Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe by Robert Matzen, 400 pages

Jimmy Stewart was an academy winning actor when World War II broke out.  This biography details his life, but focuses mostly on his military service during the war.

Being a fan of World War II history and Jimmy Stewart, I really enjoyed this book.  Stewart was a decorated officer and pilot of B-24 bombers during the war.

This book might not appeal to someone who simply enjoys a Hollywood biography.  However, those interested in World War II history will not be disappointed. 

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 316 pages

Ada and her brother Jamie life in a tiny flat in London with their mother.  It is right before WWII is really getting going, Hitler is threatening Europe, but hasn't invaded yet.  Ada, who is 10, has never stepped foot outside her flat.  Her mother forbids it, saying that Ada is a disgrace because of her club foot.  She is horribly abusive to both children, especially Ada.  When children are evacuated out of London, Ada forces herself to leave the only room she's ever known.  She and Jamie end up with Susan in a smaller village by the sea.  Ada falls in love with the resident pony, Butter and learns that she has much more to offer the world than simply sitting by a window and wishing for better.  This was a heartbreaking book, you kept wanting to tell Ada that she was misunderstanding, that she was not bad or stupid, but the book never cheated.  It was told from Ada's perspective, which added the majority of heartbreak to the story.  I cannot recommend this book highly enough.  I absolutely loved it!  It is a nominee for the Mark Twain Award this year.  I listened to it on audio read by Jayne Entwistle, who did a wonderful job bringing so much warmth and believable voice to all the characters.

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, 262 pages

Eilis Lacey is an Irish immigrant to Brooklyn after WWII.  She takes a job as a bookkeeper and moves into a boarding house. While in America she sort of reinvents herself and finds romance and a career both of which seemed unattainable at home.  But when a family tragedy takes her back to Ireland, she discovers what her life might have been like if she had stayed.  And then she has to make a choice, go back to America where she has commitments and a life waiting for her.  Or stay.  I won't tell you the choice she makes and I'm not even sure it was the right choice.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction from this era.  It has some romance, but I wouldn't catalog it as such.

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 336 pages

Ada has never left her one-room apartment in her nine years of life. Her mother keeps Ada inside because Ada was born with a clubfoot. But when her brother starts venturing outside the house, Ada teaches herself to walk. When humors of Hitler bombing London, Ada escapes with Jamie, her brother, to the country.

Ada and Jamie are taken to live with Susan, who really didn’t want kids. While with Susan, Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, Buttercup. She also learns to read with the help of Susan. She also begins to trust Susan and over time, Susan begins to care for Ada and Jamie. When Ada and Jamie are taken back to London with their mother, will they ever see Susan again and can they make it through the war?  

Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Miessner 386 pages

Fifteen-year-old Emmy Downtree dreams of being a designer of bridal gowns.  She spends a good part of her time dreaming and drawing.  However, life has a way of interfering in our dreams.  WWII is coming and Emmy and her younger sister, Julia, are evacuated out of London.  They find themselves at the home of "Aunt" Charlotte in the rural English countryside, a nearly idyllic situation.  Except for Emmy, who must get back to London as she has been offered an apprentice position with a designer.  Their lives change forever when young Julia insists on running away with Emmy.  You see, it is the beginning of the Luftwaffe bombing of London and the world as they know it is about to be destroyed. A cruel twist of fate separates the girls, now orphans.  Will they survive, and if so, will they ever be reunited?  And when Fate plays it's wicked tricks, how much of another's fate can we take the blame for? A must read for fans of WWII historical fiction.  Reader's guide included.

The Pieces We Keep by Kristina McMorris 439 pages

This is the second Kristina McMorris novel I have read and, honestly, it took me a while to get into this one, but it was worth it.  The author flips back and forth from the present to pre-WWII, even using different print fonts!  Audra is a young widow trying to raise her son, Jack.  Jack has night terrors and seems obsessed with WWII.  When finally asked by his therapist how he knows so much about WWII, Jack replies, " Because I was there."   On the flip side we have Vivian, daughter of an American diplomat living in London.  Vivian is having a secret affair with a German student, Isaak, but when war begins to break out, Vivian returns to the United States and Isaak must return to Germany and try to help his family escape the Nazi's.  What is the connection between these two stories?  Ah, you don't really expect me to tell you, do you?  That would spoil the read for you!  Just be sure you read the Author's Notes at the end.  Discussion questions are also included so this would be perfect for a Book Club.  Caution:  this was an Interlibrary Loan.  SJPL does not own this book.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 438 pages

It has been ages since I have blogged.  I was in a rut and it seemed nothing was inspiring me.  Well, let me tell you, that has changed!  "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah will knock your socks off!  It is unlike anything else by her that I have read. 

"The Nightingale takes place in France during WWII.  It is a tale of the French Resistance and 2 sisters, Vianne and Isabelle.  Vianne's husband is off to fight in the war, the Germans occupy France and Vianne's home is taken over by a German officer.  Vianne has no choice but to cooperate, or she and her daughter will suffer.  But things go from bad to worse.  Not only is food scarce, but the winters are brutal, her neighbor and best friend is a Jew, and word comes that her husband is a prisoner of war in Germany.  But Vianne, humble, starving, desperate Vianne, finds a way to save lives.

Meanwhile, Isabelle, rebellious, reckless and beautiful Isabelle, is risking her life as part of the French underground, rescuing downed pilots, guiding them over the mountains into safety.  Like her sister, saving lives. 

This is a book about resiliency, bravery, self-sacrifice, and the long term effect of one person's actions on the lives of others.  Would you be brave enough?

Unbroken: a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand 398 pages

Caution, some may find this book difficult to read.  I know I did. Louis Zamperini was a young scamp growing up.  Part of a close Italian family, he would terrorize the neighborhood, stealing pies off of window sills, brawling, and running away.  He adored his older brother Pete, who introduced him to the sport of track.  Louie was a natural.  He broke all kinds of records and was on his way to the Olympics when he was called to war.  Pete joined the Marines and Louie joined the Army.  He was a bombardier.  One day, while on a rescue mission, his plane crashed.  Louie, the pilot and close friend, Phil, and one other crewman were the only survivors.  The lay adrift on the ocean, suffering from sun exposure, starvation and lack of drinking water.  The sharks circled constantly.  The 3rd crewman succumbed.  But Louie and Phil survived for 47 days, until they reached an island and were captured by the Japanese.  How any of those POW's survived is as miracle.  This is a tale of cruelty at its highest level.  These men were beaten, starved, stripped of all dignity, and broken in mind and body.  For over 2 1/2 years Louie survived.  Once home, he became an alcoholic.  He was tormented by nightmares.  Finally, he found the strength to forgive.  This is truly an inspiring story.  I highly recommend this book.

Delicious by Ruth Reichl 374 pages

Although Ruth Reichl is a New York Times best-selling author for her cookbooks, this is her debut novel, and it is a good one! Attention all you foodies, you will love this book!

Billie Breslin has an unusual gift, the perfect palate. She can taste a morsel of food and pick out each and every spice used to make that food. She and her sister, Genie, started their own bakery when Billie was only 10-years-old. They were famous for their wedding cakes, Genie would design them and Billie would create the recipes. But tragedy strikes and Billie loses the desire to cook. Instead, she travels to New York to work for the food magazine, "Delicious!", an iconic food magazine. Billie mans the guarantee hot line. Delicious! guarantees all their recipes and Billie must decide what ingredients the caller left out or added that ruined the dish. This book is full of the delightful New York characters Billie meets, but the best part of this story is the hidden room in the magazine's library, full of letters written during WWII by 12-year-old Lulu Swan to legendary chef James Beard. While discussing recipes and the challenges of cooking when important ingredients are rationed, Lula also shares her fears and troubles. It is a first-hand look at surviving on the home front while her father is MIA. There are so many delightful things about this book, so many quirky characters, so much mystery and discovery. The only disappointment was there were not enough recipes included! I guess I will have to find the author's cookbooks for that. Definitely a recommended read!

The Confidant by Hélène Grémillon 243 pages

The Confidant was a book club selection and will forever reside on my best-books-ever read list. Strangely enough or maybe sadly enough I was the only one to feel that way. That may have been due to some questionable choices the author made. First Grémillon didn’t take the time to set up the transition between narrators and there was enough confusion behind this to cause all of us to have to go back and reread and some to just give up. Secondly, the author wrote the last chapter in prose form so that some of the members skipped over it thinking the author was just quoting poetry or starting a new book. But the last chapter put everything into perspective and delivered the final twist. Without it the book just hung there.

The Confidant begins in 1975 Paris. Camille, pregnant and abandoned by the baby’s father has just lost her mother. She receives a letter in the mail telling the story of Louis and Annie—neither of whom she knows—who lived in Nazi Occupied France more than thirty years before. The letters continue to appear weekly and eventually the connections between them are revealed in a huge, life altering way.

What I loved most besides the actual story of course was how easy it was to empathize with the characters totally independent of the absurd choices they were making and the havoc they created for others. The plot was so intricately woven that one deviation, just one tiny deviation would have changed the entire story. It just doesn't come much better than that. 

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler 325 pages

This was a beautiful novel.  It was recommended to me by a patron, and I owe her big for it!  The story is told in present time and flashback.  Initially we meet Dorrie, a black woman in her 30's, and Isabelle, a white woman in her late 80's.  Dorrie is Isabelle's hair stylist, but over the years they have become very good friends.  Isabelle actually feels like Dorrie is a daughter to her.  One day Isabelle asks Dorrie if she'll drive her from Texas to Ohio.  Dorrie, being a single mother and business owner, realizes that it must be very important for Isabelle to ask her to do this, so she works it out.  Along the long drive, the two women discover that they really didn't know as much about one another as they had taken for granted.  Isabelle fills Dorrie in on her youth in a very segregated town.  This book has a lot of heartache in it, but it is absolutely beautiful.  I think the only thing I didn't like about it was when the author was trying to write in Dorrie's voice. That felt a little forced at times.  I definitely recommend this book to just about anyone.  I don't usually go for this genre...whatever it may be, but I loved this book!