"Something died inside of Gunther when he stepped off the boat."
Interned because of his heritage, German medical student Gunther Schneider has lost hope in the American dream. Along with hundreds of his countrymen, his new home is Camp Forrest in Tullahoma, Tennessee where his days are bleak and void of interest until . . . an unlikely emergency allows him to work in the camp's hospital, where he meets a young war widow with a lovely countenance and a kind heart.
"I would never see my brother again. I lay on the floor and wept . . . "
Years later, Mattie Taylor's life comes to a screaming halt when the news of her twin brother's death in Vietnam reaches their family. An avid protestor of the conflict, Mattie blames everyone around her for encouraging Mark to enlist in the first place, so heartbroken that she takes off to California shortly after his funeral. Coming back to their Tennessee horse farm is hard but necessary . . . for her mother is critically ill and insisting that Mattie discover some truths about their family . . . there are a lot of things that Mattie doesn't know.
A thoughtful, inspiring read, merging the despair of two hard fought wars from the perspectives of those who stayed behind, those who survived, those who faced discrimination for their ethnicity, and those who never wanted our country involved in the first place. Positioning all of these factors into one novel made this . . . a rather remarkable story!
*I purchased this book and was under no obligation to provide a positive review. 3.5 stars
BackCover Blurb:
She was so sure she knew her family’s story . . . Now she wonders if she was wrong about all of it.
1969.
When Mattie Taylor’s twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her
best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, news
that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her
father for Mark’s death. Mama’s last wish is that Mattie would read some
old letters stored in a trunk, from people Mattie doesn’t even know.
Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for.
1942.
Ava Delaney is picking up the pieces of her life following her husband’s
death at Pearl Harbor. Living with her mother-in-law on a secluded farm
in Tennessee is far different than the life Ava imagined when she
married only a few short months ago. Desperate to get out of the house,
Ava seeks work at a nearby military base, where she soon discovers the
American government is housing Germans who they have classified as enemy
aliens. As Ava works to process legal documents for the military, she
crosses paths with Gunther Schneider, a German who is helping care for
wounded soldiers. Ava questions why a man as gentle and kind as Gunther
should be forced to live in the internment camp, and as they become
friends, her sense of the injustice grows . . . as do her feelings for
him. Faced with the possibility of losing Gunther, Ava must choose
whether loving someone deemed the enemy is a risk worth taking, even if
it means being ostracized by all those around her.
In the midst
of pain and loss two women must come face-to-face with their own
assumptions about what they thought they knew about themselves and
others. What they discover will lead to a far greater appreciation of
their own legacies and the love of those dearest to them.
-Includes discussion guide for book groups
-Standalone Southern, historical family drama about enduring hope amid personal tragedy
-Clean, suspenseful historical fiction, perfect for fans of Susan Meissner or Lisa Wingate
-Dual timeline set during the Vietnam War and WWII.
No comments:
Post a Comment