Helpful Score: 3
Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris came at such a perfect time for me. Since I feel I am still in the midst of grieving my grandmother I found myself greedily turning the pages of this book because it, in some strange way, connected me to her youthfulness and her own experiences during World War II since her husband (my grandfather) was sent away before making her his bride.
The story begins as Liz, Julia and Betty attend a USO dance. Liz Stephens, who is engaged to Dalton Harris, meets Morgan McClain at the dance the night before he is to be shipped off to war. Although their brief encounter brings to the surface a sizzling chemistry, it becomes complicated because of a misinterpretation.
Liz becomes entwined deeper in the misinterpretation as she gradually corresponds with McClain, a solider experiencing atrocities of war, who hangs onto hope through the letters he receives from Liz who is technically ghost-writing the letters for Betty. One of the most beautiful parts of this book, I found, is in the exchange of letter writing between Liz and Morgan. They unfold their lives on paper and trust one another in a way unknown to either of them before the letters.
I feel the word misinterpretation is a fitting description for what is happening in the lives of the main and secondary characters such as Julia and Ian, Liz and her father, Liz and Dalton and of course, Betty, too. All of the characters offer the reader tender and vulnerable moments that somehow feel close to home and remind us all, no matter what generation we are born into, of our choices, hurts, circumstances, obligations, dreams, desires and life paths we can choose (or not) to follow. But mostly, the story echoes so strongly how misinterpretations in life can cause us to take roads we might not otherwise.
I love how this wartime story feels credible as readers move around the globe from Chicago to the war-torn European shorelines to barracks in Dutch New Guinea to trenches in Belgium. Readers vividly experience scenes of fear, loss, conflict, violence, regret and love. Every character is easily cared about and the outcomes of their lives weighed on my mind until I could resume reading to discover what would happen. From the first page of the book the suspense morphs into incredible anticipation and the authors words brilliantly convey the integrity, confusion, ethical and honorable mood of the day.
Knowing the main characters were the same age as my own grandparents (two people who meant the world to me and formed me through their unconditional love) I eagerly read this story which helped me to see them again, not as grandparents, but rather as a young couple in love.
The story begins as Liz, Julia and Betty attend a USO dance. Liz Stephens, who is engaged to Dalton Harris, meets Morgan McClain at the dance the night before he is to be shipped off to war. Although their brief encounter brings to the surface a sizzling chemistry, it becomes complicated because of a misinterpretation.
Liz becomes entwined deeper in the misinterpretation as she gradually corresponds with McClain, a solider experiencing atrocities of war, who hangs onto hope through the letters he receives from Liz who is technically ghost-writing the letters for Betty. One of the most beautiful parts of this book, I found, is in the exchange of letter writing between Liz and Morgan. They unfold their lives on paper and trust one another in a way unknown to either of them before the letters.
I feel the word misinterpretation is a fitting description for what is happening in the lives of the main and secondary characters such as Julia and Ian, Liz and her father, Liz and Dalton and of course, Betty, too. All of the characters offer the reader tender and vulnerable moments that somehow feel close to home and remind us all, no matter what generation we are born into, of our choices, hurts, circumstances, obligations, dreams, desires and life paths we can choose (or not) to follow. But mostly, the story echoes so strongly how misinterpretations in life can cause us to take roads we might not otherwise.
I love how this wartime story feels credible as readers move around the globe from Chicago to the war-torn European shorelines to barracks in Dutch New Guinea to trenches in Belgium. Readers vividly experience scenes of fear, loss, conflict, violence, regret and love. Every character is easily cared about and the outcomes of their lives weighed on my mind until I could resume reading to discover what would happen. From the first page of the book the suspense morphs into incredible anticipation and the authors words brilliantly convey the integrity, confusion, ethical and honorable mood of the day.
Knowing the main characters were the same age as my own grandparents (two people who meant the world to me and formed me through their unconditional love) I eagerly read this story which helped me to see them again, not as grandparents, but rather as a young couple in love.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed reading this novel. It is a story of love, friendship and the choices we make in life. This novel is set during WWII, and follows the lives of three female college-age roommates as they make choices that will effect the rest of their lives. Liz meets a solder at a USO dance who is about to go off to war. She finds herself interested in him, but is dating someone else, so she doesn't persue anything, especially when she sees him dancing with her roommate, Betty. After the dance, the solder writes to Betty from overseas. Because Betty doesn't believe she writes very well, she asks Liz to reply for her. You can just imagine where this is going to lead. This novel definitely kept me turning the pages.
