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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
This isn't one of those books that will keep you hyperventilating and on the edge of your seat. It's rather a thoughtful, quiet book that deals with love, trust, betrayal, and ultimately sifting through life's numerous distractions to determine what ultimately matters most.
Olivia Dunne is an independent, ambitious young woman who enjoys her life in Denver during World War II. She has dreams--big ones--of ultimately achieving a college education and becoming an archeologist. Since her girlhood, she has harbored those dreams and nurtured them however she could. Even the tragic death of her beloved mother does not ultimately derail her dreams.
But what began as an innocent enough romance with a young soldier shipping off to Europe changed every aspect of her life. When it became clear that Edward had slipped irrevocably from her life, leaving her pregnant, Olivia is banished to rural southern Colorado. Her father, a strict minister, has, with help from a colleague in a rural community, arranged for Olivia to marry a man she has never met.
As you read this, you will experience her pain as she must adjust to the slower life of rural Colorado, standing as she does amidst the debris of her smashed and shattered dreams. Out of loneliness, Olivia makes friends of two Japanese-Americans who are interned at one of the infamous camps which operated throughout much of World War II wherein American citizens of Japanese descent were housed.
Olivia is instantly taken with the community. Despite their unfair treatment, the people find ways to create good things from the stark deprivation that has become the fabric of their lives.
Only when the sisters brutally betray her and she unwittingly participates in a crime does Olivia begin to more fully understand love--specifically the love of her husband.
I read this because I've seen advertisements on CBS announcing it as an upcoming Hallmark movie. Having read the book, I'm not sure I'll watch; but the author does a skillful job of helping readers understand that there is indeed magic in what seem ordinary days.
In short, this book won't go down as your favorite book of the year; but it will be interesting enough that you will likely finish it if you start, and it will leave you with much to think about regarding fulfilling dreams and changing dreams when that fulfillment is truly impossible. You will come away from the back cover immensely satisfied with how this ends. You will have to set aside your 21st-century perspective just a bit and remember that being unmarried and pregnant in the mid-1940s was looked on as a truly horrific crisis that, at least in many homes, resulted in rather drastic steps being taken. This is a gentle book that will leave you with much to think about.
Olivia Dunne is an independent, ambitious young woman who enjoys her life in Denver during World War II. She has dreams--big ones--of ultimately achieving a college education and becoming an archeologist. Since her girlhood, she has harbored those dreams and nurtured them however she could. Even the tragic death of her beloved mother does not ultimately derail her dreams.
But what began as an innocent enough romance with a young soldier shipping off to Europe changed every aspect of her life. When it became clear that Edward had slipped irrevocably from her life, leaving her pregnant, Olivia is banished to rural southern Colorado. Her father, a strict minister, has, with help from a colleague in a rural community, arranged for Olivia to marry a man she has never met.
As you read this, you will experience her pain as she must adjust to the slower life of rural Colorado, standing as she does amidst the debris of her smashed and shattered dreams. Out of loneliness, Olivia makes friends of two Japanese-Americans who are interned at one of the infamous camps which operated throughout much of World War II wherein American citizens of Japanese descent were housed.
Olivia is instantly taken with the community. Despite their unfair treatment, the people find ways to create good things from the stark deprivation that has become the fabric of their lives.
Only when the sisters brutally betray her and she unwittingly participates in a crime does Olivia begin to more fully understand love--specifically the love of her husband.
I read this because I've seen advertisements on CBS announcing it as an upcoming Hallmark movie. Having read the book, I'm not sure I'll watch; but the author does a skillful job of helping readers understand that there is indeed magic in what seem ordinary days.
In short, this book won't go down as your favorite book of the year; but it will be interesting enough that you will likely finish it if you start, and it will leave you with much to think about regarding fulfilling dreams and changing dreams when that fulfillment is truly impossible. You will come away from the back cover immensely satisfied with how this ends. You will have to set aside your 21st-century perspective just a bit and remember that being unmarried and pregnant in the mid-1940s was looked on as a truly horrific crisis that, at least in many homes, resulted in rather drastic steps being taken. This is a gentle book that will leave you with much to think about.
This book did an excellent job of capturing the feeling of a time and place, and the characters felt rich and fully realized. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Livvy.
A surprisingly well liked read for me. I’m not big on historical books at all but this one sucked me in and I’m glad I gave it a shot.
I read this book after falling in love with the Hallmark movie, and though quite different from the movie, the book was unsurprisingly better in many ways. For a good portion of the book, the main character, Livvy, can be quite difficult to like at times. But what makes up for it is that all her feelings and actions are very understandable and very human. In this way the book is very realistic--everyone, including ourselves, can be unlikeable. If you are a fan of the movie, I think you will enjoy that the novel delves deeper into the complex relationship between Livvy and Ray. It is a sweet but complicated story, and I really enjoyed the book.
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't like that livvy's pregnancy wasn't explained at the beginning. That could be very confusing to readers new to the story.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Endearing and wholesome. At times a little frustrating and the very last paragraph made nearly no sense lol but I still really enjoyed it. Very heart warming
Had to return to library. Will pick it back up later!! I liked what I read though