chance meeteligible and vulnerable American service men while the men arestationed in Australia during WWII. Each couple meet and hastily march to marriage encouraged and motivated by the events and times at the end of the war. Despite family members expressing objection, the story centers on 3 young women who take the plunge and board ship for America to start their lives with the husbands they only knew for the briefest time. Each of the women are different and what motivates their destiny becomes the essence of the story line. One must remember that during this time in women's history, a wife was expected to place their husband first, no matter the personal sacrifice. For all these women, the sacrifices are so costly, they are each pushed to the edge and are challenged in a foreign country to make the best of their situation. A somewhat slow novel in the beginning, the story developes and holds the reader to the end.