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A review by devinsf
The Lonely by Paul Gallico
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
1946 romance novel from the author of The Poseidon Adventure (his author bio at the time describes him as primarily a sports writer). Set in England during the Blitz, a sheltered American Pilot falls for a casual acquaintance and is forced to choose between her and his fiancé back home. The leads' names are Jerry and Patches, which is basically reason enough to read this.
For a pocket book, the plot covers a lot of physical ground: Our leads vacation in Scottland, then Jerry hops a plane to return to his home in upscale New Jersey for an evening. We do get some solo time with Patches, but her character and motivations — as is often the case with love interests in romance — are left somewhat opaque.
There's some fascinating discussion about what we now call PTSD; seeing these experiences through the 1940s lens was illuminating, particularly with how young adults proceeded into the postwar period with these traumatizing experiences locked away.
For a pocket book, the plot covers a lot of physical ground: Our leads vacation in Scottland, then Jerry hops a plane to return to his home in upscale New Jersey for an evening. We do get some solo time with Patches, but her character and motivations — as is often the case with love interests in romance — are left somewhat opaque.
There's some fascinating discussion about what we now call PTSD; seeing these experiences through the 1940s lens was illuminating, particularly with how young adults proceeded into the postwar period with these traumatizing experiences locked away.